Also called processing fee, platform fee
A transaction fee is the amount a platform or processor keeps from each sale, quoted as a percentage, a fixed amount, or both.
Two distinct fees are often confused. The payment processor's fee pays for moving money and is unavoidable; the platform's fee is a commission the tool charges on top for hosting the sale. A tool advertising "no monthly cost" frequently charges the second, and on any real volume that costs far more than a subscription.
Fixed components dominate small baskets. A fee of 1.4% plus €0.25 is 3.9% on a €10 sale and 1.7% on a €50 one, which is a strong argument for bundling cheap products rather than selling them individually.
Cross-border and currency conversion surcharges are the fees most often missed when comparing providers.
In practice
On €2,000 of monthly sales, a 5% platform commission costs €100 — more than most flat subscriptions covering the same features.
Common mistake
Comparing tools on subscription price alone. The commission is invisible at zero revenue and dominant at real revenue.
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