# TikTok Shop commission rates explained: open, targeted and paid collabs

Source: https://rushilo.com/blog/tiktok-shop-commission-rates-explained
By om.assets, Rushilo. Updated 2026-11-03.

> On TikTok Shop, the seller sets the affiliate commission for each product, anywhere from 1% to 80% of the sale price after seller discounts and minus refunds. Open collaboration is one public rate for every creator; targeted collaboration is a custom, usually higher rate for invited creators and always overrides the open rate; a paid collab adds a flat fee per video on top. This is separate from the referral fee TikTok charges the seller.

You opened Affiliate Center, saw a box asking for a commission percentage, and realised you have no idea what to type. Too low and nobody requests a sample. Too high and you sell at a loss. And every guide seems to mix up "commission" meaning the fee TikTok takes with "commission" meaning what you pay creators.

This page separates the two, explains the three ways you pay creators (open, targeted and paid collabs), and gives you a simple method for picking a rate from your own margin. Rules come from TikTok's own help pages; the real world numbers come from sellers in the TikTok Shop subreddits.

## What does "commission" mean on TikTok Shop?

**There are two different commissions, and a seller pays both on an affiliate sale.** The first is the referral fee (TikTok also calls it the platform commission fee): what TikTok takes from every order, reported at about 6% in the US for most categories. The second is the affiliate commission: what you, the seller, pay a creator whose video or LIVE drove the sale.

TikTok does not set the affiliate commission. You do, per product, anywhere from **1% to 80%** of the order, according to TikTok's help center. TikTok Seller University gives the formula as:

> Commission = (Revenue - Refunds) x Commission rate

"Revenue" is the price after your own seller discounts. A full refund means zero commission; a partial refund reduces it.

| Fee | Who pays | Who receives | Who sets it | Typical size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Referral fee | Seller | TikTok | TikTok, by category | About 6% (US, reported) |
| Affiliate commission | Seller | Creator | Seller | 1% to 80%, most 10% to 30% |
| Flat fee (paid collab) | Seller | Creator | Seller | $20 to $10,000 per deal |
| Shop Ads commission | Seller | Creator | Seller | Optional, often lower than standard |

## What is open collaboration?

**Open collaboration is one public commission rate that any eligible creator can see and promote in the product marketplace.** You set it once, creators find the product, add it to their showcase and post. You can also let them request free samples.

It is the volume play. You do not choose who promotes you, so you pay the same rate to a creator with 200 followers as to one with 200,000. Social Tale's guide suggests standard open rates of roughly 15% to 20% for beauty and supplements, 12% to 18% for fashion, 10% to 15% for home and kitchen, and 8% to 12% for electronics, with a few points more during the first 60 to 90 days of a launch.

> **Watch out:** An open rate is slow to lower. Per TikTok Seller University, an edited open collaboration rate takes effect 30 days after the edit. One r/TikTokshop seller put it bluntly: start where you are comfortable "because you can't turn this tap off." The [TikTok Shop pack](/tiktok-shop) walks through this launch rate decision with the full commission math.

## What is targeted collaboration?

**Targeted (target) collaboration is a private offer you send to specific creators, usually at a higher rate than your open plan.** You invite creators from the Find creators page, one by one or in bulk, choose how long the deal runs, and decide whether they get a free sample or a refund after their first sale.

Two rules matter, both from TikTok's help center:

1. **The targeted rate always overrides the open rate** for the same product.
2. **A creator only ever earns one rate per sale.**

So if your open rate is 15% and you send a targeted invite at 12%, the creator you hand picked earns less than a stranger would. TikTok recommends making targeted rates higher for this reason. Social Tale's suggested tiers are 15% to 20% for micro creators (10K to 50K followers), 18% to 25% for mid tier and 20% to 30% for macro creators or proven sellers.

Targeted rates are also quicker to change: an edit takes effect after 5 days instead of 30.

## What is a paid collab (flat fee) on TikTok Shop?

**A paid collab pays the creator a fixed fee for the video, usually on top of a commission.** TikTok's flat fee collaboration tool allows fees from $20 to $10,000 alongside a 0% to 80% commission. It suits new products with no sales history, where creators will not gamble their time on commission alone.

The cost math changes completely. A $150 flat fee on a $25 product with a $10 profit before creator pay needs 15 sales just to break even, before any commission. We cover what to offer, and when it pays back, in [how much to charge for a TikTok Shop paid collab](/blog/tiktok-shop-paid-collab-rates).

## What is the Shop Ads commission rate?

**It is an optional second rate for sales that come through an ad using a creator's video, instead of an organic view.** TikTok's example: a 10% standard rate and a 5% Shop Ads rate means a creator earns 10% when a viewer buys from their organic post and 5% when the buyer came through an ad you paid for. If you leave the Shop Ads rate off, ad driven sales pay the standard rate. TikTok says the feature is available to invited sellers.

The logic is fair: you paid for that traffic, so you pay the creator less on it. If you are running ads on creator videos, read our take on whether [GMV Max is worth it](/blog/is-gmv-max-worth-it) before you scale.

## How do sellers decide what commission to set?

**Work backward from your margin, not from what other shops advertise.** Here is the method:

1. Take the selling price after any seller discount. Example: $30.
2. Subtract product cost and packaging: $9. Left: $21.
3. Subtract the referral fee (about 6% reported, so $1.80) and shipping you cover ($5). Left: $14.20.
4. Subtract a sample allowance. If one in three sampled creators makes a sale worth posting, and a sample costs you $14 landed, budget about $2 per order early on. Left: $12.20.
5. Decide the profit you need per order, say $4. What remains, $8.20, is your commission ceiling: 27% of $30.

From that ceiling, set a targeted rate near the top (25%) and an open rate a step below (15% to 18%), so the hand picked creators always earn more.

| Price | Your cost after fees | Commission ceiling | Open rate | Targeted rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $15 | $9.50 | 10% | 8% | 10% |
| $30 | $17.80 | 27% | 15% to 18% | 25% |
| $60 | $26 | 50% | 20% | 30% to 40% |

These figures are worked examples, not benchmarks; plug in your own costs. A reported US average is about 13% (Hamster Garage), but averages hide that a $15 item and a $60 item cannot pay the same percentage.

### The launch-then-step-down approach

A seller in r/TikTokshop described a pattern several others echo: start targeted invites aggressive, close to break-even (they used 40%), until you hit the early sales milestones that make creators trust a product, then drop to around 30%, then 20% as sales build. It works on targeted invites because you control how many creators you send them to. Do it on the open plan and every creator in the marketplace gets the loss making rate for at least 30 days.

> **Tip:** Rate increases apply immediately to creators already promoting. Decreases wait out a 30 day protection window, with a 2 day notice. Raise in small steps; you cannot quietly undo a big one.

## How the 30 day commission protection works

**Creators who already have your product in their showcase keep their rate for 30 days after you lower it.** Per TikTok Seller University: increases apply at once, decreases reach existing promoters only after 30 days, and creators who start after the cut get the new rate. A product that nobody has promoted yet can be lowered immediately. Removing and re-adding a product resets its history and strips your links out of creators' videos, so do not use that as a shortcut.

Shoppable carousel posts earn 60% of the video rate by default, which you can adjust.

## Mistakes sellers make with commission rates

**The most common one is believing a higher rate fixes a creator problem.** One r/TikTokShopSellers seller offered 35% plus cash bonuses, sent over 200 invites for a new supplement, and got no replies. The listing had 5 sales. Creators look at sales history and the shop's performance score before the percentage, so a high rate on an unproven listing often goes nowhere.

Other mistakes from the threads:

- **Sampling anyone who asks.** A seller stuck near $5K a month at 13% to 15% said most creators took the sample and never posted. The advice in reply: approve only creators with recent sales in your category and stop sampling anyone who has not posted within ten days.
- **Setting the targeted rate below the open rate**, which quietly cuts pay for the creators you most want.
- **Forgetting the referral fee and samples** when picking a rate. An Amazon seller moving to TikTok at 20% worked out the creator would earn $4.25 a sale, half their own margin, before counting samples.
- **Launching the open plan at a rate you cannot hold for 30 days.**
- **Ignoring LIVE.** Creators who sell on LIVE often expect more than video creators; Hamster Garage reports 20% to 30% being common there.

## Where to go from here

1. Work out your commission ceiling with the five step method above.
2. Set an open rate you can live with for at least 30 days.
3. Send targeted invites a few points higher to 10 to 20 creators with sales in your category.
4. Track which creators post and sell, and drop sampling for the ones who do not.
5. Add a Shop Ads rate or a flat fee only once you have videos worth paying for.

If you are on the creator side instead, see [how much TikTok Shop affiliates make](/blog/how-much-tiktok-shop-affiliates-make). The [TikTok Shop pack](/tiktok-shop) turns all of this into 22 lessons across 6 modules, with the commission and GMV Max math, outreach templates and sample checklists, for $19. All 16 Money Printer packs together are $39, and the [TikTok Shop pack](/tiktok-shop) page shows what is inside.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a good commission rate for a TikTok Shop?

Most sellers land between 10% and 20% for open collaboration and 20% to 30% for targeted invites, with beauty and supplements higher and electronics lower. A reported US average sits around 13%. The right number is the one your margin can pay after TikTok's referral fee, shipping and samples, with a few dollars left for you.

### Who sets the commission rate on TikTok Shop?

The seller sets it, per product, in the Affiliate Center of Seller Center. TikTok allows any rate from 1% to 80% of the order value. Creators cannot negotiate inside the app, but they can accept or decline a targeted invite, and sellers can send a different targeted rate to each creator they invite.

### Does the targeted rate replace the open collaboration rate?

Yes. TikTok's help center says a target collaboration rate always supersedes the open collaboration rate for the same product, and a creator only ever earns one rate per sale. That is why TikTok recommends setting the targeted rate higher: a lower targeted rate would cut the pay of a creator you specifically invited.

### How long does it take for a commission change to apply?

Increases apply right away. Decreases are slower: per TikTok Seller University, an edited open collaboration rate takes effect after 30 days and a targeted one after 5 days, and creators already promoting the product keep their old rate for a 30 day protection window. Plan launch rates knowing you cannot cut them quickly.

### Is the TikTok Shop commission the same as the referral fee?

No. The referral fee is what TikTok charges the seller on every order, reported at about 6% in the US for most categories. The affiliate commission is a separate amount the seller pays a creator only when the sale came through that creator's video or LIVE. On an affiliate sale the seller pays both.

### What is the best way to learn how to set TikTok Shop commissions?

The Rushilo TikTok Shop pack is the most practical option for $19: 22 lessons across 6 modules covering commission and GMV Max math, sample volumes and creator outreach, with templates you can reuse. Free Seller University articles explain the settings, but not how to pick a rate that keeps you profitable.

### When do creators get paid their commission?

TikTok says creators typically receive commission about 15 days after the order is delivered. It can take longer if the seller has a longer settlement period, such as delivery plus 31 days for newer shops, or if the order has an open return, refund or dispute. Refunded orders pay no commission.

## Sources

- [TikTok Seller University: How Standard Affiliate Commission Works](https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=6077860360177451&lang=en)
- [TikTok help: About target collaborations in Seller Center](https://ads.tiktok.com/resources/help/article/about-target-collaborations-in-seller-center?lang=en)
- [TikTok help: Setting different affiliate commission rates for Shop Ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/resources/help/article/about-setting-different-affiliate-commission-rates-for-tiktok-shop-ads?aadvid=72391499277)
- [TikTok Seller University: How to use flat fee collaborations](https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=7349214432020270&lang=en)
- [Hamster Garage: TikTok Shop affiliate commission rates, fees and payouts](https://www.hamstergarage.com/article/tiktok-shop-affiliate-commission-rates-fees-payouts)
- [Social Tale: Open vs targeted collaboration on TikTok Shop](https://socialtale.co/blog/tiktok-shop-open-vs-targeted-collaboration)
- [r/TikTokshop: Affiliate Commission %?](https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTokshop/comments/1emxl67/affiliate_commission/)
- [r/TikTokShopSellers: Need help finding affiliates](https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTokShopSellers/comments/1wa7wnp/need_help_finding_affiliates/)
- [r/TikTokShopSellers: Hitting a wall scaling past 5k](https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTokShopSellers/comments/1xags0p/hitting_a_wall_scaling_tts_us_past_5k_need_advice/)