Trendyol vs eMAG: Commission, Profit and Comparison for the Romanian Seller (2026)

The most asked question in Romanian e-commerce is this: eMAG or Trendyol? The honest answer is “both” — but to actually profit on each you have to know each platform’s commission model and what it deducts from you. In this article we compare the two marketplaces from the seller’s perspective, no marketing spin.

The short answer: they do different jobs, most sellers use both

eMAG is Romania’s established leader — it has been there for years, and to consumers eMAG = online shopping. Trendyol is the fast-growing player that has visibly expanded its Romanian seller base in recent years. The practical outcome: most serious sellers in Romania run both channels. They chase volume on eMAG and a growing flow plus a different customer base on Trendyol. The question is not “which one should I pick” but “what do I actually keep on each?”

Commission model: two different philosophies

The critical difference is not the rate, it is the structure of the model:

• eMAG — two layers. It typically applies a sale commission (which varies by category) plus an additional eMAG services fee. Some items are per-order, some are monthly. So a single “X%” rate is not the whole story — you must factor in the second layer.
• Trendyol — a category commission, single layer. On Trendyol the core deduction is a category commission applied to the VAT-inclusive sale price the customer pays; no separate services-fee VAT is added on top. The commission invoice breaks down into net + VAT, but the total deduction is that single figure. This makes the “rate = result” calculation a single step on Trendyol.

Exact rates differ per seller: agreement tier, category, campaign participation and contract period all move the number in your panel. The above are model differences, not rate promises. On whichever marketplace you sell, verify the exact commission that applies to you in your own seller panel.

Net profit: the commission race is only the start

Most comparisons end at “whose commission is lower” — but commission is only one part of what leaves your pocket. The real net line items:

• Commission (the model difference above),
• Shipping / delivery share — on a low-priced item this can be larger than commission,
• Service / transaction fees — especially eMAG’s second layer,
• VAT accounting — is VAT added separately to the commission or already included,
• Return cost — return rates vary wildly by category,
• Advertising — what you spend to be visible,
• Product cost (COGS).

When you sell the same product on both, one may win on commission while losing on shipping or returns. The only fair comparison is the net margin left after all of these. Tracking that by hand, order by order, is not sustainable — it slips through the cracks across hundreds of orders.

How to measure what you actually keep on each

Verimle breaks down commission, shipping, service fee, VAT and returns on a single sale and shows you what actually lands in your pocket per channel. To compare two marketplaces, enter each product’s landed cost (cost + freight + customs) and each channel’s panel commission; the tool lays out net profit side by side. The calculation method matches Trendyol’s VAT-inclusive commission model and uses the verified formula from the commission-and-VAT guide.

Start free and compare the real net profit of both channels:

• Trendyol real-profit calculator
• Trendyol commission rates guide

A multi-channel strategy: one panel, two marketplaces

Locking yourself to a single channel in Romania is risky: the algorithm changes, a category’s return rate rises, you lose the Buybox on one marketplace. A seller running both channels offsets a dip on one with the other. But two separate dashboards, two reconciliations, two profit calculations = you lose control fast. Verimle keeps both channels in one panel, in RON: see the net of every sale, protect your margin, compare two payouts in one reconciliation.

Summary

The eMAG-or-Trendyol question is too multi-dimensional to reduce to a commission rate. Without the model difference (single layer or two), the impact of shipping and returns on net, and the real landed cost, you cannot say “which is more profitable.” The right approach: sell on both, but measure the real net of every sale. Verimle does that in RON, in a single panel.