Buyer platform fee

Some marketplaces, where you hire freelancers or buy services from independent sellers, add their own charge to the buyer's side of each order. It is separate from the seller's price. For example, you might see a service listed at one amount, and the checkout then adds a service charge that goes to the marketplace. The fee can be a percentage of the order, a fixed amount, or a mix of both.

The listed price is not always what you pay. If you hire through a marketplace regularly, a fee on every order adds up and should be part of any comparison with hiring directly. It matters most for repeat work and larger projects. It matters less for a single small purchase, where the convenience of payment protection and a ready pool of sellers may be worth it. Fees paid by sellers are a different matter, and sellers often reflect them in their prices.

• Is the fee shown before checkout, or only on the final payment screen?
• Does it change with order size, and is there a minimum charge?
• Does the fee apply again to extra work or revisions added to an existing order?
• What does the fee cover, such as payment protection or dispute handling?