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Free fee calculatorWhere should you sell? See the fees first.

Shopify, WooCommerce, Takealot, Amazon and Makro, side by side, at your sales volume.

Every South African merchant asks it: own store or marketplace, and which one? The monthly fee is the smallest part. Commission, transaction fees and payment costs are where the money goes.

Put in your monthly sales and see what each platform takes, in rand.

Compare the fees

Your numbersThe fee calculator

What you sell in a month, including VAT.

What you sell

Marketplace commission depends on the category.

Used to count orders, for per-order payment fees.

More options

The rest by instant EFT, which costs less.

Shopify bills in dollars.

Extras your own store needs each month: apps on Shopify, hosting and plugins on WooCommerce.

Fees per month

  1. 01 WooCommerceR3,960
    Own store · Lowest fees4.0% of sales · R47,520 a year
    What’s in it
    Payment fees (PayFast)
    R3,360
    Apps, plugins and hosting
    R600
  2. 02 Amazon.co.zaR5,001
    Marketplace5.0% of sales · R60,012 a year
    What’s in it
    Monthly plan
    R1
    Commission
    R5,000
  3. 03 Shopify GrowR6,382
    Own store6.4% of sales · R76,584 a year
    What’s in it
    Monthly plan
    R1,422
    Shopify transaction fee
    R1,000
    Payment fees (PayFast)
    R3,360
    Apps, plugins and hosting
    R600
  4. 04 MakroR12,200
    Marketplace12.2% of sales · R146,400 a year
    What’s in it
    Monthly plan
    R200
    Commission
    R12,000
  5. 05 TakealotR12,400
    Marketplace12.4% of sales · R148,800 a year
    What’s in it
    Monthly plan
    R400
    Commission
    R12,000

Estimates of selling fees only, excluding VAT on the fees. Not included: delivery and fulfilment (Takealot charges R22 to R390 a unit from its warehouses, Makro from R34 a unit, and on your own store you pay your courier), storage, returns and advertising. Commission shown is typical for the category; the exact rate depends on the sub-category. Fees as published by each platform in September 2026.

Email me this comparisonTalk to us about your store

Fees aren’t the whole storyRent the shelf, or own the shop.

  1. 01

    Marketplaces bring the shoppers

    Takealot, Amazon and Makro have the traffic. You pay for it in commission on every sale, and the customer belongs to them.

  2. 02

    Your own store keeps the customer

    Lower fees per sale, your brand, your prices and your customer list. But you have to bring the shoppers, with ads, content and email.

  3. 03

    Most brands need both

    Use marketplaces to be found, and your own store to build the brand and sell again to the people who already bought.

Build the store you own.

We design and build Shopify and WooCommerce stores that sell, and connect them to the marketplaces you use.

No pitch deck. Just your numbers, and a plan.

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