In short
A higher price on Argos does not mean more income. Commission is charged on the price including VAT and delivery, you pay for delivery yourself, and some Argos sales are sales you would have made on Amazon anyway.
The cost lines, side by side
| Cost | Amazon (FBA) | Argos |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplace fee | Referral fee, a percentage set by category, with a minimum per item | Commission, a rate set by category, charged on the price including VAT and delivery, with a minimum per item |
| Payment fee | None separate | None separate |
| Delivery | FBA fulfilment fee per unit | MCF fee per order from your FBA stock (Trestle's labelled assumption), or your 3PL cost |
| Storage | FBA storage fees | FBA storage (with MCF), or inside your 3PL cost |
| Returns | Handled by Amazon; the fulfilment fee is not refunded | Handled by you; you pay the return handling |
| Advertising | Your ad spend share (TACoS) | Your ad spend share on Argos, if you advertise there |
| Store costs | Your selling plan | Any subscription in your agreement |
Trestle assumes Argos orders go through Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment and labels it as an assumption; enter your 3PL cost per unit and it uses that instead. Check Argos's current terms on packaging and carriers. More on the Argos side in Argos fees explained.
Same product, same steps
Trestle takes each product down the same lines on both marketplaces:
- Net Sales sales after refunds and VAT
- Product Gross Margin after product cost
- Marketplace Contribution 1 after marketplace fees, delivery and storage
- Marketplace Contribution 2 after advertising and returns
Putting the two columns side by side shows where each sale is won or lost.
Sales that only move
If a shopper buys on Argos who would have bought from you on Amazon, you have not gained a sale. You have swapped one marketplace's costs for the other's. Trestle takes moved sales off, so the extra monthly income it shows is genuinely new, and shows the share of moved sales at which listing on Argos stops paying.
See each product's Amazon and Argos figures side by side, from your own reports.
Start with your Amazon reportQuestions
Is it cheaper to sell on Argos or Amazon?
It depends on the product. On Argos you pay for delivery yourself (through MCF or a 3PL, for example), and its commission is charged on the price including VAT and delivery. Compare each product line by line.
Does selling on Argos take sales from Amazon?
Some, yes. A share of Argos buyers would have bought from you on Amazon. Only the sales that are genuinely new add income.
Do I need different prices on Argos?
Not necessarily. Work out what each sale leaves you on each marketplace first, then decide.