Indonesian Marketplaces Must Disclose Fees and Answer Seller Objections Within 14 Working Days
Indonesia's Trade Minister Regulation 19/2026 requires platforms to explain every seller fee in a downloadable agreement and to answer objections to one-sided changes within 14 working days. Here is how to use that right.Indonesia's Trade Minister Regulation (Permendag) 19 of 2026 requires marketplace platforms to explain every fee they charge sellers openly and in plain terms, and to set those fees out in a written agreement or an electronic contract that can be downloaded. According to Fortune Indonesia's summary of 11 June 2026, sellers can also object to one-sided changes or extra fees that were not agreed, and the platform must answer within 14 working days.
The rule matters more now. On 2 November 2026 Databoks, the data desk of publisher Katadata, carried figures from research firm Cube: Shopee's average take rate for non-mall sellers of fast-moving consumer goods rose to 18.55% in the second quarter of 2026, from 7.21% in the third and fourth quarters of 2025. That is one firm's research, not an official tariff, and it covers one category. It does explain why many sellers have begun reading their payout breakdowns more closely.
Four duties on the platform
Fortune Indonesia records these four points from Regulation 19/2026:
- Platforms must explain all fees charged to sellers openly and understandably.
- Fees must be set out in a written agreement or a downloadable electronic contract.
- For every change, the marketplace must notify the seller and obtain the seller's consent.
- Sellers may object to one-sided changes or additional fees that were not agreed, and the platform must respond within 14 working days.
Some things the source does not say: the article numbers, any penalty for a platform that fails to comply, and how far ahead of a change the platform must give notice. So this article promises nothing about the outcome of an objection. What a seller can do is use the available route in an orderly way.
Step 1: download and keep the fee contract
A right to object to fees that were "not agreed" is only useful if you know what was agreed. Most sellers have never saved that document. Our advice:
- In the seller dashboard, find the terms of service, fee policy or seller agreement. Download the version in force today.
- Save it under a file name that includes the download date.
- If your store joins extra programmes such as free shipping or promotion schemes, download each programme's terms too, because their fees are usually set separately.
- Whenever a fee change is announced, save the notice and download the new contract version. Do not overwrite the old one.
- Keep one sheet listing the date, which fee changed, and from what to what.
In six months you will have your own fee history. That is the basis for any conversation with a platform.
Step 2: match it against payout details
The contract says what may be deducted. The payout breakdown shows what was deducted. Once a month, compare the two.
| What to check | The question |
|---|---|
| Type of deduction | Is there a deduction line whose name appears in neither the contract nor the terms of a programme you joined? |
| Percentage | Does the deduction divided by order value equal the written rate? |
| Effective date | Was a new rate deducted before the effective date you were told? |
| Programme | Are you being charged for a programme you never agreed to? |
Pick ten orders at random each month and work through them one by one. If ten match, the rest probably do. If some do not, gather every order showing the same pattern before you write an objection.
Often a difference turns out to have an explanation: the seller joined a programme without reading its fee, or consent was given through a button pressed in a hurry. That is why the contract and programme terms come first. A mistaken objection wastes your own time.
Step 3: write a clear objection
A good objection in a marketplace fee dispute Indonesia sellers might raise is short, specific and backed by evidence. A structure we suggest:
- Store identity: store name and username.
- What is disputed: one sentence. In form: "The deduction under a given name on orders in a given period does not appear in the agreement we downloaded on a given date."
- Evidence: order numbers, dates, order values, deduction amounts and screenshots of the payout breakdown. Attach the relevant contract page.
- Amount in dispute: the rupiah total, with how you calculated it.
- What you ask for: an explanation of the basis for the deduction, or a refund if it has none.
- Reference: state that you are objecting to a fee that was not agreed and ask for an answer within the applicable time limit.
Send it through the platform's official channel, not an informal chat. Keep the ticket number and the date sent. Count 14 working days from that date and set a reminder. If no answer has come by then, follow up citing the same ticket number.
Tone matters. A calm objection full of numbers is easier to process than a long angry complaint.
Before you accept the next change
Since the summary says changes need the seller's consent, treat the "agree" button as a signature:
- Read what changes and from when.
- Work out the effect on your three best sellers.
- Decide whether prices need adjusting before the effective date.
- Save the notice and the new contract version.
What to do this week
- Download the seller agreement and programme terms from each platform.
- Match ten October orders against the contract.
- Start the fee history sheet.
- Decide who on the team checks payout details each month.
If you use Polynusa, its bookkeeping records invoices and payments, so platform deductions can sit on their own expense line and be compared month to month.
Note: this article summarises news reports and is not legal advice. For a dispute of significant value, confirm your steps with a legal consultant or the relevant trade authority.
Sources
- Fortune Indonesia, 11 June 2026: What the latest e-commerce trade regulation contains
- Databoks Katadata, 2 November 2026: Shopee's take rate for FMCG sellers in Indonesia rose in Q2 2026
FAQ
What must marketplaces do about fees under Regulation 19/2026?
According to Fortune Indonesia, platforms must explain all fees charged to sellers openly and in plain terms, and set them out in a written agreement or a downloadable electronic contract.
How long does a platform have to answer a seller's objection?
At most 14 working days, for objections to one-sided changes or extra fees that were not agreed.
Are penalties for platforms stated?
The sources we read do not give article numbers, penalties for platforms or a notice period before fees change.