How to sell online without transaction fees (and what you can’t avoid)
Every online sale can carry two kinds of fees. One you can avoid by choosing the right platform; the other you can only reduce. Here’s how both work and what they cost.
Shopping Master team · · 5 min read
You can sell online without paying a platform a cut of each sale, but you can’t take card payments without paying a payment processor. Those are two different fees that often get lumped together as “transaction fees.” The first is a commission some ecommerce platforms add on top of your plan: pick a platform that doesn’t charge one and it disappears. The second is the card processing fee, around 3% of a typical US card sale, which every store pays to whoever processes the card, whether that’s Stripe, PayPal or Shopify Payments. Here’s how to tell them apart and keep more of every sale.
Platform fees vs. payment processing fees
When a customer pays $50 in your store, up to two parties may take a slice:
- The payment processor, which moves the money from the customer’s card to your account. It charges a percentage plus a small fixed amount per payment, which covers the card networks, fraud screening and the transfer itself.
- The platform, in some cases, which takes its own percentage on top: either always, or only when you don’t use its in-house payment service.
Example, using Stripe’s standard US card rate: on that $50 sale, a 2.9% + 30¢ processing fee is $1.75. A 2% platform fee would take another $1.00. The platform fee is the one you can remove entirely.
How the main platforms charge
| Platform | Commission on your sales | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | None with Shopify Payments; 2% on Basic with other providers | The percentage is lower on higher plans |
| BigCommerce | None with its embedded providers; 2% on Core with others | Plans also step up with your yearly sales |
| Squarespace | 2% on Basic; 0% from Core up | Applies to online store sales |
| Wix | None added on plans that accept payments | Processing fees apply |
| WooCommerce | None | You pay for hosting and any paid extensions |
| Shopping Master | None, on every plan including Free | Stripe’s processing fee applies to card payments |
Based on each provider’s published pricing as of November 2026 (Shopify’s Basic list pricing, BigCommerce pricing and Squarespace pricing). Fee structures change, so check before you sign up.
What payment processing actually costs
Stripe’s standard US pricing is 2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic card payment, plus 1.5% for international cards and 1% when currency conversion is required, with no setup or monthly fees (Stripe pricing, November 2026). Other major processors charge in a similar range.
Two details matter more than the headline rate:
- The fixed 30¢ weighs most on small orders. On a $10 order it’s 3% of the sale by itself; on a $100 order it’s 0.3%. If most of your orders are small, raising your average order value saves more than switching processors.
- International cards cost more. If you sell abroad, build the extra percentage into your prices for those markets.
Seven ways to keep more of each sale
- Choose a platform with no commission. It’s the only fee you can remove completely, and the savings grow with every order.
- Raise your average order value. Bundles, a free-shipping threshold and “complete the set” suggestions spread the fixed 30¢ over a bigger sale.
- Offer a non-card option where it makes sense. For large or local orders, a bank transfer or cash at pickup avoids card fees. Shopping Master lets you turn these on and even give a percentage discount for a specific payment method.
- Don’t add a card surcharge without checking the rules. Card networks and some states restrict surcharges; a discount for paying another way is the simpler route.
- Keep refunds low. Clear photos, size guides and honest descriptions prevent returns, and every refund costs you time on top of fees.
- Prevent chargebacks. Describe products accurately, ship with tracking and answer customers quickly; disputes usually carry a fee of their own.
- Review your plan once a year. If you pay for features you don’t use, downgrade; if a higher plan removes a fee you pay every month, do the math on upgrading.
Do the math for your own store
Take your expected monthly sales and run them through both kinds of fees. Example: a store selling $5,000 a month in 125 orders of $40, all paid with US cards.
| Example | With a 2% platform fee | With no platform fee |
|---|---|---|
| Card processing (2.9% + 30¢) | $182.50 | $182.50 |
| Platform commission | $100.00 | $0.00 |
| Total fees per month | $282.50 | $182.50 |
| Total fees per year | $3,390 | $2,190 |
The monthly plan price comes on top in both columns. A plan that costs a little more but takes no cut can be the cheaper choice once your sales grow. For a complete budget, see how much an online store costs.
How Shopping Master handles fees
Shopping Master charges a monthly plan and nothing per sale: Free at $0, Pro at $15 a month and Business at $35 a month, with unlimited products on all three (pricing). Cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay run through your own Stripe account, so you pay Stripe’s standard processing fee directly to Stripe and the money settles in your account. You can also accept bank transfers and cash, which carry no card fees, and mark those orders paid when the money arrives (payment methods).
If you’re weighing Shopify specifically, our Shopify comparison puts the two side by side.
Frequently asked questions
What is a transaction fee in ecommerce?
It usually means one of two things: a commission the platform takes on each sale, or the payment processor’s fee for handling a card payment. Platform commissions can be avoided; processing fees can only be reduced.
Is there an ecommerce platform with no fees at all?
No platform can remove card processing fees, because the card networks and processors charge them. Several platforms add no commission of their own, including Shopping Master on every plan.
Does Shopify charge transaction fees?
Not if you use Shopify Payments. With another payment provider, Shopify adds a fee that depends on your plan: 2% on Basic, at list prices as of November 2026.
Who pays Stripe’s fee on Shopping Master?
You do, as the merchant, directly to Stripe, the same as on any platform that uses Stripe. Shopping Master adds nothing on top.
Keep more of every sale: create your store on the Free plan and connect Stripe. Shopping Master takes no commission on any plan. Create your store for free