Selling on marketplaces (Amazon, Mercado Livre, Shopee, TikTok Shop): the 90-day strategy to go from zero and what each one really pays
Ana Beatriz Castro · 2026-10-07
Marketplace traffic is rented traffic with high conversion. The game is ranking, not ads.
PLATFORM SELECTION (Brazil/Europe)
- Mercado Livre (BR/LATAM): highest volume, Full (their logistics) is required to rank; 11–17% commission + subsidized shipping. Average order value: 60–300 R$.
- Shopee (BR/Asia): low average order value (30–120 R$), ~20% commission with free shipping, coupons, and live streams. Beginner-friendly volume, thin margins.
- Amazon (EU/US/BR): FBA; 8–15% commission + 3–6 €/unit for logistics; requires a registered brand for A+ and protection. Best for products with a GTIN and volume.
- TikTok Shop (US/UK/ES/IT): 2–9% commission, traffic comes from creators (commission-based affiliates). Explosive and unstable.
The 90 days
Days 1–15 — LISTING
- Title with the 3 most-searched keywords (use the platform’s own autocomplete and Helium 10/Nozzle for Amazon).
- 7+ photos: main image on a white background, 2 showing the product in use, 1 benefits infographic, 1 with dimensions, 1 of the packaging, 1 comparison.
- Description answering questions (the ones customers ask about competitors), 30-second video.
- Price 5–10% below the leader for the first 30 days.
Days 15–45 — SALES VELOCITY
- Internal ads (Product Ads/Sponsored) with bids above average on the top 10 keywords; accept 40–60% ACOS at this stage. The goal is sales history, not profit.
- 20–30 real reviews: the platform’s review program (Vine on Amazon), post-purchase email/WhatsApp asking for a review (no incentive — it’s prohibited).
- Turn on coupon/free shipping.
Days 45–90 — RANKING AND MARGIN
- Lower bids by 10% per week as organic traffic rises. Target ACOS: 15–25%.
- Raise the price 3–5% every 2 weeks until sales velocity drops.
- Add variations (color/size/bundle) — bundles raise average order value without raising CPA.
What kills it
- Stockout: 7 days out of stock = 30 days to recover ranking.
- Rating < 4.3: internal ads stop converting.
- Returns > 8% (electronics) or > 4% (consumables): listing suspension.
External traffic
Meta/TikTok ads pointing to the listing work (Amazon gives a ranking bonus for external sales — Brand Referral Bonus 10%). Use FreeSpy to find products already validated in ads and check whether marketplace competition is weak (fewer than 50 reviews in the top 5): that’s the product to go after.