TikTok Shop Vietnam raises fees to as much as 14.5% from April 1 — Shopee follows suit; can passing costs on to consumers be avoided

TikTok Shop Vietnam (a ByteDance subsidiary) significantly raised the commission rates charged to sellers on its platform starting April 1, 2026. General sellers now face up to 12.5%, and Mall sellers (certified brands and corporate sellers) up to 14.5%, with the added change that fees now also apply to "orders that have been returned and refunded." Shopee also raised its fees to up to 10% around the same time, and platform costs are rising across Vietnam's e-commerce market as a whole.

5W1H: what happened

• Who: TikTok Shop Vietnam (a ByteDance subsidiary), Shopee Vietnam
• What: Revised commission rates. TikTok Shop: Mall sellers up to 14.5%, with fees now also applied to returned orders. Shopee: raised to up to 10%
• When: Applies from April 1, 2026
• Where: Vietnam (TikTok Shop Vietnam, Shopee Vietnam)
• Why: Improving platform profitability and shifting toward a sustainable business model
• How: Margin pressure is intensifying, especially for small sellers, with some considering pulling out. The risk of costs being passed on to consumers is rising

TikTok Shop's fee structure: what changed and how

What has the biggest impact in particular is the new rule of "applying fees to returned/refunded orders." Because a fee is now charged even on orders where the customer has been fully refunded — meaning transactions that actually generated zero revenue — this is a heavy blow to sellers in the fashion, cosmetics, and food categories, which tend to have high return rates.

Shopee raises fees at the same time — costs rise across Vietnam's e-commerce market as a whole

What makes this fee revision especially noteworthy is that TikTok Shop and Shopee moved to raise fees at the "same time." For sellers, this narrows the option of "fleeing from TikTok Shop to the other one," showing that the platforms' pricing power over sellers is strengthening.

Structural change in Vietnam's e-commerce market: the end of the "free era"

Vietnam's e-commerce market grew rapidly from the late 2010s, with TikTok Shop, Shopee, and Lazada all winning sellers through low fees. A "scorched-earth" style land-grab competition, fueled by investment capital, continued for years, but from 2025 into 2026, each company has been shifting into a phase of improving profitability.

As seen when India's Marico acquired a 75% stake in Vietnamese D2C beauty brand "Candid", the acceleration of foreign companies committing seriously to Vietnam's consumer e-commerce market reflects expectations for the growth potential of this market.

Impact on consumers: higher prices, or a narrower product range

• Fashion and apparel: with high return rates, this category is hit directly by the new rule. Prices may rise, or size-exchange support may be scaled back.
• Food and gourmet products: with food sales on TikTok Live surging, rising costs are likely to be reflected quickly in retail prices.
• Cosmetics and beauty: cosmetics sales on TikTok Shop are growing rapidly in Vietnam. If prices rise, a shift toward Chinese brands could also occur.

Implications for Japanese companies: time to redo entry cost estimates

For Japanese companies considering opening a store on TikTok Shop Vietnam, this fee revision is news that forces a recalculation of cost estimates. For Mall sellers, the 14.5% fee rate has come to match the level of major Japanese e-commerce malls. What matters is judging profitability based on the total cost structure, including costs beyond fees such as logistics, inventory, and live-streaming production.

Dat Bike's electric motorcycles and the fierce offensive of Chinese F&B brands show, Vietnam's consumer market is an arena where speed and price competitiveness are put to the test. Accurately grasping the shift in cost structure before building a market entry strategy is the key to success.

Conclusion

The fee hike at TikTok Shop Vietnam is a clear signal that Vietnam's e-commerce market is shifting from a "growth investment phase" to a "profit recovery phase." Shopee has raised its fees at the same time, and platform costs are likely to keep rising. Companies considering entering or expanding in the Vietnamese market should update their revenue simulations to reflect the latest fee levels.

Sources
-TikTok Shop’s April Commission Fee Hike Pressures Vietnam Sellers (Forest Shipping)
-Vietnam’s online sellers hit by Shopee and TikTok Shop fee increases (VietnamNet)