New Regulations: Marketplaces Prohibited from Arbitrarily Increasing Service Fees

JAKARTA — The Minister of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Maman Abdurrahman, has stated that marketplace platforms are no longer permitted to increase service fees or commissions arbitrarily. This prohibition is stipulated in the Ministerial Regulation (Permen) on MSME Protection and Competitiveness Enhancement, which is currently in the process of being enacted.

“Marketplaces must not raise prices at their own discretion,” Maman said when met at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday (18/05/2026). He noted that the service fees imposed by marketplace platforms on sellers must strictly adhere to their contracts.

Maman explained that small business owners typically prepare annual cash flow projections that include production costs and other expenditures. “If prices suddenly rise before a year has passed, it will undoubtedly disrupt the cash flow of our sellers,” he remarked.

Consequently, the government will require marketplaces to maintain contracts with sellers for a one-year duration, specifying agreed-upon service fees. He emphasised that while these contracts will fix service fees, they will not regulate promotional rates, as those remain subject to the marketplace’s policy and the seller’s decision. “So, for that one year, the price is set at this level or that level. As for promotional costs, that remains situational and depends on requests,” Maman added.

Furthermore, the regulation mandates that any marketplace intending to increase or alter service fees must provide a minimum of three months’ notice before the new rates take effect. This is intended to allow micro and small enterprises sufficient time to prepare, preventing the sudden financial burden of unexpected fee hikes.

In addition, the regulation requires marketplaces to provide a 50 per cent discount on service fees for sellers classified as micro or small enterprises that produce their goods domestically. The classification of these sellers will be determined based on the ‘Sapa UMKM’ database, which will be integrated with marketplace systems.

“Why are we providing incentives? They must be distinguished. Micro and small enterprises are different from medium and large enterprises. They cannot be left to compete in a ‘free fight’ environment,” Maman said. The Golkar Party politician added that the regulation has been discussed with relevant ministries and marketplace management, noting that, “In principle, everyone is in agreement.”