How much does TikTok Shop take from a $20.00 sale?
Short answer: $3.20 in platform fees — 16.0% of what the buyer paid. After typical product and running costs, this sale nets $2.01. Here is every line.
The $20.00 sale, line by line
Platform fees
$3.20
Take rate
16.0%
You are paid
$16.80
Net profit
$2.01
| Referral fee (6%) | -$1.20 |
| Creator affiliate commission | -$2.00 |
| Product cost (COGS) | -$7.00 |
| Inbound freight (to FBT / warehouse) | -$1.10 |
| Packaging | -$0.30 |
| Your shipping cost | -$4.60 |
| Shop ads | -$1.00 |
| Expected returns loss | -$0.78 |
| Expected refund admin fees | -$0.01 |
| Net profit | $2.01 |
Notice what the biggest “fee” is
The creator commission ($2.00) is bigger than TikTok's referral fee ($1.20). On TikTok, distribution is the fee.
Assumptions
Referral 6%, creator commission 10%, self-shipping at $4.60, product cost 35% of price, inbound $1.10, packaging $0.30, shop ads 5%, 6% returns/refunds.
Change any of them and the answer moves — that's what the calculator is for.
Fee schedule version 2026.1, verified 2026-10-22. Worked with the same engine as our calculators.