Payments, settlements, and fees
This guide covers what you pay, what you keep, and when the money reaches your bank. No surprises is the goal, so read this once before you set your prices.
Commission
Indikala earns through commission on each sale. There is no subscription and no listing fee. Commission depends on the product's category, and it falls into one of three tiers:
| Tier | Rate | Example categories |
|---|---|---|
| Low | 5% | Food and beverages, puja and festive |
| Standard | 10% | Handicrafts, clothing and handlooms, beauty and wellness, home and kitchen |
| Premium | 15% | Jewellery and accessories |
A few things worth knowing:
- The rate is locked at the moment of the order. If a category rate changes later, orders already placed keep the rate they were placed at.
- Commission is taken out of the sale, not added to the buyer's price.
- GST of 18% applies on the commission itself. That is standard for a service fee in India.
A worked example
Say you sell a handicraft for ₹500, which is a 10% category.
- Commission: 10% of ₹500 = ₹50
- GST on that commission: 18% of ₹50 = ₹9
- Platform fee for this sale: ₹59
The rest, before any shipping adjustments, is yours. Set your prices with the ₹59 in mind so your margin still works.
GST on your products
Product prices on Indikala include GST. The price a buyer sees is the price they pay, tax included. When a sale happens, we produce a tax invoice to the buyer on your behalf and handle the GST split on it. The GST portion of the price is tax collected for the government, not earnings you keep.
Whether you need your own GST registration depends on your turnover and your state. You declare this during KYC, and we tell you where you stand. Many small makers can sell without a GST number, up to the threshold for their state. See do you need a GST number.
Delivery charges and who pays
- On courier-managed orders, the buyer pays for delivery, and the platform pays the courier.
- You can set a free-delivery threshold in Settings. When a buyer's order crosses that amount, they pay ₹0 for delivery and you fund the promotion. It is a lever to lift order values, so use it deliberately.
- On self-ship orders, you set a flat delivery fee that the buyer pays, and you arrange the courier.
When you get paid
Payouts are on a T+7 schedule. That means an order's earnings become eligible for settlement 7 days after it is delivered, as long as there is no return in progress. The 7 days cover the buyer's return window, so money is not released and then clawed back.
Your dashboard shows your pending payout and your last settled date, so you always know what is coming and when.
Your settlement statement
Each payout comes with an itemized statement so you can see exactly how the number was reached:
Gross sales − commission − return adjustments − GST on commission = your net payout
The Settlements page holds all of this, split into what is upcoming, what is on hold, and any disputes. Each settlement opens to the breakdown for the orders inside it.
Holds and disputes
- Some orders can be placed on hold if something needs checking, for example a suspected issue with delivery. A hold pauses that order's payout until it clears.
- If you think a settlement is wrong, you can raise a dispute from the Settlements page. We aim to resolve disputes within 7 working days.
- Shipping charges: on courier-managed orders, the return-shipping fee is a flat ₹80 deducted when a buyer return happens. See returns.
Changing your bank details
If you update your payout bank account, there is a short 2-day cooling-off period before payouts resume to the new account. This is a safety measure that protects you if someone ever gets into your account. Plan around it if a payout is due.
Still have a money question?
Payout timing and fees are the things sellers ask about most, and we would rather you ask than guess. The FAQ covers the common ones. For anything else, email support@indikala.in or message us on WhatsApp at +91 6309605544 with your store name and, if it is about one order, the order number.