| Return reason | Return ship | Product refund | Commission | Gateway fee | Fault |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wrong item sent | Vendor 100% | Full to buyer | Reversed | Lost forever | Vendor |
| Fake / counterfeit item | Vendor 100% | Full to buyer | Reversed | Lost forever | Vendor + ban |
| Vendor sent damaged item | Vendor 100% | Full to buyer | Reversed | Lost forever | Vendor |
| Expired / near-expiry product | Vendor 100% | Full to buyer | Reversed | Lost forever | Vendor |
| COD refused at door | Buyer 100% | N/A — unpaid | Not charged | N/A | Buyer + fraud flag |
| Buyer changed mind (online) | Buyer 100% | Product only | Reversed | Lost forever | Buyer |
| Item not as described (disputed) | 50% vendor · 50% Zenska | Full to buyer | Reversed | Lost forever | Shared |
| J&T lost package in transit | J&T claim | J&T pays declared | Reversed | Lost forever | J&T (valuation covers) |
| J&T damaged in transit | J&T claim | J&T partial pay | Reversed | Lost forever | J&T |
| Fee | Rate | Who pays | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zenska commission (discounted) | 4% + 2% = 6% | Vendor | First 6 months | Deducted from settlement. Acquisition incentive. |
| Zenska commission (standard) | 8% | Vendor | After 6 months | Still 11–19% cheaper than Shopee Dec 2025 |
| J&T base rate (VIP card) | ₱85–₱2,825 | 50% buyer + 50% vendor | Per shipment | Buyer pays at checkout. Vendor deducted from settlement. |
| J&T valuation fee | 1% of item value | 50/50 included in calc | Per shipment | Cargo insurance — file claim on loss |
| J&T VAT | 12% on (base+valuation) | 50/50 included in calc | Per shipment | Philippine mandatory tax on logistics |
| J&T COD collection fee | 2.75% of COD amount | 50/50 included in calc | COD orders only | Biggest cost difference vs online payment |
| PayMongo GCash | 2.23% | Zenska (passed to settlement) | GCash orders | Deducted from vendor settlement after commission |
| PayMongo cards | 3.125% + ₱13.39 | Zenska (passed to settlement) | Card orders | Fixed component hurts small orders |
| PayMongo COD | ₱0 | Nobody | COD orders | No gateway fee but J&T COD fee applies |
| Payout transfer fee | ₱10 flat | Zenska absorbs | Per payout cycle | Never shown to vendor |
| Return shipping (vendor fault) | Actual J&T cost | Vendor 100% | On return | Deducted from security deposit if needed |
| PayMongo fee on returns | Whatever was charged | Nobody recovers it | On return | Industry-standard permanent loss. Written in ToS. |
| Vendor security deposit | ₱1,000–₱2,000 | Vendor at onboarding | One-time | Returned on good-standing store closure |
| Shopee behaviour | Zenska decision | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-seller single checkout | ADOPT — always | 73% cart abandonment if you don't. Non-negotiable UX. |
| Per-seller shipping fee shown | ADOPT — transparent | Shopee shows per-seller subtotals. Buyers understand it. |
| Online payment incentive vs COD | ADOPT — show savings | "Save ₱26 with GCash" at checkout converts buyers and saves J&T COD fee. |
| Free shipping subsidy from day 1 | AVOID — too early | Shopee loses 0.6% EBITDA at $32B GMV. At Zenska's volume, each subsidized order is a real peso loss. |
| Seller pays Free Shipping program fee | PHASE 3 ONLY | Only viable when you have 1,000+ orders/month and bulk courier rates. Introduce as optional program. |
| In-house logistics (Shopee Xpress) | NEVER at this stage | Requires enormous capital investment. Use J&T VIP rates and negotiate better as you grow. |