Fees explained
Exactly what MerkatoHQ charges — the seller commission, the buyer's processing surcharge, and worked examples for both.
MerkatoHQ makes money in one transparent way: a commission on completed sales, deducted from the seller’s payout. Buyers separately pay a small processing surcharge at checkout that covers card fees. There are no listing fees and no monthly minimum to sell.
Seller commission
The commission comes out of your payout — the buyer pays the sticker price, and MerkatoHQ transfers the price minus commission to you. The rate tapers so high-value sales are not over-taxed:
- 8% on the sale price up to $1,000
- 3% on the portion of the price above $1,000
- $1.00 minimum commission, no upper cap
In formula form:
commission = max($1.00, 8% × min(price, $1,000) + 3% × max(0, price − $1,000))Worked examples
| Sale price | Commission | You receive | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5 | $1.00 (floor) | $4.00 | 20.0% |
| $50 | $4.00 | $46.00 | 8.0% |
| $200 | $16.00 | $184.00 | 8.0% |
| $1,000 | $80.00 | $920.00 | 8.0% |
| $2,500 | $125.00 | $2,375.00 | 5.0% |
Why the floor? On very small sales the flat percentage would round down to almost nothing, so a $1.00 minimum keeps each transaction worth processing. On a $5 item the floor is what applies.
Buyer processing surcharge
Buyers pay a separate surcharge on top of the price at checkout, shown as its own line before they pay. It covers the card network’s per-charge cost so your commission is not eaten by processing fees:
buyer total = price + 3% × price + $0.30What the buyer sees
| Sale price | Surcharge (3% + $0.30) | Buyer pays |
|---|---|---|
| $50 | $1.80 | $51.80 |
| $200 | $6.30 | $206.30 |
| $1,000 | $30.30 | $1,030.30 |
| $2,500 | $75.30 | $2,575.30 |
The surcharge goes toward payment costs — it is not additional seller commission.
Putting both sides together
For a $200 sale:
- The buyer pays $206.30 ($200 + $6.30 surcharge).
- MerkatoHQ keeps the $16.00 commission (and applies the surcharge to card fees).
- You receive $184.00 in your next payout.
One number to remember: on a standard sale under $1,000 you keep 92% of your sticker price. Price your items with that in mind.
Refunds
If an order is cancelled or refunded, the commission is not charged on money that never completed. How the buyer’s processing surcharge is handled depends on the reason for the refund — see Refunds & disputes for the policy.
Fee rates are configured per environment and may be tuned over time. The formulas above reflect MerkatoHQ’s current standard pricing.