On every order from a food delivery platform, part of the sale goes to the platform. Looking at order numbers without knowing this cut is misleading: it’s possible to get lots of orders and earn little, or even lose money. In this post we explain how platform commission is calculated and what you keep per order, with an example.
What is platform commission?
Platform commission is the share that platforms such as Yemeksepeti, Uber Eats Trendyol Go, GetirYemek and Migros Yemek take from the orders placed through them. The rate varies by platform, city, category and contract, and the biggest difference comes from who delivers.
Restaurant courier or platform courier?
When you deliver with your own courier or a courier company you hire, the commission rate is usually lower. When the platform delivers, the rate is noticeably higher because delivery is built into the commission. Which model is more profitable depends on your own courier cost and order value.
Don’t forget VAT
Platforms add 20% VAT when invoicing commission. So a 12% contract rate means a 14.4% cut from the sale once VAT is included. If you’re VAT-registered you can deduct it; if not, it’s a direct cost. Be sure which rate you’re using in your calculations.
How do campaign discounts affect commission?
When you run a discount on a platform, commission is usually calculated on the discounted amount. The discount lowers the sale, but your packaging, product and delivery costs stay the same. That’s why campaigns can cut profit per order by far more than the discount percentage.
Example
Take a product that sells for 350 TRY, with a product cost of 120 TRY and packaging of 15 TRY.
- With a restaurant courier: 12% commission + VAT = 14.4% → 50.40 TRY. Courier 100 TRY + VAT per order = 120 TRY. You keep: 350 − 50.40 − 120 − 15 − 120 = 44.60 TRY.
- With a platform courier: 32% commission + VAT = 38.4% → 134.40 TRY. No courier cost. You keep: 350 − 134.40 − 120 − 15 = 80.60 TRY.
In this example the platform courier, despite its higher commission, is more profitable for a restaurant with high courier costs. You can’t tell which model suits you without running your own numbers.
The rates in the example are approximate figures used for illustration. Platforms don’t publish official rates and they vary by contract; always go by the rate on your invoice.
How should commission be reflected in prices?
Rather than giving up margin to commission, build it into your prices. To find a platform price that keeps the same profit, see our post on how to price products on food delivery platforms.
Run your own numbers
In our free Commission Calculator, choose the platform and delivery type and enter your selling price and product, packaging and delivery costs to instantly see your net profit per order, your margin and where the order value goes.
Tired of paying commission? You can set up your own ordering system to take commission-free orders from your regular customers.