How Amazon, Flipkart and Meesho charge sellers in 2026
The three marketplaces charge in different ways. Amazon takes a referral fee, a closing fee and, unless you ship yourself, a weight handling fee. Flipkart takes a commission, a fixed fee, a collection fee and a shipping fee. Meesho takes no commission and charges for shipping instead. All three add 18% GST to their fees or charges, which a GST-registered seller claims back. The rules below were checked against each marketplace’s official page on 14 September 2026.
| Charge | Amazon | Flipkart | Meesho |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commission | Referral fee by category and price band. 0% up to ₹1,000 in more than 1,800 categories since 16 March 2026. | 0% below ₹1,000 in any category, and 0% on Fashion at any price. Otherwise the category rate in Seller Hub. | 0% in every category. |
| Fixed or closing fee | Closing fee by price band and channel. FBA pays ₹30 from ₹501 to ₹1,000. | Fixed fee from your rate card. Platinum pays ₹15 to ₹30 less, Gold and Silver the base, Bronze ₹10 more. | Not charged. Meesho lists a shipping charge and a return shipping fee. |
| Shipping | Weight handling fee on the higher of actual and volumetric weight. FBA adds pick and pack from ₹17. Self Ship pays its own courier. | Shipping fee from your rate card, on the higher of actual and volumetric weight. | Shipping charge per order, shown in the Supplier Panel, plus 18% GST. |
| Collection fee | Not one of Amazon’s five seller fees. | Per order, from your rate card. | None on prepaid or cash on delivery orders. |
| Returns | No single published return fee. Enter your own estimate. | A fee kept on a returned order, from your rate card. | Return shipping fee by weight on customer returns. None on RTO. |
| Payment timing | Deposited every 7 days. An order is eligible for payment 7 days after delivery. | Released after dispatch, as fast as 3 days, depending on your seller tier. | 7-day payment cycle from delivery, including cash on delivery orders. |
For the full breakdown on one marketplace, use the Amazon fee calculator, the Flipkart commission calculator or the Meesho profit calculator. This comparison runs the same fee rules as those three tools.
Why this compares profit per 100 orders shipped
Profit per delivered order leaves out the orders that come back. A return costs you a fee, the packaging and sometimes the product, and on Meesho an RTO order costs the packaging too. Those costs are paid by the orders that do get delivered. Return rates differ by marketplace, so the fair test is what you keep from the same 100 orders shipped.
The worked example below shows the difference. Meesho makes the most on each delivered order, ₹189.17. But only 77 of every 100 orders stay delivered there, against 90 on Flipkart. Count all 100 orders shipped and Flipkart keeps ₹15,750, while Meesho keeps ₹14,566.
The calculator also shows profit per delivered order and margin, so you can compare with the numbers each marketplace dashboard shows.
Worked example: a ₹649 steel water bottle
A stainless steel water bottle priced at ₹649 on all three marketplaces, using an example GST rate of 18%. Steel bottles can fall under different HSN codes and GST rates, so check yours before you set a price. It costs ₹220 to make, packaging and other costs are ₹20 per order shipped, and it packs to 400 g in a 27 × 8 × 8 cm box. 15% of returned units can’t be sold again.
- Amazon: Containers, Boxes, Bottles, and Kitchen Storage, FBA at the Standard STEP level, shipped across India. 5% returns at an estimated ₹80 each, and ads at 8% of the price.
- Flipkart: a non-fashion category as a Silver seller, with example rate-card fees of ₹20 fixed, ₹10 collection and ₹60 shipping. 10% returns with an example ₹60 return fee, and ads at 5%.
- Meesho: a GST-registered seller with an example ₹68 shipping charge and ₹90 return shipping fee. 15% customer returns, 8% RTO and ads at 3%.
| Per delivered order | Amazon | Flipkart | Meesho |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selling price | ₹649.00 | ₹649.00 | ₹649.00 |
| GST collected | −₹99.00 | −₹99.00 | −₹99.00 |
| Marketplace fees | −₹112.00 | −₹90.00 | −₹68.00 |
| Product cost | −₹220.00 | −₹220.00 | −₹220.00 |
| Packaging and other | −₹20.00 | −₹20.00 | −₹20.00 |
| Returns (and RTO on Meesho) | −₹7.00 | −₹12.56 | −₹33.36 |
| Ads | −₹51.92 | −₹32.45 | −₹19.47 |
| Profit per delivered order | ₹139.08 | ₹174.99 | ₹189.17 |
| Orders delivered out of 100 | 95 | 90 | 77 |
| Profit on 100 orders shipped | ₹13,213 | ₹15,750 | ₹14,566 |
Flipkart is the most profitable here, by ₹1,184 on 100 orders shipped over Meesho. The returns line spreads return fees, lost stock and packaging on orders that came back across the orders that were delivered. GST on fees is claimable for a registered seller, so it is not counted as a cost. Rows are rounded, so they can differ from the profit by a few paise.
Which marketplace suits which product
No marketplace is cheapest for every product. The fee rules point to where each one tends to work.
- Meesho charges 0% commission, so a low-price product keeps more of its price than it would with a percentage fee. You still pay a shipping charge on every order and a return shipping fee on customer returns, and RTO orders cost the packaging. Returns decide whether Meesho comes out ahead.
- Flipkart charges 0% commission below ₹1,000 in any category and on Fashion at any price. Those products pay only the fixed, collection and shipping fees. A non-fashion product at ₹1,000 or more pays the category rate on the whole price, so check whether ₹999 earns you more.
- Amazon charges a 0% referral fee up to ₹1,000 in more than 1,800 categories, and some categories stop at ₹300 or ₹500. Above the band the category rate applies to the whole price, so a small price rise can cost more than it earns. FBA adds a pick and pack fee, and the weight handling fee follows the higher of actual and volumetric weight, so compact, light products pay less.
- Heavy or bulky products pay more on all three: Amazon’s weight handling fee and Flipkart’s shipping fee both use the higher of actual and volumetric weight, and Meesho’s return shipping fee is set by weight. Enter your packed size and each marketplace’s charges to see where the weight hurts least.
Frequently asked questions
Which is more profitable for sellers, Amazon, Flipkart or Meesho?
It depends on your price, category and return rate, so no marketplace wins for every product. Meesho charges 0% commission, but you pay a shipping charge on every order and a return shipping fee on customer returns, so high returns and RTO can cancel out the saving. Flipkart charges 0% commission below ₹1,000 and on fashion at any price, but other products at ₹1,000 and above pay the category rate on the whole price. Amazon charges a 0% referral fee up to ₹1,000 in more than 1,800 categories, plus a closing fee and usually a weight handling fee. Compare the three on profit per 100 orders shipped, so returns are counted.
Does Meesho or Flipkart charge commission?
Meesho charges 0% commission in every category. Flipkart charges 0% commission on every product priced below ₹1,000 and on the whole Fashion category at any price. Other Flipkart products priced at ₹1,000 or more pay the category commission shown in Seller Hub. Both still charge other fees: Meesho a shipping charge and a return shipping fee, and Flipkart a fixed fee, a collection fee and a shipping fee.
Which marketplace pays sellers fastest?
Flipkart releases payment after dispatch, as fast as 3 days, depending on your seller tier. Amazon deposits payments every 7 days, and an order becomes eligible for payment 7 days after delivery. Meesho pays on a 7-day cycle from delivery, including cash on delivery orders. Flipkart’s clock starts at dispatch while Amazon’s and Meesho’s start at delivery, so Flipkart can pay soonest, but your seller tier decides how fast.
Does Amazon charge a referral fee on products under ₹1,000?
Not in more than 1,800 categories. Since 16 March 2026, Amazon.in charges a 0% referral fee on products priced up to ₹1,000 in those categories, and some categories stop at ₹300 or ₹500 instead. Above the band, the category rate applies to the whole selling price. The closing fee still applies at every price, and so does the weight handling fee unless you ship the order yourself.
Why compare profit per 100 orders shipped instead of per order?
Because returns and RTO are different on each marketplace. A delivered order can look profitable while returned orders cost you return fees, packaging and stock you cannot sell again. Counting profit on the same 100 orders shipped puts those costs in, so a marketplace with fewer returns can come out ahead even when it earns less on each delivered order.
What does a customer return cost on each marketplace?
Meesho charges a return shipping fee on customer returns, set by weight, and no return shipping fee on RTO orders. Flipkart keeps a fee on a returned order, shown in your Seller Hub rate card. Amazon does not publish a single return fee, so this comparison asks for your own estimate. On all three you also lose the packaging and any returned stock you cannot sell again.
Is GST on marketplace fees a cost for sellers?
Not if you are GST-registered. Amazon and Flipkart add 18% GST to their fees, and Meesho adds 18% GST to its shipping charges. A registered seller claims this back as input tax credit, so it only reduces the cash you receive. A Meesho seller without a GSTIN cannot claim it back, so for them the GST is a real cost.
Which numbers do I need to compare Amazon, Flipkart and Meesho?
Your selling price, GST rate, product cost, packaging and packed size. From Flipkart Seller Hub, take your category commission rate, the fixed, collection and shipping fees and the fee on a returned order. From the Meesho Supplier Panel, take the shipping charge and return shipping fee for your product. Amazon publishes its fees, so they are worked out from your category, price, channel and size. Then add your own return rates, RTO, ad spend and an estimate of what an Amazon return costs you.