Last night I ordered a takeout delivery for 25 yuan by myself. I came across a post showing that the merchant’s take-home pay was 6.08 yuan, so I went ahead and checked the order details to make sure the numbers matched.
On Zhihu, this question has been pushed to the top these past two days: “For a single order of 25 yuan, the merchant only gets 6.08 yuan—where does the rest of the money go?” The comment section is heated. One side says the platform’s commission cuts are too harsh, while the other says riders and delivery cost money in the first place.
Looking at the line items, the parts that do add up are only a few yuan: platform commission, delivery service fees, the promotional subsidies the merchant pays for out of pocket, and then packing and ingredients. What makes merchants the most uncomfortable isn’t really those small commission percentages—it’s that “subsidies” line item. It often means merchants spend their own money to buy traffic. They pay the cost, but customers remember that there were platform discounts.
The 6.08 yuan doesn’t necessarily reflect the general situation—it varies wildly by city and by category. But the direction it points to is real: in low-priced orders, the merchant’s pricing power is taken away by the rules of the promotions. Who do you think is mainly to blame for this accounting?
On Zhihu, this question has been pushed to the top these past two days: “For a single order of 25 yuan, the merchant only gets 6.08 yuan—where does the rest of the money go?” The comment section is heated. One side says the platform’s commission cuts are too harsh, while the other says riders and delivery cost money in the first place.
Looking at the line items, the parts that do add up are only a few yuan: platform commission, delivery service fees, the promotional subsidies the merchant pays for out of pocket, and then packing and ingredients. What makes merchants the most uncomfortable isn’t really those small commission percentages—it’s that “subsidies” line item. It often means merchants spend their own money to buy traffic. They pay the cost, but customers remember that there were platform discounts.
The 6.08 yuan doesn’t necessarily reflect the general situation—it varies wildly by city and by category. But the direction it points to is real: in low-priced orders, the merchant’s pricing power is taken away by the rules of the promotions. Who do you think is mainly to blame for this accounting?
