Ozon, Russia’s leading e-commerce platform, has made a significant update to its seller fee structure, effective from June 1, 2024. The headline change? While logistics costs have been reduced, sales commissions have risen sharply—posing new challenges for cross-border and domestic sellers alike.
Detailed Breakdown of Ozon’s New Seller Fee Policy
The core of Ozon’s recent changes involves two key aspects:
Logistics Cost Adjustment: “Last Mile” Fee Slashed
First, the seemingly good news—logistics costs have been adjusted. According to Ozon’s official announcements, the upper limit for “last mile” delivery fees has been significantly reduced from 500 rubles to just 25 rubles. (Sources: ennews.com). This indeed lowers fulfillment costs for some orders, especially those shipped to distant locations.
Key Change: Significant Increase in Sales Commissions
However, sharply contrasting with the logistics savings is a widespread and substantial increase in sales commissions—undoubtedly the most concerning change for sellers. Specifically:
- Low-priced products are hit the hardest: For items priced below 100 rubles, the commission has jumped from 1% to 4%. For those priced between 100 and 500 rubles, the commission has risen from 5% to 8% (Sources: ennews.com).
- Widespread impact: In addition to low-price categories, commission rates for most other product categories and price ranges have also increased. The specific rate varies depending on product category and whether the seller uses FBO or FBS fulfillment models (Source: ennews.com).
Impact on Different Fulfillment Models
The policy change impacts sellers differently depending on the fulfillment model they use:
FBS (Seller-Fulfilled) Sellers Face Major Challenges
For those using the FBS model—where sellers store and ship products themselves—the impact is particularly severe. Data shows that among 697 affected categories, commissions increased in 638 of them, with the average increase reaching a staggering 5.34 percentage points (Source: ennews.com). This means a significant rise in sales-related costs for FBS sellers.
FBO (Fulfilled by Ozon) Sellers Also Affected
Sellers using the FBO model—where goods are stored in Ozon’s warehouses and shipped by the platform—are also feeling the effects. Among 454 affected categories, over 90% saw commission rate hikes, with an average increase of 1.98 percentage points. Although a few categories, such as vitamins, saw minor reductions, the overall trend clearly points to rising commission costs (Source: ennews.com).
How Sellers Can Respond to the Ozon Policy Change
In response to Ozon’s updated commission policy, many sellers are feeling a significant increase in cost pressure. Despite the drop in last-mile logistics fees, most sellers report that the savings do not come close to offsetting the sharp increase in commissions (Source: Ebrun).
The cost surge—particularly for low-ticket items—could severely erode profit margins, even resulting in losses for some sales. This forces us to reconsider and adjust our operational strategies:
- Optimize product mix: Eliminate or reduce reliance on low-profit, low-priced items used for traffic generation. Shift focus toward higher-ticket products with better margins.
- Adjust pricing strategy: After carefully evaluating market competition and rising costs, moderate price increases may be necessary. However, caution is needed to avoid losing competitiveness.
- Re-evaluate fulfillment models: With the new commission and logistics cost structure in mind, reassess whether FBS or FBO is more cost-effective for your specific product and operation needs.
- Boost operational efficiency: Improve advertising ROI, optimize inventory management, and reduce controllable costs to buffer the impact of rising commissions.
Additionally, sellers should take note of a newly introduced “Order Processing Fee”, which charges 1.2% for cross-border stores and 1.5% for domestic stores (Source: m.10100.com). This adds another layer of hidden cost to operations.
Final Thoughts
In summary, while Ozon’s commission policy change brings a slight benefit in terms of logistics, the main headline is the substantial increase in sales commissions—presenting a new wave of cost challenges for sellers on the platform, particularly those selling low-priced products or using the FBS model.
Staying informed about Ozon’s official announcements and maintaining a flexible, proactive approach will be key to navigating these changes.
I hope this analysis has been helpful. In times of platform policy shifts, staying sharp and adaptable is essential. Feel free to share your thoughts or coping strategies in the comments!
