Cross-Border E-Commerce Platform Weekly Report | October 12–19 | TikTok Shop Malaysia Raises Commission Fees

This week’s most tangible platform change in Southeast Asia comes from TikTok Shop Malaysia: commissions for most categories will rise on October 31. Meanwhile, Lazada has launched an ad tool with “ROAS protection” for 11.11, J&T Express reported 44.5% growth in Southeast Asian parcel volume in the third quarter, and the gap between Shopee and TikTok Shop in Vietnam continues to narrow.

This Week’s Top Story: TikTok Shop Malaysia to Raise Commissions for Most Categories Starting October 31

What happened. According to Malaysian media reports, TikTok Shop Malaysia has notified local sellers that it will revise commission rates for Marketplace (standard store) and Mall (brand mall) sellers starting October 31, 2026, with increases across most categories [1][3]. Examples cited in the reports include standard store sellers not enrolled in the Bonus Extra Program (BXP, an optional promotional services program offered by the platform): commissions for bath and body care will rise from 15.12% to 16.74%, while those for feminine care will fall from 14.58% to 12.10%. All of these rates include Sales and Service Tax (SST) [1]. According to Amanz’s tally, rates will decrease in five categories—feminine care, oral and nasal care, medical supplies, over-the-counter medicines, and nutritional care products—remain unchanged in five categories, and increase in dozens of others. Basic food categories, including fresh and frozen foods, dairy products, grains, oils and dried goods, and baked goods, will retain a 0% commission rate [2]. Orders placed before October 31 will still be settled at the existing rates [1].

Background. This adjustment preserves low or even 0% commissions for basic foods and some essential goods, while shifting more margin pressure onto nonessential categories [2]. Separately, according to information compiled by AMZ123, TikTok Shop Malaysia’s PayLater (buy now, pay later) transaction fee also increased from 3.78% to 4.86% on October 16 [4]. Together, the two changes will raise total platform costs for most nonessential categories.

Impact. Sellers in categories with already thin margins that rely on low prices and high sales volumes will feel the greatest impact: a commission increase of 1–2 percentage points could wipe out most of their profits during major sales events. For the platform, adjusting fees ahead of 11.11 signals that its focus in Malaysia is shifting from “subsidizing customer acquisition” to “increasing monetization per transaction.” For Shopee and Lazada, this theoretically creates room to compete for sellers on fees, but we believe all three platforms are broadly increasing monetization, so the fee differences may not be substantial.

What remains unclear. Public reports currently provide specific rates for only a handful of categories; sellers should refer to Seller Center notifications for the complete rate schedule. This column has not yet found an official, publicly accessible announcement page from TikTok Shop. The reports do not specify the new rates for BXP sellers or whether cross-border stores (rather than local stores) will see changes at the same time. Sellers should rely on the notifications received in their own seller dashboards.

Image: Promotional image for TikTok Shop Mall (Source: Amanz)

Top Stories

Lazada Launches “ROAS Protection” Advertising Tool for 11.11

Lazada’s official advertising platform, Lazada Sponsored Solutions, released its 11.11 Mega Brands Sale advertising guide on October 16 for sellers in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia [5]. The key change is the addition of ROAS (return on ad spend) protection to “Mega Sales Accelerator”: sellers using target ROAS bidding may receive rebates in ad credits if their actual ROAS falls below a specified threshold. According to the page, rebates can cover up to 80% of campaign spending during the 11.11 warm-up period and on the sale day itself [5]. Sponsored Max also rolled out upgrades including automatic top-ups, automatic budget increases, and diagnostics (up to 20% more clicks) [5]. The page does not specify the sale dates; rebate thresholds and terms are subject to the campaign registration page.

Why it matters: For brands and LazMall sellers already advertising on Lazada, this protection reduces the risk of increasing budgets during major sales events. However, rebates come in the form of ad credits rather than cash, so their actual value depends on continued advertising.

Image: Key visual for the Lazada advertising platform’s 11.11 Mega Brands Sale campaign (Source: Lazada Sponsored Solutions)

J&T Express’s Q3 Southeast Asia Parcel Volume Grows 44.5%, with Daily Capacity Targeting 60 Million Parcels

J&T Express released its third-quarter operating data in mid-October: parcel volume in Southeast Asia reached 2.886 billion, up 44.5% year over year, equivalent to approximately 31.4 million parcels per day. For the first nine months, Southeast Asia’s cumulative parcel volume reached 8.41 billion, up 61.0% year over year [6][7]. Its Southeast Asian network expanded to 10,900 outlets, 131 sorting hubs, and 81 automated sorting lines [6]. Management said on the earnings call that Southeast Asia remained the company’s main growth engine and set full-year growth guidance for the region at 50%–55% [8]. National Business Daily cited management as saying that daily parcel volume in Southeast Asia was over 30 million at the start of the year, with peak volume reaching 47 million [6].

Why it matters: J&T Express is one of the main third-party carriers for TikTok Shop and Shopee in Southeast Asia. Its capacity expansion could reduce the risk of warehouse overload during the 11.11 and 12.12 peak shopping periods compared with previous years. However, with peak parcel volumes approaching existing capacity, sellers should still allow extra delivery time for remote areas.

Image: Screenshot of J&T Express's third-quarter operating data, including Southeast Asian parcel volumes and year-over-year growth (Source: National Business Daily)

Vietnam: Shopee retains roughly 53% market share in the first nine months, while TikTok Shop grows faster

Citing statistics from Vietnamese data firm YouNet ECI, AMZ123 reported that major e-commerce platforms in Vietnam generated approximately VND 411.8 trillion in GMV in the first nine months of 2026, up 22% year over year [9]. Shopee remained the leading platform, accounting for roughly 53% of GMV, but its year-over-year growth of just 12% was well below the overall market's pace. TikTok Shop grew 38% year over year, narrowing the GMV gap between the two platforms to approximately VND 4.3 trillion (about $166 million) in the third quarter [9]. Together, the two accounted for roughly 98% of Vietnam's market.

Why it matters: Vietnam has effectively become a two-platform market. Sellers operating only on Shopee are missing out on growth opportunities, while those operating only on TikTok Shop lack a channel to capture search-driven demand. Operating on both platforms is now standard practice in Vietnam, rather than an optional strategy.

Indonesia: Platform fees for eligible local micro and small sellers to be cut by at least half starting October 25

Indonesia's Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises announced that, starting October 25, 2026, e-commerce platforms must reduce administrative fees, commissions, or basic store fees by at least 50% for eligible local micro and small businesses [10][11]. Applications must be submitted through the official SAPA UMKM system, and platforms must complete verification within 10 calendar days. Only micro and small businesses selling domestically produced goods with no record of violations such as fake orders will qualify [10][11]. Bisnis.com's report named platforms including Shopee and TikTok Shop; Shopee had not yet responded [10].

Why it matters: This fee reduction targets local Indonesian micro and small businesses and domestically produced goods, so Chinese cross-border sellers generally do not qualify. However, eligible local sellers in the same categories will see their costs fall significantly, further squeezing cross-border sellers' room to compete on price.

Image: JIBI/Bisnis-Abdurrachman (Source: Bisnis.com)

Key Figures

• 16.74%: New commission rate for bath and body care on TikTok Shop Malaysia (previously 15.12%) [1]
• 4.86%: PayLater transaction fee rate on TikTok Shop Malaysia (previously 3.78%) [4]
• 80%: Maximum reimbursement under Lazada’s 11.11 ROAS Protection program (in the form of vouchers) [5]
• 2.886 billion parcels: J&T Express’s third-quarter parcel volume in Southeast Asia, up 44.5% year over year [6]
• Approximately 53%: Shopee’s share of Vietnam’s e-commerce GMV in the first nine months [9]

News Briefs

• Philippines’ Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB): Ordered five e-commerce platforms, including Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok Shop, to submit lists of their partner trucking carriers within three business days as part of a crackdown on unauthorized deliveries by private vehicles [12]
• Shopee Indonesia: Partnered with Indonesia’s Halal Product Assurance Agency, allowing sellers to connect to the official SIHALAL system through Seller Center to apply for halal certification [4]
• Sea: Partnered with the Google AI Futures Fund, giving its Sea Labs unit access to Google’s frontier models for use across businesses including Shopee [13]
• J&T Express: Announced a long-term capacity target for Southeast Asia of 50 million to 60 million parcels per day during its earnings call; its share price declined following the earnings release [8]
• TikTok Shop Malaysia: Basic food categories (fresh and frozen foods, dairy, grains and cooking oils, and bakery products) continue to carry a 0% commission rate [2]

What Sellers Should Do

Notably, several developments this week point in the same direction: platforms are stepping up monetization ahead of major sales events while targeting subsidies at narrower groups. We recommend:

1. Local TikTok Shop sellers in Malaysia (especially in beauty and personal care, and home categories): Check your category’s new rates in Seller Center before October 31 and recalculate the minimum gross margin you need to maintain for 11.11 promotional pricing. For products with commission increases of more than 1 percentage point, assess whether to adjust coupon values or promotional prices [1][2].
2. Brands and LazMall sellers advertising on Lazada: Sign up early for Mega Sales Accelerator and use target ROAS bidding to activate ROAS protection. Factor the vouchers you receive back into your 12.12 budget rather than treating them as cash profit [5].
3. Sellers on both platforms in Vietnam: We believe Shopee’s search traffic remains a core traffic source. Consider allocating more of your incremental budget for testing new products and content promotion to TikTok Shop, and confirm carriers’ peak pickup capacity well ahead of 11.11 [6][9].

What to Watch Next

• October 25: Indonesia’s platform fee relief policy for micro and small businesses takes effect [10]
• October 31: TikTok Shop Malaysia’s new commission rates take effect [1]

References

1. TikTok Shop Raises Commission Rates for Most Categories, Effective October 31, 2026 — WISER.MY, accessed on 2026-10-19
2. TikTok Shop Malaysia Raises Commission Fees for a Wide Range of Categories Starting October 31, 2026 — Amanz, accessed on 2026-10-19
3. TikTok Shop Malaysia Increases Commission Fees Across a Wide Range of Categories, Effective October 31, 2026 — TheCekodok, accessed on 2026-10-19
4. TikTok Shop Malaysia Adjusts Fee Rates; Tax QR Codes for Philippine E-Commerce Sellers Spark Controversy over Privacy Concerns; Shopee Indonesia Helps Sellers Obtain Halal Certification — AMZ123, accessed on 2026-10-19
5. Lazada Sponsored Solutions: 11.11 Mega Brands Sale – November 2026 — Lazada Sponsored Solutions, accessed on 2026-10-19
6. J&T Express Keeps Average Daily Parcel Volume Above 100 Million in Q3: Benefits from China's Push to Curb Cutthroat Competition Coincide with Strong Overseas Growth, but Uncertainties Remain — National Business Daily, accessed on 2026-10-19
7. J&T Express Average Daily Parcel Volume Reaches 104.2 Million in Q3 2026; Exceeds 100 Million for Second Consecutive Quarter — The Manila Times (PR Newswire), accessed on 2026-10-19
8. Earnings call transcript: J&T Express Q3 2026 parcel growth lifts volume, shares fall — Investing.com, accessed on 2026-10-19
9. The Quarterly Gap Has Narrowed to $166 Million! How Long Until TikTok Shop Catches Up with Shopee in This Market? — AMZ123, accessed on 2026-10-19
10. Starting October 25, MSMEs Get a 50% Discount on Administrative Fees on Shopee, TikTok Shop, and Other Platforms — Bisnis.com, accessed on 2026-10-19
11. MSMEs Get a 50% Discount on Marketplace Fees Starting October 25 — Antara, accessed on 2026-10-19
12. LTFRB summons 5 online shopping firms' list of delivery service partners — Inquirer.net, accessed on 2026-10-19
13. Sea and Google AI Futures Fund Collaborate to Advance AI Innovation — Sea Limited, accessed on 2026-10-19