Retail commissions didn't rise except online

E-commerce websites were the only sales channels that raised the commissions they charge to sellers of merchandise, with Coupang charging the highest.

According to the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), online shopping malls took an average commission of 10.7 percent from sellers last year, up 1.7 percentage points on year.

The FTC collected data from 34 online malls, department stores, discount marts and TV home shopping companies.

Other than online malls, retail companies have been charging slightly lower commissions.

On average, sellers paid 29.1 percent commissions to TV home shopping companies last year, which was reduced 0.4 percentage points to 28.7 percent this year. Discount marts charged 18.8 percent, down 0.6 percentage points. Department store commissions were down 1.4 percentage points to 19.7 percent.

Among e-commerce websites, Coupang charged the highest commission by far: 31.2 percent, up 12.9 percentage points on year.

Coupang’s commissions are high, but not all sellers have to pay. The e-commerce company directly buys about 99 percent of the products it sells, according to the FTC, and commissions are not involved in those sales. Commissions are only levied on the remaining 1 percent.

“Coupang is levying especially high commissions on fashion items,” said a spokesperson for FTC. “Commissions are only collected from the 1 percent not bought directly by Coupang, but we are keeping an eye on the company since the commission rate is too high and their sales are big as well.”

KakaoTalk Gift collected 14 percent commissions on average and Shinsegae’s SSG.com 9.6 percent. GS Shop took 9.2 percent and Lotte I Mall 8.6 percent.

Following the report, the FTC announced it plans to revise the standard contract sellers sign with e-commerce and TV home shopping companies next year, aiming to reduce commissions.

BY JEONG JIN-HO, LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]