Commission Management

1. Commission rule model & scopes

Model commissions in a way that matches real marketplace logic.

Each commission rule has a reference type that defines where it applies, for example:

• site - default commission applied to all products in the marketplace; acts as a fallback.
  
  
• product_type - commission for products of a specific type (e.g., “subscription”, “physical goods”, “services”).
  
  
• product_category - commission for products in a given category or vertical.
  
  
• seller+product_category - commission for a specific seller selling products from a specific category.
  
  
• seller+product_type - commission for a specific seller selling a specific product type.
  
  
• seller - commission applied to all products sold by a given seller.
  
  

This structure lets you start from a simple site-wide commission and then add more precise rules where you need them.

‍

2. Commission types: percentage & flat fee

Support different commercial models without workarounds:

• Percentage-based commissions
  
  • Take a percentage of the item value (e.g., 10% marketplace fee).
    
    
  • Optionally include or exclude shipping and tax from the calculation base.
    
    
• Flat-fee commissions
  
  • Charge a fixed amount per item or per line (e.g., €1 per item sold).
    
    
• Hybrid models
  
  • Combine percentage and flat fees for more advanced pricing schemes (e.g., 5% + €0.50 per item).
    
    

You define the structure in rules; Mercur handles the calculation at checkout.

‍

3. Shipping & tax inclusion

Control what the commission is calculated on:

• Decide whether shipping costs are part of the commission base.
  
  
• Decide whether taxes should be included or excluded in the commission calculation.
  
  
• Configure this per rule so some segments can have commission on item price only, while others include shipping or tax.
  
  

This keeps your financial model aligned with contracts and regulations, especially in cross-border scenarios.

4. Rule hierarchy & automatic application

Let the engine pick the most relevant rule for each transaction:

• When an order is placed, Mercur checks all applicable rules for each order item line.
  
  
• The engine picks the most specific matching rule (e.g., seller+product_category takes precedence over a generic site rule).
  
  
• If no specific rule matches, the site-level default is applied.
  
  
• The calculated commission is stored as a commission line linked to the order line, including currency and amount.
  
  

This ensures predictable, transparent behavior even when you have many overlapping rules.

‍

5. Seller transparency in the vendor UI

Build trust by making commissions visible and predictable for sellers:

• Show commission configuration to vendors in their dashboard, so they understand applicable fees before listing products.
  
  
• Display expected commissions when they edit products or categories, based on the rules that will apply.
  
  
• Provide commission details on each order in the seller’s view, so there is no ambiguity about platform earnings vs seller earnings.
  
  

Clear communication significantly reduces support load and disputes around payouts.

‍

6. Commission recording & reporting hooks

Treat commissions as first-class financial data:

• Each commission calculation creates a commission line linked to an order item.
  
  
• Commission lines store information, such as the rule used, currency, and value.
  
  
• This structure provides a clean base for:
  
  
  • Settlement & payouts - calculating how much each seller should receive net of commissions.
    
    
  • Revenue reporting - understanding operator revenue per seller, category, or rule type.
    
    
  • Analytics & optimization - testing different commission structures on specific segments.
    
    

Mercur doesn’t lock you into a specific payout provider; it gives you the structured data you need to integrate with your finance stack.