E-Commerce Admin Costs Increase, Here's idEA's Explanation

The Indonesian E-Commerce Association (idEA) has spoken out on the issue of sellers exiting e-commerce platforms due to rising administrative costs. idEA General Chairman Hilmi Adrianto stated that changes to the service fee structure are part of the process towards a more sustainable e-commerce ecosystem. “In recent years, the growth of this industry has been largely supported by subsidies. However, moving forward, there needs to be a balance between growth and sustainability, for both platforms and sellers,” Hilmi said when contacted by Republika in Jakarta on Monday (11/5/2026). As an enabler, Hilmi said, e-commerce platforms continue to invest in technology, logistics, payments, and consumer protection. He conveyed that all these services incur significant operational costs, making business model adjustments part of efforts to maintain service sustainability. “idEA understands that policy changes can impact business actors, and we listen to every input provided,” Hilmi stated. Hilmi conveyed that idEA believes transparency and balance are key to keeping platforms healthy and giving sellers choices and space to grow and compete. He is confident that Indonesia’s e-commerce ecosystem needs to be built on principles of sustainability, healthy competition, and future collaboration. “So that it can become the foundation of a digital economy capable of providing long-term benefits to stakeholders,” Hilmi said.