Selling on Bol.com: fine, as long as you also have your own channel

Last updated: September 18, 2026

What does selling on Bol.com cost?

You only pay Bol once you actually sell something: a fixed amount per item plus a percentage of the sale price. That percentage depends on the product category. Listing items costs nothing. The biggest cost doesn't show up in any fee table: if Bol is your only channel, your entire revenue is rented from one platform.

How Bol calculates its commission

The commission has two parts: a fixed amount per item sold, plus a percentage of the sale price including VAT. Both depend on what you're selling.

Bol's own partner platform gives a kitchenware example: the variable commission there runs between 5% and 12.5%, with the fixed part between €0 and €0.85 per item. For a €206.50 pasta maker in that example, Bol charges 6% plus €0.85, totaling €13.24 excluding VAT.

Other categories carry different percentages, and Bol adjusts these rates from time to time. Always check the current rate for your category on the partner platform before you run your margins. Blog posts with commission tables tend to be out of date.

What else it costs you

Commission isn't the only cost. You arrange and pay for shipping yourself, or you outsource fulfillment to Bol and pay per item for that. Returns land on you too: the item comes back, you're out the shipping cost, and with clothing and shoes that happens often.

Count your own hours as well. Writing content, tracking inventory, answering customer questions within Bol's required timeframes, adjusting prices when a competitor undercuts you. Run the numbers honestly and a €25 item can leave surprisingly little on the table.

The real risk: Bol isn't your store

On Bol, you're selling in someone else's store. Bol sets the rules: the commission, who wins the buy box, whether your account stays open. If those rules change, your business model changes with them, and you don't get a say.

On top of that, the customer who buys your product is Bol's customer. You only receive the details needed to fulfill the order. You can't email that buyer with an offer, and you can't win them back if they land with a competitor in the same buy box next time.

This isn't unique to Bol, either. The guide on selling on marketplaces covers how the same pattern plays out on Amazon, Etsy, and Marktplaats: the platform brings the customers, and keeps them.

Why a channel of your own pays off

A website of your own alongside your Bol sales solves exactly that. On your own site you pay no per-sale commission, you set your own prices, and the customer data is yours. One repeat customer who orders directly twice a year is worth more than ten anonymous Bol orders with commission taken off the top.

Your own site is also your insurance. If your Bol account gets suspended, or the commission in your category doubles, you still have a place where customers can find you and order. The step-by-step version of setting that up without hurting your platform sales is in the guide on having your own website alongside platform sales.

How to run Bol and your own site together

This isn't a choice you have to make. Many sellers use Bol as a discovery engine and their own site as home base. A few things that help:

Use Bol for your bestsellers, and put your full range, bundles, and personal service on your own site
Put your business name and site consistently on your packaging and packing slip, within Bol's rules
Always point to your own site in your brand story and on social media
Compare quarterly what a Bol sale costs you versus a direct sale, and adjust from there

So what does a website like that cost?

Less than most sellers assume, and above all: predictable. With me, it's EUR 1,200 flat, excl. VAT. Hosting included, so no monthly surprises on top. The domain is registered in your own name and costs around 15 euros a year. The site is ready in 2-3 weeks, and you see it before you pay.

Set that next to your average month of Bol commission. For a lot of sellers, a website of their own pays for itself the moment a handful of repeat customers start ordering directly instead of through the platform.

When Bol alone is genuinely enough

In fairness: sometimes a website of your own isn't the priority yet. Testing a small batch to see if there's demand? Bol is a fine sandbox for that. Same if you have just one product with razor-thin margin and zero repeat purchases; a channel of your own doesn't move the needle much.

But once revenue grows and you see the same buyers coming back, the math changes. At that point you're paying Bol commission on customers who would just as happily have bought directly from you. That's the point to build a channel of your own.

Frequently asked questions

Do I pay Bol even if I don't sell anything?

No. Listing items is free; the commission is only charged on an actual sale.

What percentage commission does Bol charge?

It varies by category. For kitchenware, for example, Bol's own figures put the variable part between 5% and 12.5%, plus a small fixed amount per item. Current rates per category are in your seller account and on Bol's partner platform.

Do I get my buyers' details on Bol?

You get what's needed to fulfill the order, but the buyer stays a customer of the platform. You don't build a newsletter list or customer database out of it.

Can I link from my Bol page to my own website?

Bol has rules around linking to external channels. Point to your site from your brand, your packaging, and your social media instead, and stay within Bol's terms.

Isn't a website of my own a lot more expensive than selling through Bol?

In the short term Bol looks cheaper because you only pay per sale. Over the longer term the commission keeps adding up every month, while a website of your own is a one-time cost plus a domain in your own name at around 15 euros a year.

Want a channel of your own alongside your Bol sales?

I build websites for small business owners in and around Haarlem: EUR 1,200 flat, excl. VAT, hosting included, ready in 2-3 weeks. The domain is registered in your own name. And you see it before you pay: you review the site before there's an invoice. The full package is at [[PAKKET-LINK]], or send me a message about what you're selling on Bol right now.

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