FAIRE DIRECT VS MARKETPLACE
Faire publishes a 15% marketplace commission. That number is what most “Faire fees” pages stop at. A brand pricing an opening order also pays a one-time new-customer fee (Faire’s North America help article lists $10; outside North America it is an extra 10% on that first order). A retailer you already know can order through your Faire Direct link at 0% commission. Processing still comes out of every Faire payout.
The Faire seller fee calculator runs those three paths — plus an off-Faire invoice — on one wholesale order. The table below is the default example ($20 wholesale × 10 units, $8 cost, $15 shipping both ways, 60-day payout). Replace the numbers on the calculator with your payout summary.
| Path | Commission shape | What changes on the same invoice |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplace first order | 15% + new-customer fee | The expensive introduction. Price wholesale so this path still clears your floor. |
| Marketplace reorder | 15% only | Same retailer, no new-customer fee. This is the repeating Faire path. |
| Faire Direct | 0% commission | You brought the retailer. Processing remains. Use this to price existing accounts you move onto Faire. |
| Own invoice | None unless you charge cards | A comparison only — you keep payment risk and collections. Not a recommendation to leave Faire. |
Payment processing is the other lever. Faire’s public North America article lists 3.5% + $0.30 next day, 2.4% + $0.30 at 30 days, and 1.9% + $0.30 at 60 days. The calculator’s payout-speed table holds the order still and changes only that line. If you expect the same retailer to come back, set expected reorders on the calculator: the first-order fee is then shown amortized across that relationship, next to the same number of Direct or off-Faire invoices.
Independent retailers have a different job: landed cost versus shelf price after opening-order discounts and unsold units. That is the retailer margin calculator. Brands deciding whether a seasonal 0% window still pays after a deeper retailer discount use Open House vs everyday first order.
Faire Direct is Faire's published 0% commission path for retailers you bring to the marketplace with your personalized link. Payment processing still applies. Marketplace orders from retailers who found you on Faire pay the standard commission, and a first marketplace order also includes the one-time new-customer fee.
On the same invoice, Direct has no commission, so net payout is higher before you count the work of finding the retailer yourself. Use the calculator with your own cost and payout speed. This page does not tell you which path to use.
The new-customer fee is one-time. The brand calculator amortizes it across the opening order plus the reorders you expect from that retailer, and compares that lifetime to sending every order through Faire Direct or your own invoice. Enter the reorder count you actually see — this page does not forecast repeat purchase.