Online sellers voice concerns over platforms

Thailand's online sellers are raising serious concerns about e-commerce platform practices, following a meeting between the Thai E-Commerce Association and the Trade Competition Commission of Thailand (TCCT) held on Tuesday, 5 August 2026.

The TCCT has since opened a formal complaint channel for affected sellers to submit their cases, according to Worawut Saibua, a committee member of the Thai E-Commerce Association. The names of the large platforms involved were not disclosed.

Among the key issues raised, sellers highlighted that commission fees charged by platforms can increase at any time without any maximum cap. This unpredictability is particularly problematic because sellers typically prepare inventory three to twelve months in advance, meaning sudden fee changes can significantly compress their business margins.

A second major concern involves a loophole in affiliate marketing programmes. On these platforms, content creators promote products via purchase links, earning a commission on resulting sales. Sellers also allocate advertising budgets directly to platforms, which then direct that spend toward creators generating the most orders. The problem arises when anonymous parties use bots to place fake orders through affiliate links. Sellers are required to pack and ship products to provided addresses, only for the parcels to be rejected upon delivery. The result is that sellers absorb labour, delivery and commission costs, while portions of their advertising budgets may still be funnelled to affiliated accounts that generated no legitimate sales.

Sellers have also reported problems with return parcels, which in some cases are lost or returned with cheaper products substituted in place of the originals.

For business owners operating in Thailand's growing digital marketplace, these developments are a reminder of how important it is to understand the legal and contractual frameworks governing your platform relationships before disputes arise.

At SLF Legal in Koh Samui, we advise expats, investors and business owners across Thailand on commercial and business law matters. If you have questions about your rights as a seller or business operator in Thailand, we are here to help.