Shopee changes seller rules as TikTok Shop raises fees by 50% - Valor International

The online marketplace sector is in for another round of major changes starting in July. Just months after Shopee and Mercado Libre raised the fees they charge sellers, Shopee is now shifting responsibility for withholding and reporting taxes on influencer commissions onto merchants. At the same time, the Brazilian arm of TikTok Shop—which combines video content with e-commerce—is raising seller fees, with its fixed per-item fee climbing by as much as 50%. Inventory bug at Mercado Libre disrupts sales for Brazilian merchants TikTok, OpenAI shake up Brazil’s online retail market Amazon, Shopee, Mercado Libre enter new phase of Brazil rivalry Analysts say online platforms spent years prioritizing growth over profitability and are now under mounting pressure to improve margins. Against that backdrop, companies are looking for ways to run leaner without pulling back on investment. There’s also a broader push to restructure business units, cut costs, and simplify operations—and that, according to sources, is what’s driving Shopee’s changes. Starting August 1, Shopee, which is controlled by Singapore’s Sea Group, will overhaul its additional commission program—the system under which sellers pay extra commissions to influencers or affiliates—by adopting a new tax model. Affiliates take part in a program that lets users earn extra income by promoting products on Shopee’s app; the agreement is signed between the seller, who pays the commission, and the affiliate. Under the new system, individual affiliates will receive two separate commissions. The first is a standard commission paid directly by Shopee, with taxes withheld as before. The second—a variable amount negotiated between the seller and the affiliate—is where the change kicks in. Going forward, sellers, not Shopee, will be responsible for reporting income from that second commission. A Self-Employed Payment Receipt (RPA) will need to be issued for every service performed between a seller and an affiliate or influencer. Shopee will hand sellers the relevant contact information so they can reach affiliates directly; affiliates will then be on the hook for filing their own tax declarations and paying what they owe. Until now, Shopee managed the entire process, withholding personal income tax, contributions to Brazil’s National Social Security Institute (INSS), and the Municipal Service Tax (ISS) on sellers’ behalf. Both sellers and affiliates received a transaction summary from Shopee. “Now the seller will have to deal with multiple affiliates for every service provided, and mid-sized businesses typically rack up dozens of low-value invoices. It’s a complicated process,” said Mileide Weber , partner and technical director at Yangoo Contabilidade, an accounting firm that specializes in the sector. Corporate sellers face an extra step: starting August 1, they’ll also need to issue an invoice for each individual payment made to an affiliate—meaning the same invoice-by-invoice process will now apply across the board. Sellers say the changes make day-to-day operations more burdensome . Accountants counter that Shopee is simply passing along an obligation that was always the seller’s to begin with, since the contracting party is legally responsible for issuing receipts for services rendered. Shopee also announced in June—effective this month—that it’s cutting the commission it pays affiliates for video campaigns from 3% to 1.5%, a move expected to boost the company’s margins. “By making us issue the receipt, they’ve shifted the burden onto sellers—and 95% of sellers are solo operators or have just one or two people helping out—all while claiming it’s meant to improve things for affiliates and sellers. Shopee already has the whole infrastructure in place to handle this itself,” said Bruno Gontijo , an online retailer with 22 years of e-commerce experience and a graduate degree in commercial management from Fundação Getulio Vargas in Minas Gerais. “What’s going to happen is sellers will just stop working with affiliates, because it won’t be worth the hassle. The future of this business is affiliates and influencers—just look at China and TikTok,” he said. On May 12, Sea Group CEO Forrest Li said Brazil was the company’s fastest-growing market in the first quarter and remained profitable, though he didn’t share specific figures. In a statement, Shopee said it updated its affiliate program to help affiliates earn more, and that it will give sellers and affiliates comprehensive reports and support tools to navigate the changes. The company added that the update comes bundled with new features for partners, including a dynamic commission option and a new partnership with Meta that lets affiliates use their links in Instagram ads. On the commission cuts for video campaigns, Shopee said it had raised commissions on Shopee Live sales from 3% to 5%, and that commissions on sales generated through social media remain unchanged. At TikTok Shop, seller fees go up starting on the 15th. For items shipped at under R$50, the commission rises from 6% to 10% of the sale price , while the flat per-item fee holds at R$4 (up from R$2 in 2025). For items priced above R$50, the commission rate stays at 6%, but the flat fee per item jumps 50%, from R$4 to R$6. When TikTok Shop launched in Brazil in May 2025, it waived seller commissions for 90 days and offered free shipping to compete in an already crowded market. It has since begun charging fees on shipped items, with rates climbing steadily. Earlier this year, Mercado Libre and Shopee both raised seller fees starting in early March. At the time, Valor reported that Mercado Libre had switched its pricing model—from a flat rate to a variable one—for merchants using its Full fulfillment service, under which the company stores, packs, and ships products, for deliveries valued up to R$79. The company began factoring in a product’s weight, dimensions, and price. Pricing tables circulated among sellers showed 15 pricing brackets for items weighing up to two kilograms and priced up to R$79—11 of which got more expensive after March. At Shopee, individual sellers registered under a personal tax ID (CPF) who processed more than 450 orders within a 90-day window became subject to an extra R$3-per-item fee after March. For purchases between R$80 and R$99.99, sellers also began paying a 14% commission, while the flat per-item fee quadrupled. Asked about the changes at the time, Mercado Libre said they were in line with market practices and reflected ongoing investment in infrastructure, technology, and service quality. Shopee said it periodically reviews its commission structure to keep supporting entrepreneurs, and that any adjustments are made with a long-term view. TikTok declined to comment. This article was translated from Valor Econômico using an artificial intelligence tool under the supervision of the Valor International editorial team to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to our editorial standards. Read our Editorial Principles. Mais recente Próxima Shopping malls bet on creating neighborhoods to attract consumers