Your own online store vs. third-party marketplaces: why the commissions matter

Third-party marketplaces and delivery apps solved a real problem: they put your business in front of people scrolling for something to order, and they handle the logistics. For a lot of owners, that first burst of orders felt like magic. Then the monthly statement arrived.

The uncomfortable part isn't that these platforms charge — everyone has to make money. It's how much they charge, and what you quietly give up on top of the fee. This isn't a case for quitting them cold. It's a case for understanding the deal well enough to use them on your terms instead of theirs.

The commission is bigger than it looks

The headline problem is the cut. Marketplaces and delivery apps typically take a double-digit commission on every order — a big slice of a bill that already has thin margins baked in. On a plate of food or a small retail order, that commission can be the difference between a healthy profit and barely breaking even.

Two things make it sting more than a one-time cost would:

• It's charged on every single order, forever. Unlike a fixed monthly tool, the more you sell, the more you pay — the fee scales up exactly with your success.
• It's a cut of the whole ticket, not your profit. The platform takes its percentage off the top, before your ingredients, rent, and labor come out. Your margin absorbs all of it.

Exact rates vary by platform and plan, and there can be extra fees layered on for promotion or processing — so always check the current fee schedule rather than trusting a number you saw quoted somewhere.

You don't own the customer

The fee is the part people notice. The part they miss is that on a marketplace, the customer isn't yours — it's the platform's. You often don't get their contact information, you can't message them directly, and the app is free to show a competitor's listing right next to yours or bury you if you don't pay to be seen.

So even after you've paid a big commission to win an order, you usually have to pay again to reach that same person next time. You're renting access to your own customers, one order at a time.

What your own store gives you

Your own online ordering page flips the arrangement. You keep far more of each sale, you own the customer relationship, and the page works the way you want it to. Concretely, running your own storefront means:

• You keep more of every order instead of handing over a double-digit cut.
• You keep the customer — their history, and the ability to bring them back with reminders, offers, gift cards, and loyalty.
• You control the experience — your menu, your prices, your branding, no competitor ads sitting next to your name.
• You take every payment type, from cards to scan-to-pay options like Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and PayPal, and it all lands in one place.

The smart approach: use both, on purpose

Here's the honest middle. Marketplaces are genuinely good at discovery — getting you in front of people who've never heard of your shop. That reach is worth paying for sometimes. What you don't want is to pay a discovery fee on a regular who already loves you.

So use the marketplace as a billboard, and your own store as the register. Let the app introduce new customers, then steer the ones who come back to your own ordering page — a card in the bag, a sign at the counter, a link in your texts. Every repeat order that moves off the marketplace and onto your own store is money that stays in your pocket, here in Blount County instead of at a corporate headquarters far away.

Side-by-side

Frequently asked questions

Owning your storefront is one of the most direct ways to keep more of what you earn — and it pairs naturally with payments, messaging, and a simple website that all talk to each other. That's the side we build for. See our other guides to go deeper on any piece.