Short answer: neither is always better. Marketplaces bring new buyers but take fees on every order, and the buyers belong to the platform. Selling in LINE chat has no per-order fee and the buyers are yours, but you find them yourself. Many shops do both: find new buyers on a marketplace, look after regulars in chat.

Fees per order (a real example)

Women's clothing, ฿590 plus ฿40 shipping, an ordinary shop (VAT-inclusive rates checked 2026-10-26):

  • Shopee: about ฿172.80 per order (including the PRIME programme (optional))
  • Lazada: about ฿171.73 per order (including the Premium Package (optional))
  • TikTok Shop: about ฿138.11 per order (including the Commerce Growth Fee (required))
  • LINE chat + PromptPay: nothing per order; the buyer pays straight into your account. Fixed monthly costs, like a LINE OA plan and a back-office tool.

Try your own price and category in the free marketplace fee calculator. Rates change often; check with the platform before deciding.

A marketplace fits when

  • You don't have regular buyers yet and need lots of people to see your products
  • Your buyers want the platform's guarantee

Selling in chat fits when

  • Buyers already come back and order in your chat
  • You want the money in your account now, not on a payout cycle
  • You'd rather keep the per-order fee as profit, and keep your buyers' history yourself

Watch out: each platform has rules about steering buyers off it. Always check the platform's rules first.

Where Nava fits

Nava makes selling in LINE chat as easy as a marketplace: AI drafts orders from chat, an exact-amount PromptPay QR, slips checked with the bank, tracking sent to the buyer, for a flat monthly price with no cut of sales. Nava doesn't sync orders or stock with marketplaces. See the full Nava vs marketplaces comparison.

Close orders from LINE chat · no cut of your sales

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