Marketplace Fees
Marketplace Fees allow organisers to apply commissions and payment-method fees to vendor sales made through Marketplace stations. These fees determine how much of each transaction goes to the organiser and how much becomes the vendor’s net proceeds. When fees are configured on a Marketplace station, Glownet applies them automatically at the point of sale, and the resulting deductions appear in Marketplace analytics and vendor settlement exports.
This guide explains:
- Where Marketplace fees are configured
- The types of fees applicable to transactions
- How gross and net percentages work
- How payment-method fees work
- How minimum and maximum fee caps are used
- Fee-calculation steps
- Examples
Marketplace fees are essential for any event applying revenue share, commissions, PSP cost recovery, or payment-method alignment.
1. Marketplace Fees Configuration
Marketplace fees are configured for each individual Vendor or Bar station.
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Edit your vendor or bar station.
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Click on “Fees” to create or edit marketplace fees.
2. Fee Categories
Marketplace supports four main fee categories which can be used in combination or isolation:
- Fixed Marketplace Fees (per-transaction)
- Variable Marketplace Fees (percentage-based) applied on Gross or Net amounts, Credits AND/OR Virtual Credits
- Minimum/Maximum Marketplace Fee Caps
- Payment Fees (Transactional) applied to Softpos, Cash, Card, or Cashless transactionss
2.1 Fixed, Minimum and Maximum Marketplace Fees
2.1.1 Fixed Marketplace Fees
Fixed fees apply a flat amount per transaction irrespective of the transaction value.
Example:
- Fixed Marketplace Fee = $1.00
- A $5 sale: Marketplace fee = $1
- A $50 sale: Marketplace fee = $1
2.1.2 Minimum Marketplace Fees
The minimum marketplace fee applied on every sale, regardless of value.
If the total Fixed + Variable marketplace fees are less than the Minimum Marketplace fee, the Minimum fee is applied instead.
Example:
- Minimum Marketplace Fee = $0.50
- Calculated Markeplace Fee = $0.28
- Vendor is charged $0.50
2.1.3 Maximum Marketplace Fees
The maximum marketplace fee applied on every sale, regardless of value.
If the total Fixed + Variable marketplace fees are more than the Maximum Marketplace fee, the Maximum fee is applied instead.
Example:
- Maximum Marketplace Fee = $3.00
- Calculated Marketplace Fee = $4.40
- Vendor is charged $3.00
2.2 Variable Marketplace Fees
Variable fees apply a percentage deduction based on either:
- Gross sale value (tax-inclusive)
- Net sale value (after deducting taxes and discounts)
Variable fees can be applied to Credits, Virtual Credits, or both.
2.2.1 Variable Marketplace Fee on Gross (%)
Percentage applied to the full tax-inclusive sale value.
Example:
- Gross Amount = $10.00
- Variable Marketplace Fee (20% of Gross) = $2.00
2.2.2 Variable Marketplace Fee on Net (%)
Percentage applied to the net sale value, after removing applicable deductions such as:
- Taxes
- Discounts
If set to 20%, Glownet applies 20% to the amount remaining after deductions (e.g., tax, payment-method adjustments, discounts, or other applied fees).
Tax Extraction for Net Fees
All product prices are tax inclusive. Glownet derives the net amount after removing discounts and taxes:
(Net Amount = Gross / (1 + TaxRate))
Example:
- Gross Amount = $10.00
- Tax = 7.8%
- Net Amount = $10 / 1.078 = $9.27
- Variable Marketplace Fee (20% net amount) = $1.85
This ensures fees are not applied on tax or discounts.
2.2.3 Variable Marketplace Fee virtual credits
Virtual Credits are promotional Credits or credits offered by customer service to be spent by customers:
- They have a 1-1 exchange rates with the main event currency
- No taxes are applied to purchases done with Virtual credits.
For events using virtual credits, Marketplace fees can be applied similarly to fees on standard credits.
- Variable Marketplace Fees on Gross applies to the full credit value
- Variable Marketplace Fees on Gross applies to the credit value net of discounts
Charging fees on the use of Virtual credit must reflect the agreement between the event Organiser and Vendor.
Leave these as 0% if not using virtual credits or 100% if they are not to be paid out.
2.3 Payment Method Fees
Payment method fees are calculated separately and independently from Marketplace fees and allow to account for any additional costs associated with specific payment methods (e.g., card processing fees).
Payment method fees can be set on :
- SoftPOS transactions
- Cash transactions
- Card transactions (external terminal)
- Cashless transactions (Wallet Balances, RFID, NFC, eTags)
Payment method fees are always calculated as a percentage of the full payment amount of the transaction, regardless of taxes or discounts.
Example:
- SoftPOS Payment Fee = 1.20%
- $10 sale → $0.12 fee
3. Fee Calculation Steps
Glownet applies Marketplace fees in the following sequence for every transaction:
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Identify payment currency and method (Cash / Card / SoftPOS / Cashless / Virtual Credits)
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Apply Fixed Marketplace Fee (Flat per-transaction fee)
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Calculate Variable Marketplace Fees on credit and/or virtual credit portion of the transaction (% on Gross and/or Net)
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Apply Minimum of Maximum Marketplace Fee Caps when Fixed + Variable Marketplace fees is not within their range (if configured)
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Calculate Payment-method fees based on payment method used
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Calculate Vendor Net proceeds
Vendor Net Proceeds = Gross Sale – Cash Sales - Discounts - Marketplace Fees - Payment Fees
These results can be viewed directly in the station’s Marketplace Tab.
3. Examples
3.1 No Fees
A $10 sale will result in the following statement:
| Statement | Cashflow |
|---|---|
| Sale | $10.00 |
| Marketplace Fee | $0.00 |
| Payment Method Fee | $0.00 |
| Vendor Net Proceeds | $10.00 |
3.2 20% on Gross + 1.20% SoftPOS Fee
| Configuration | Fee |
|---|---|
| Variable Fee on Gross Credits | 20% |
| Payment Method Fee (SoftPOS) | 1.2% |
A $10 SoftPos sale will result in the following statement:
| Statement | Cashflow |
|---|---|
| Sale | $10.00 |
| Marketplace Fee | -$2.00 |
| Payment Method Fee | -$0.12 |
| Vendor Net Proceeds | $7.88 |
A $10 Cash sale will result in the following statement, taking into account that the $10.00 in cash were paid directly to the vendor and the fee on this sale is due to the marketplace owner.
| Statement | Cashflow |
|---|---|
| Sale | $10.00 |
| Cash Sale | -$10.00 |
| Marketplace Fee | -$2.00 |
| Vendor Net Proceeds | -$2.00 |