Singapore Online Sellers: Carousell, Shopee, or Lazada — Which Actually Pays Best?
Selling on multiple platforms doesn't mean you're maximising profit on all of them. AskBiz calculates your true net profit per order on each platform — after fees, shipping, returns, and ad spend.
- The multi-platform illusion
- How AskBiz compares platforms
- Real scenario: a phone accessories seller
- Product-platform fit
The multi-platform illusion#
A Singapore online seller listing the same product on Shopee, Lazada, Carousell, and their own website might see $5,000 in monthly Shopee sales and $2,000 on Lazada and think both platforms are valuable. But Shopee charges 2-6 percent commission plus 2 percent payment fee plus seller-funded vouchers plus ads spend, while Lazada charges 1-4 percent commission with different promotional requirements. When all platform-specific costs are deducted, the 'bigger' platform might actually yield less profit per order.
How AskBiz compares platforms#
Upload your sales data from each platform along with fees, ad spend, return rates, and shipping costs per platform. AskBiz calculates net profit per order and net profit as a percentage of GMV for each platform. It also tracks customer acquisition cost per platform and repeat purchase rates. Ask: 'What is my average net profit per order on Shopee versus Lazada?' and get a direct comparison that accounts for every cost.
Real scenario: a phone accessories seller#
Darren sells phone cases across Shopee, Lazada, and his own Shopify store. Monthly GMV: Shopee $12,000, Lazada $4,500, Shopify $2,800. He assumed Shopee was his best platform because of volume. After uploading platform-specific data to AskBiz, the analysis showed: Shopee net profit per order was $2.40 (after 5.5 percent commission, 2 percent payment fee, $1.80 average shipping subsidy, and $800/month ad spend), Lazada net profit was $3.10 (lower commission, fewer mandatory vouchers), and Shopify net profit was $5.20 (no commission, just 2.9 percent Stripe fee, no platform ad spend). Shopify had the best unit economics despite the lowest volume. AskBiz recommended shifting ad budget to drive more traffic to his own store rather than subsidising platform sales.
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Return cost analysis#
AskBiz tracks return rates by platform — Shopee's change-of-mind return policy often results in 8-12 percent return rates for fashion, significantly higher than Carousell's no-return norm. Each return costs $3-8 in shipping and repackaging.
Product-platform fit#
AskBiz identifies which products perform best on which platforms based on margin, competition, and customer behavior — helping you allocate inventory and marketing budget to the most profitable platform-product combinations.
People also ask
Which e-commerce platform is most profitable in Singapore?
It depends on your product category, price point, and fee structure. AskBiz calculates true net profit per order per platform after all fees, shipping, returns, and ad spend.
How much do Shopee and Lazada charge sellers?
Shopee: 2-6 percent commission plus 2 percent payment fee plus seller-funded promotions. Lazada: 1-4 percent commission. AskBiz calculates total platform cost as a percentage of your revenue.
Should Singapore sellers use their own website?
Often the highest margin per order but lowest volume. AskBiz calculates whether investing in own-website traffic would be more profitable than platform ad spend.
Our team combines expertise in data analytics, SME strategy, and AI tools to produce practical guides that help founders and operators make better business decisions.
Find your most profitable platform
Upload your multi-platform sales data — AskBiz compares true profitability across Shopee, Lazada, Carousell, and your own store.
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