27th July 2026 - 5 min read
Starting an online shop on Shopee has just become cheaper. The platform announced a new round of seller support under its Lindung Niaga programme, first introduced in April 2026, covering fee waivers for new sellers, lower commission rates on everyday essentials, and extra advertising credits for shops that are just starting out.
Under the enhanced New Seller Programme, eligible new local marketplace sellers get a 60-day waiver on Shopee’s Platform Support Fee, which normally applies to every successful sale. The waiver removes one recurring cost during the period when most new shops are still figuring out pricing, stock, and delivery.
Previously, new sellers could complete 100 orders before commission fees kicked in. The cap has now doubled to 200 orders, valid for 120 days from your first product listing or until you hit the cap, whichever comes first. You keep more of the money from your first 200 sales, since Shopee does not take its usual commission cut from each order. The extra cash gives you room to buy more stock or run promotions before standard rates apply.
For sellers dealing in daily necessities, Shopee is reducing commission rates across more than 60 selected everyday essentials categories, with cuts ranging from 0.5% to 9.0%. The largest reductions apply to Cooking Essentials (flavour enhancers and coatings), Creamers, and Butter & Margarine. This brings the total number of essentials categories with lowered commissions to over 120, covering products such as milk, mineral water, cereal, bread, and eggs.
Shopee says the category list will be reviewed and adjusted over time. The platform is running a Daily Essentials Discount Campaign from 7 to 31 July, offering vouchers of 20% to 50% off selected daily essentials categories. If you sell in these categories, expect a possible bump in order volume before the campaign ends.
New sellers who join the Ads Startup Booster receive 50% additional free ad credits to improve product visibility in their early months. According to Shopee’s internal data, sellers who started using Shopee Ads recorded an 18% rise in impressions, a 10% increase in clicks, and a 25% increase in total gross merchandise value.
Shopee is also waiving commission for new sellers who sign up for Fulfilled by Shopee, its warehousing and logistics service. The waiver lowers the upfront cost of outsourcing storage, packing, and delivery, which can free up your time if you are running the shop as a side income alongside a full-time job.
TikTok Shop is the other platform most new Malaysian sellers compare against Shopee, and its fee structure works differently. TikTok Shop charges a category-based commission of roughly 7% to 10%, a transaction fee of 3.78% inclusive of SST, and a Platform Support Fee of RM0.54 per delivered order, introduced on 15 February 2026. Shopee charges a category-based commission, a 2.16% transaction fee inclusive of SST, and its own platform support fee introduced in February 2026, with commission rates for several categories revised again on 21 May 2026.
The table below summarises how the two platforms currently treat new sellers. Do note that both platforms adjust rates by category and revise them regularly, so always confirm the exact figures for your product category in each platform’s Seller Centre before you price your products.
| What You Pay | Shopee | TikTok Shop |
| New seller support | Commission-free for first 200 orders (120 days), 60-day Platform Support Fee waiver | Commission promo period for new sellers |
| Transaction fee | 2.16% (SST inclusive) | 3.78% (SST inclusive) |
| Per-order platform fee | Platform Support Fee (waived 60 days for new sellers) | RM0.54 per delivered order |
Neither platform is universally cheaper. Your product category, average order value, and how much you spend on ads or affiliate commissions can change your total cost more than the base rates do. TikTok Shop’s flat RM0.54 fee, for instance, takes up a bigger portion of a cheap order than an expensive one, while opt-in programmes on Shopee such as free shipping schemes add their own percentage on top of the base commission.
If you want to try selling as a side hustle, start by working out your full cost per sale before you list anything. Add up what you paid for the product, the packaging, the platform’s commission and transaction fee, and any voucher or free shipping programme you plan to join. Set your selling price above that total, using the standard fee rates rather than the promotional ones. This way, your shop stays profitable even after the new seller waivers run out, and you avoid raising prices later.
Use the waiver period to test your product sales. The 120 days of commission-free orders on Shopee are the cheapest chance you will get to try selling different products, prices, and photos, and see what actually works. Track which listings get orders and which get ignored, then put your money and ad credits behind the ones that work.
Finally, pick the platform that matches how you plan to sell, not just the one with lower fees. Shopee suits sellers who rely on search, where shoppers type in what they want and compare prices. TikTok Shop suits sellers who are comfortable making videos or going live, since most sales there come through content rather than search.
Some sellers eventually sell on both platforms, but there is no harm in starting with just one and learning as you go. Keep in mind that the platform with higher fees can still earn you more overall if that is where your customers spend their time, so choose based on where your audience shops, not on fees alone.With the current waivers lowering the cost of your first few months, this is a good time to give your side hustle idea a proper try.
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As a creative content writer, Eloise has covered finance, business, lifestyle topics, and even moonlights as a singer-songwriter outside of RinggitPlus. Her current interests are learning the best ways to optimise spending and credit card hacks to gain more airline miles.
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