Service fee experiment
Learn more about the service fee experiment and why you might see a fee when you buy something on Trade Me.
Learn more about the service fee experiment and why you might see a fee when you buy something on Trade Me.
Why we’re doing this experiment
We're testing a small service fee for some buyers. The experiment will run from 28 September 2025 to 11 October 2025.
We’re running this experiment at the same time as a no success fee promotion for casual sellers. This helps us learn how both buyers and sellers feel about a new model.
Who’s in the experiment
We've randomly chosen a small group of members to be part of the experiment. If you're in the group, you'll see a small fee when you make a purchase in Home & Living and Clothing & Fashion categories. The fee does not apply to listings from professional sellers.
As part of the experiment, sellers must include Ping on their listings. They can also add cash or Afterpay as other payment options.
What the service fee covers
The service fee helps us cover the costs of developing our technical infrastructure and providing customer support, which keeps Trade Me secure and reliable for everyone.
How much is the service fee?
The service fee depends on the price of the item you buy (not including shipping). The fee is paid to Trade Me and will show up on the buyer’s account statement.
Give us feedback
We want to know what you think. While we can't reply to everyone, our team reads all your comments to understand what's important to you.
To share your thoughts, select Tell us what you think at the bottom of our website.
To give us feedback from the iOS app:
1. Go to My Trade Me.
2. Select Profile & Account.
3. Select About Trade Me for iOS.
4. Select App feedback then submit your feedback.
5. Your feedback will go to our teams to review and take on board for future changes.
To give us feedback from the android app:
1. Go to My Trade Me.
2. Select Profile & Account.
3. Select About Trade Me for Android.
4. Select App feedback then submit your feedback.
5. This will go to our teams to review, and take on board for future changes.