This comparison is based on publicly available fee schedules, official marketplace documentation, and verified third-party sources as of mid-2026. Fees change regularly. Always verify against your platform’s seller portal before making pricing decisions.
| TL;DR Commission fees across major European marketplaces range from 5% to 25% of the selling price, depending on category and platform. Amazon reduced its EU referral fees in early 2026 by an average of EUR 0.17 per unit, one of its largest-ever European fee cuts. Clothing now starts at 5% for items under EUR 15. bol.com charges no monthly seller fee: you pay commission only when you sell. Rates run from 5% to 17% plus a fixed amount per transaction. Zalando’s total selling cost is the highest of any platform reviewed here: commission of 8-25% plus a monthly fee of EUR 40, and additional marketing spend that partners call effectively mandatory for visibility. The headline commission rate is never the full cost. FBA fulfillment, return processing, advertising, and monthly fees routinely add 10-20 percentage points to your effective cost per sale. |
Marketplace fees are one of the most researched topics in e-commerce, and one of the most misunderstood. Most guides compare headline commission rates as if they were the only cost. In practice, the commission is one line in a fee stack that can include monthly seller fees, fulfillment costs, return processing fees, advertising spend, and payment processing charges.
This comparison covers the six most relevant marketplaces for European merchants: Amazon, bol.com, eBay, Zalando, Allegro, and Kaufland, with current 2026 rates, the hidden costs that rarely appear in overview tables, and a realistic total-cost model for a sample product to show what you actually pay per sale.
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