Mercado Libre charges a base fee of between 11.8% and 17.14% of the selling price, depending on the category and the listing type (Classic or Premium). On top of that come a fixed charge per order, the cost of interest-free installments if you offer them, Mercado Envíos or Full charges, and Mercado Ads spend if you invest. The number that reaches you isn't what you sold: it's what's left after Mercado Libre helped itself first.
How much does Mercado Libre charge in fees by category?
Fees vary by listing type and product category. Classic is the standard listing, available on every plan. Premium shows up first in search results and guarantees Protected Purchase, but its fee is higher. The percentages are on the selling price, excluding VAT, and are deducted automatically from your payout.
| Category | Classic | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Grocery and Food | 11.8% | 14.8% |
| Home, Garden and Construction | 13.0% | 16.5% |
| Clothing, Sports, Toys and Beauty | 13.5% | 17.14% |
| Electronics and Technology | 15.0% | 17.14% |
| Other categories | 14.0% | 17.14% |
Data from Mercado Libre Argentina's Seller Center (verified in September 2026 via a secondary source). Fees can be updated without notice — check the Seller Center before projecting.
How much is the fixed charge per order on Mercado Libre?
On top of the percentage, Mercado Libre charges a fixed charge per sale that depends on the product's price. The cheaper the item, the more it hurts in relative terms — a $1,330 fixed charge on a $10,000 product is an extra 13.3%.
| Product price | Fixed charge (+ VAT) |
|---|---|
| Up to $14,999 | $1,330 |
| $15,000 – $24,999 | $2,740 |
| $25,000 – $32,999 | $3,320 |
| $33,000 and up | No fixed charge |
How much do interest-free installments cost on Mercado Libre?
If you offer interest-free installments to your buyers, you're the one financing the difference. Mercado Libre applies a seller surcharge on top of the base fee. The buyer chooses how many installments to pay in — you don't control that decision, you can only turn installments on or off.
| Installment plan | Seller surcharge (+ VAT) |
|---|---|
| 3 interest-free installments | 5.75% |
| 6 interest-free installments | 10.75% |
| 12 interest-free installments | 20.50% |
If your competitors offer installments and you don't, you lose conversions. If you offer them, you pay for the financing. This is one of the hidden costs that destroys the most margin in Argentine e-commerce.
Real example: what's left from a $50,000 electronics sale
Say you sell an electronics item for $50,000 with a Classic listing, and the buyer chooses 6 interest-free installments.
- Selling price: $50,000
- Classic Electronics fee (15%): −$7,500
- Fixed charge ($33,000+): $0
- 6-installment surcharge (10.75%): −$5,375
- Subtotal for fees + installments alone: −$12,875 (25.75% of the price)
And that's before shipping, your product cost or Mercado Ads spend. In many cases, the cost of selling on Mercado Libre exceeds the cost of selling in your own store with Meta Ads. The difference is that nobody shows you the consolidated number.
How much does advertising on Mercado Ads cost?
Mercado Ads works on a cost-per-click (CPC) model, and sellers facing more competition in their category have to invest to show up in the top spots. The key metric is ACOS (Advertising Cost of Sale): what percentage of each sale went to advertising. A 12% ACOS on top of a 15% fee already eats more than a quarter of the selling price in just two lines. To learn how to calculate and optimize your ACOS on Mercado Libre, read ACOS on Mercado Libre: what it is and how to lower it without losing sales.
How much do Mercado Envíos and Mercado Envíos Full cost?
Shipping costs vary by origin zone, destination, weight and package dimensions. Mercado Libre offers different logistics arrangements depending on seller volume. Mercado Envíos Full — the fulfillment service where Mercado Libre stores and ships for you — has additional inbound, storage and picking costs. In many categories, the free shipping Mercado Libre requires for certain price ranges is absorbed by you, and that doesn't show up in the fee percentage. For the cost analysis and when Full makes sense, read How much does Mercado Envíos Full cost and when is it worth it?
How much do you really keep from each sale on Mercado Libre?
The only way to know is to add up all the costs at the moment each sale happens: fee + fixed charge + installments + shipping + ad spend + returns. No Excel spreadsheet does this well because costs vary by category, by price and by the payment method the buyer chooses. And if you also have your own store, you need to see both channels together to know which one really leaves you more margin.
Escalafy connects your Mercado Libre account and calculates the real cost of each sale in real time, including category fees, the fixed charge and the installment surcharge. It shows that next to your Tiendanube or Shopify margin so you can see in a single dashboard which channel is more profitable today. See how it works in Mercado Libre fees in Escalafy.
How much does Mercado Libre charge compared with Mercado Pago in your own store?
If you use Mercado Pago as the gateway in your own store (Tiendanube, Shopify), the fees are different: they range from 1.49% to 6.29% depending on the payout speed you choose. Mercado Libre's listing charges and fixed charge don't apply. For that full breakdown, read Mercado Pago fees in 2026: what each payment method charges you. You can also compare the real profitability of each channel in Mercado Libre vs. your own store: which is more profitable for your business.
Frequently asked questions about Mercado Libre fees
Does the Mercado Libre fee include VAT?
No. The published fee percentages are "+VAT." For a seller who pays VAT in Argentina, the real cost is 21% higher than the nominal fee percentage. A 15% fee is equivalent to an 18.15% cost with VAT included.
Do fees change with sales volume?
For higher-volume sellers, Mercado Libre may offer negotiated terms. The percentages in the table apply to the standard seller. If you sell more than 1,000 orders a month on Mercado Libre, it's worth asking your account manager for a meeting.
When does Mercado Libre pay out the money?
Payout times on Mercado Libre depend on your seller reputation and the shipping type. Unlike Mercado Pago, where you choose the payout speed and pay for it, on Mercado Libre the platform sets the timing. In general, the money is released once the buyer confirms receipt of the package.
Is selling on Mercado Libre worth it if the fees are so high?
It depends on your category, your volume and your margin. For many categories, Mercado Libre's traffic justifies the cost. The problem isn't selling on Mercado Libre — it's not knowing what each sale really costs you. Once your numbers are clear, you can decide which categories or products belong in which channel.
How do I know the exact cost of each sale on Mercado Libre?
The only practical way is to connect your Mercado Libre account to a tool that automatically calculates fee + fixed charge + installments + shipping for each order. Escalafy does it in real time and shows it next to your profitability by SKU and by channel, so you can compare Mercado Libre against your own store in a single dashboard.
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