Marketplace vs. Your Own E-Commerce Website: The Control Your Business Deserves

Operating on Shopee comes with challenges that many merchants face daily:

1. Unreasonable Chat Reply Requirements – Shopee requires merchants to respond to 85% of chat messages within a short time frame—even to irrelevant or frivolous inquiries. This can be a major drain on resources and focus
2. Rigid Shipping Deadlines – You must ship or mark orders as SHIPPED within a day, leaving little room for flexibility and increasing the chances of mistakes.
3. Skyrocketing Commissions – Marketplace commissions are constantly increasing, cutting deeper into your margins with every sale.
4. Costly Advertising – Competing for banner space or visibility on Shopee can cost up to $15,000 per month, making it an expensive way to stand out.
5. Forced Participation in Sales – Shopee’s constant sales promotions often require merchants to bear part of the cost, leaving you with razor-thin margins—or even losses.
6. Lost Customer Ownership – Building funnels to capture customer contacts is painstakingly difficult on Shopee, leaving you vulnerable if you ever decide to leave the platform.
7. Poor Backend Experience – Shopee’s backend system is far from user-friendly. Once you mark an item as SHIPPED, it moves to a different section, making it easy to forget to send the order.
8. Limited Customization – You’re restricted to Shopee’s preset categories and shipping options, preventing you from tailoring your store to your brand or customers’ needs.
9. Strict Shipping Rules – Shipping options are tied to specific categories, which may not align with your business processes.

These challenges aren’t unique to Shopee—other marketplaces like TikTok and Lazada present similar issues.

As a merchant, you must ask yourself: Do you want full control of your business, or do you want to remain at the mercy of a marketplace?

Here’s why building your own branded website is the better choice:

1. Complete Control – With your own website, you decide how your store looks, functions, and engages with customers. Create custom categories, set your own shipping options, and maintain direct relationships with your customers.
2. Higher Profit Margins – Say goodbye to skyrocketing commissions and sales deductions. With your own platform, you keep more of what you earn.
3. Enhanced Brand Identity – A custom-designed website reflects your brand’s uniqueness, helping you stand out in the competitive e-commerce landscape.
4. Better Customer Retention – Capture customer data directly and build a loyal customer base that you can engage with through email, social media, or SMS campaigns.
5. Scalable and Flexible – Unlike rigid marketplaces, your website grows with your business, allowing you to integrate advanced features like AI recommendations, loyalty programs, and more.