Key takeaways
- Indonesia now has two new rulebooks for online marketplaces. Trade Ministry Regulation (Permendag) 19/2026, signed on 8 June, requires fee transparency, seller consent for fee changes, priority for domestic products in search, and labels on AI-generated content. MSME Ministry Regulation (Permen UMKM) 3/2026, enacted on 17 June, requires platforms to cut service fees by at least 50% for verified micro and small sellers of local products.
- Neither regulation caps fees. They control how fees change, not how high they can go. Sellers report total deductions above 30% of the selling price once ads, free-shipping programmes and affiliates are added, and most of that stack sits outside the 50% discount.
- The rules arrived after a run of fee increases. The sharpest was TikTok Shop's commission cap, raised from Rp40,000 to Rp650,000 per item on 18 May 2026.
- Legal identity is the bottleneck. According to the Trade Ministry, fewer than 10% of 22 million e-commerce merchants have a business identification number (NIB), and both the discount and continued market access will depend on one.
The cost of selling online became a policy question
For most of the last decade, a marketplace's fee schedule was a private matter between the platform and its sellers. Platforms set rates, announced changes in the seller centre, and sellers adapted or left. That arrangement ended in mid-2026. Within ten days in June, two ministries issued regulations that treat platform fees, search ranking and seller onboarding as public policy.
The timing was not accidental. In May, TikTok Shop raised its commission cap fifteen-fold, Shopee raised the service fee for its Gratis Ongkir XTRA free-shipping programme, and seller complaints reached the Minister of MSMEs, Maman Abdurrahman. His response was blunt: "tidak boleh ada dulu kenaikan-kenaikan [biaya], tidak boleh" (there must be no fee increases for now). By 1 July, the government and five platforms (Shopee, Tokopedia, TikTok Shop, Lazada and Blibli) had agreed to postpone further fee increases for MSME merchants.
The stakes are large. Google, Temasek and Bain estimate Indonesia's e-commerce gross merchandise value at US$71 billion in 2025, about 72% of the country's digital economy. Every percentage point of fees on that base is worth roughly US$710 million a year.
US$71 billion Indonesia's e-commerce GMV in 2025, according to e-Conomy SEA 2025
22 million merchants on Indonesian e-commerce platforms, by the Trade Ministry's count
<10% of them hold a business identification number (NIB)
Two regulations, one market
Permendag 19/2026 replaces Permendag 31/2023, the rule best known for banning payments inside social-media apps and briefly shutting TikTok Shop in October 2023. The new regulation is broader. It now covers eight business models, including ride-hailing apps and online travel agents, and it moves from platform compliance toward what Lexology contributors called "platform gatekeeping": marketplaces become responsible for verifying who sells, what they sell and how it is ranked.
Permen UMKM 3/2026 is narrower and more financial. It targets one line on the seller's statement, the platform service fee, and orders it halved for a specific group of sellers. It also adds two contract protections: fees cannot be raised unilaterally during a long-term contract, and any change after the contract period needs three months' notice.
| Area | Permendag 19/2026 (Trade) | Permen UMKM 3/2026 (MSMEs) | PMK 37/2025 (Finance) |
|---|---|---|---|
| In force | 8 June 2026 | 17 June 2026; discount still awaiting a ministerial decree and system integration | Tax collection by platforms from 1 November 2026, after a postponement from August |
| Fees | Full disclosure in a downloadable contract; seller consent for changes; 14 working days to object, and an unanswered objection counts as accepted | At least 50% off service fees (admin, commission, application fee) for verified micro and small sellers of domestic products; three months' notice for changes | Platforms withhold 0.5% income tax on sales of merchants with turnover above Rp500 million a year |
| Ranking | Domestic products must appear in the first row of search results; dedicated promotion areas for local MSME products | Not covered | Not covered |
| Seller identity | NIB mandatory; "Dalam Proses Legalisasi" label for up to 6 months for new sellers, until 8 December 2027 for existing ones | Registration and verification through SAPA UMKM | Tax ID or a declaration to qualify for the exemption |
| Cross-border | FOB floor of US$100 per unit for imported goods; foreign sellers must disclose licence, bank account and country of shipment | Discount excludes imported goods | Not covered |
| AI | AI-generated content, recommendations and promotions must be disclosed, with a complaint mechanism | Not covered | Not covered |
The fee stack that the rules leave untouched
"Fee" is a misleading word for what a marketplace seller pays. It is a stack. At the base is the administration fee or commission, which is mandatory and varies by category. On top sit optional programmes that in practice are hard to avoid: free-shipping subsidies, cashback and voucher programmes, paid search ads, affiliate commissions, and fixed per-order processing charges. A fashion seller interviewed by Katadata described her platform fee rising from 0% in 2023 to 6%, then 8%, and now 14%. Another, accessory seller Vivi Leonita, said that once promotions, ads and affiliates are switched on, total fees can exceed 30% of the selling price.
That is the key limit of the new rules. The 50% discount in Permen UMKM 3/2026 applies only to service fees. The ministry itself estimates those are about 40–50% of what micro and small sellers pay. Its own worked example: on a Rp100,000 product with Rp20,000 in total fees, the admin portion of Rp8,000–10,000 would fall to Rp4,000–5,000. The programme fees, ads and affiliate commissions stay where they are. The calculator below shows how much of a typical stack the discount actually reaches.
How much of the fee stack does the 50% discount reach?
Estimated deductions per order. Pick a seller profile or adjust each layer.
On the first profile, a fashion seller on Shopee using the free-shipping and voucher programmes plus moderate ads, deductions come to about 28% of the price. The discount removes roughly Rp7,400 per Rp150,000 order and leaves the total near 23%. On the second profile, a TikTok Shop seller relying on affiliates, the service fee is under a third of the stack, so the discount barely changes the outcome. The regulation is real relief for sellers whose costs are mostly commission. For sellers whose growth depends on paid visibility, it is a modest trim.
The rules regulate the price of a seat at the market. They do not regulate the price of being seen in it, which is where most of the money now goes.
What a fifteen-fold cap increase looks like
The change that pushed fees onto the policy agenda was TikTok Shop's dynamic commission, effective 18 May 2026. The headline rate for women's clothing rose from 5.5% to 8%, and the cap per item rose from Rp40,000 to Rp650,000. For cheap items the difference is small. For anything above a few hundred thousand rupiah, the cap had been doing most of the work, and its removal changed the economics overnight.
For a Rp100,000 blouse, commission rises from Rp5,500 to Rp8,000. For a Rp1 million dress, it doubles, from the old Rp40,000 cap to Rp80,000. For an item at Rp8 million, it is sixteen times higher. The cap increase is a tax on premium and mid-market sellers, the segment that domestic brands were using to differentiate from cheap imports. It also explains why the minister's first reaction was to ask whether the increase broke an earlier agreement to hold fees.
Two years of fee moves and rule-making
Viewed as a sequence, the platform moves and the government moves look less like separate events and more like a negotiation conducted in public. Filter the timeline to see each side.
Two patterns stand out. First, the platforms did not stop adjusting fees after the postponement. Shopee's July restructuring lowered some headline rates, fashion from 10% to mostly 9%, while moving to a subcategory system that sellers must now check product by product. Second, every government deadline depends on infrastructure that does not yet exist at scale: the SAPA UMKM verification pipeline, NIB coverage, and tax-collection systems inside four platforms.
The NIB bottleneck
Almost every benefit and obligation in the new framework runs through one identifier. The NIB is required to keep selling after the transition period, to qualify for the 50% discount, and in practice to sort sellers into micro, small or larger businesses. Director General of Domestic Trade Iqbal Shoffan Shofwan put the gap plainly in July: of 22 million merchants across all platforms, "enggak sampai 10% yang punya NIB" (fewer than 10% have one).
Registering takes 30 to 45 minutes through the OSS system, according to the ministry, but the barriers cited are device access, internet quality and difficulty completing the data. Multiplied by 20 million merchants, a short form becomes a national onboarding project. Until it is done, the 50% discount will reach a small fraction of the sellers it was written for, and the December 2027 deadline will decide how many informal sellers simply disappear from the platforms.
Search ranking by nationality: Indonesia's inverted self-preferencing
The most unusual clause is Article 40(3) of Permendag 19/2026. Platforms must place domestic products in the first row of search results and give local MSME products dedicated promotion space. The ministry says it does not prescribe the algorithm; platforms choose the method as long as the outcome is met, with coaching first and sanctions later.
Compare that with Europe. The EU's Digital Markets Act forbids large platforms from ranking their own products above third parties: ranking must be fair and non-discriminatory. Its Platform-to-Business Regulation requires at least 15 days' notice before contract terms change and requires platforms to explain the main parameters that determine ranking. Indonesia has adopted the transparency half of that model, and in places gone further (three months' notice under Permen UMKM 3/2026). On ranking, it has done the reverse: instead of banning preference, it mandates one, by country of origin.
| Indonesia (2026) | European Union | |
|---|---|---|
| Notice before fee or term changes | Seller consent and 14 working days to object (Permendag 19); three months' notice after contract period (Permen UMKM 3) | At least 15 days (P2B Regulation 2019/1150) |
| Fee caps | None; mandatory 50% discount for one seller group | None in general platform rules |
| Ranking | Must prioritise domestic products in the first search row | Must disclose main ranking parameters; the largest platforms may not favour their own products |
| AI | AI-generated content and recommendations must be labelled | Transparency duties under the AI Act, phased in |
The practical risk is measurable relevance. If the first row is filled by rule rather than by match quality, conversion may fall for the very local sellers placed there, and platforms will be tempted to satisfy the clause with the smallest compliant footprint. How Kemendag measures "first row" across personalised feeds, video commerce and AI-generated recommendations is the detail that will decide whether the clause matters.
What to watch next
First, the ministerial decree that turns on the 50% discount, and how many sellers pass SAPA UMKM verification in its first months. A discount for verified sellers is only as wide as verification. Second, the fee lines that move after the postponement ends. If programme fees, ad prices or affiliate commissions rise while service fees fall, the regulation will have changed the composition of the stack, not its size. Third, 1 November 2026, when tax withholding begins inside four marketplaces, an early test of whether platform systems can carry public obligations at scale.
For sellers, the immediate steps are administrative: register an NIB through OSS, download the fee contract that platforms are now required to provide, and calculate margins on the full stack rather than the headline admin rate. For brands, the deeper lesson is about dependence. When one platform's commission cap can move fifteen-fold in a day, owned channels are a hedge as much as a growth tactic. We looked at the payment side of that equation in our analysis of QRIS's zero-percent merchant fee.
Frequently asked questions
What is Permendag 19/2026?
It is Indonesia's Trade Ministry regulation on business licensing, advertising, guidance and supervision of trade through electronic systems (PMSE), signed on 8 June 2026. It replaces Permendag 31/2023 and covers marketplaces, social commerce, ride-hailing and online travel agents.
Does the new regulation cap marketplace admin fees?
No. Permendag 19/2026 requires fees to be disclosed in a contract and changes to be agreed by sellers, who can object within 14 working days. It sets no maximum rate.
Who gets the 50% marketplace fee discount?
Under Permen UMKM 3/2026, micro and small businesses verified through SAPA UMKM, holding an NIB and selling only domestic products. The discount covers service fees (admin, commission and application fees), not promotion programmes, ads or affiliate commissions. Processed ready-to-eat food and electronics from large domestic manufacturers are excluded.
When does the 50% discount start?
The regulation was enacted on 17 June 2026, but implementation depends on a ministerial decree and integration between SAPA UMKM and marketplace systems. In late August the minister said the work was 95% complete. No start date had been announced at the time of writing.
Do online sellers need an NIB?
Yes. New sellers can trade under a "Dalam Proses Legalisasi" label for up to six months; existing sellers have until 8 December 2027. After that, platforms must suspend sellers without a licence.
What is the US$100 rule for imported goods?
Cross-border sellers must apply a minimum FOB price of US$100 per unit for imported goods sold directly into Indonesia, unless the product is on a government exemption list.
What is the 0.5% marketplace tax?
Under PMK 37/2025, Shopee, Tokopedia, Lazada and Blibli will withhold 0.5% income tax on sales by merchants with annual turnover above Rp500 million, starting 1 November 2026 after a postponement from August. Merchants below the threshold must submit a declaration to be exempt.
Sources
- Permendag Baru E-Commerce Terbit, Ini 10 Poin Pentingnya, CNN Indonesia, 9 June 2026
- Indonesia's New E-Commerce Regulation: A Practical Guide to Permendag 19/2026, Nusantara DFDL
- Indonesia's New E-Commerce Regulation: What Platforms and Merchants Need to Know, W&P
- An Overhaul in Indonesian E-Commerce Regulations: From Platform Compliance to Platform Gatekeeping, Lexology
- Indonesia broadens digital marketplace oversight with new platform, SME regulations, MLex, 24 June 2026
- E-Commerce Wajib Diskon Biaya Layanan 50% untuk Produk Lokal, Tirto
- Diskon Fee 50 Persen untuk UMK Resmi Berlaku, Ini Aturan Lengkapnya, KabarBursa, 23 June 2026
- Indonesia delays e-commerce fee hikes for MSMEs merchants, ANTARA, 1 July 2026
- Diskon Biaya Admin 50% Belum Berlaku, Asosiasi E-Commerce Ungkap Penyebabnya, Katadata, 9 July 2026
- Diskon Biaya Admin Seller Marketplace 50% Dikebut, Verifikasi UMK Jadi PR, Katadata, 27 August 2026
- Pedagang Online UMK Bakal Dapat Diskon Biaya Admin E-Commerce 50%, CNN Indonesia, 1 September 2026
- Biaya Berlapis Penggerus Untung Akhirnya Diatur, tapi Seller Online Punya PR Baru, Katadata
- TikTok Shop Naikkan Biaya Komisi Dinamis per 18 Mei, Seller Menjerit, Bisnis.com, 15 May 2026
- TikTok Shop Naikkan Batas Atas Biaya Komisi, Menteri UMKM akan Cek Potensi Pelanggaran, Bisnis.com, 18 May 2026
- Update Biaya Admin Shopee 31 Juli 2026 vs Tokopedia & TikTok Shop, Remarketing.id
- Per 2 Mei 2026, Biaya Gratis Ongkir XTRA Shopee Naik, Digifolium
- Ini Biaya Admin Seller Shopee per 1 September 2024, Detik Finance
- Kemendag: Dari 22 Juta Merchant E-Commerce, Tak Sampai 10% Miliki NIB, Bisnis.com, 20 July 2026
- Permendag 19/2026 Wajibkan Marketplace Utamakan Produk Lokal, Bisnis.com, 15 July 2026
- PPh Marketplace Berlaku 1 November 2026, Ini Ketentuannya, Metro TV News, 19 September 2026
- e-Conomy SEA 2025: Ekonomi digital Indonesia mendekati GMV US$100 miliar, Google
- Regulation (EU) 2019/1150 on fairness and transparency for business users of online intermediation services, EUR-Lex
Editorial Team
