Mercado Livre or Shopee: where should you sell in 2026? A comparison of fees, shipping, timing, listings, and rules

Mercado Livre and Shopee charge in opposite ways. Mercado Livre charges a commission by category (10% to 14% for Classic) and shipping costs based on weight and price range. Shopee charges by price range (20% + R$ 4,50 up to R$ 79,99; 14% + R$ 16 to R$ 26 above that) and doesn't consider weight. That's why heavy products usually leave more profit on Shopee, while light products priced between R$ 80 and R$ 150 do better on Mercado Livre. For most stores, the right answer isn't to choose one—it's to sell on both with different prices.

"Where to sell" is a question you have to answer product by product. I'll compare the two across eight criteria and show the numbers for four typical products.

#Eight criteria side by side

See the full tables in Mercado Livre fees in 2026 and Shopee fees in 2026.

#The numbers for four products

With 6% tax, R$ 0,60 packaging, and, on Mercado Livre, a Classic listing with 12% commission and a green reputation:

#Where each one tends to win

Shopee tends to win with:

• heavy or bulky products at any price;
• products priced between R$ 20 and R$ 79,99, below the R$ 80 threshold;
• stores that don't have much room to cover Mercado Livre's free shipping.

Mercado Livre tends to win with:

• lightweight products priced between R$ 80 and R$ 150, where Shopee's fixed fee (R$ 16 to R$ 20) adds up;
• higher-priced, lightweight products, where the 12% to 14% commission is lower than Shopee's 14% plus R$ 20 or R$ 26;
• categories with lower commission rates on Classic.

It's a tie for lightweight products priced from R$ 30 to R$ 79,99. There, conversion and competition on each channel make the difference.

#Each platform's price thresholds

Both have price thresholds where charging a little more can leave you with less:

• Mercado Livre: from R$ 78,99 to R$ 79, the shipping cost moves into a new tier. For a package weighing up to 1 kg, it goes up by about R$ 5 to R$ 6.
• Shopee: the fixed fee increases at R$ 80, R$ 100, and R$ 200. At R$ 80, you receive R$ 6,69 less than at R$ 79,99.

That's why using the same price on both channels is almost never the best choice. A product priced at R$ 82 falls into a dead zone on Shopee and a high shipping-cost tier on Mercado Livre at the same time. I break down the thresholds in Shopee's three price thresholds and Free shipping on Mercado Livre: who pays?.

In practice. A home and decor store sold on both channels at the same price for every product. After breaking it down by product, heavy items (vases, large organizers) had 8 to 12 more margin points on Shopee, while lightweight items over R$ 90 (small wall art, lamps) had 4 to 7 more points on Mercado Livre. The store started setting different prices for each channel and running ads for each product on the channel where it had a higher margin. Total revenue changed little; profit went up 22%.

#The practical answer: both, product by product

1. Calculate each product's margin on both channels, using its actual weight and category commission.
2. Set a price for each channel to reach your target margin while avoiding each platform's price thresholds.
3. Direct paid ads to the channel where the product has a higher margin.
4. Review every month: commissions, costs, and campaigns change.

If you sell on only one of the two and want to know whether it's worth adding the other, start with the products where the numbers favor the new channel. If you're thinking of starting on Shopee, find out more in Is it worth selling on Shopee?.

#Both channels on one screen

Calculating this product by product across both channels is exactly the kind of work a spreadsheet can't handle. Milewa connects Mercado Livre and Shopee and shows each product's real margin on each channel, including the commission, shipping cost or fixed fee charged, your cost, tax, and Ads. You can compare where each product makes more money and adjust prices and ads for each channel.