GCC Marketplace Comparison 2026: Fees, Payouts and Rules Side by Side

Choosing a Gulf marketplace gets much easier once the numbers sit side by side.

On most everyday products, Amazon, noon and Trendyol charge almost the same. They really differ on fashion fees, payout speed, delivery and who's allowed to sell.

This page puts every marketplace in one table, then prices the same product on each, so you can see what you'd actually keep.

GCC marketplaces side by side

Here's every open-to-sellers marketplace in the Gulf on the rows that decide where you list.

Three things jump out:

• Fees are close on everyday goods. Home, toys and sports all pay about 14% on the big three.
• Fashion is the exception. Noon's 27% is almost double Amazon's rate.
• Access differs most. Amazon lets most foreign sellers in with no Gulf company. Trendyol, SHEIN and Temu want a local company for their Gulf stores.

Want the profiles behind each column? Our guide to the best marketplaces in the Middle East explains who each one suits.

Which marketplace gets the most traffic?

Amazon.sa is Saudi Arabia's most-visited shopping site. Temu and SHEIN follow close behind, with noon fourth.

Traffic isn't the same as room for you, though. Most of Temu's and SHEIN's sales still come from their own Chinese suppliers, and their local seller programmes only opened in January 2026.

In the UAE, sales tell a similar story. Amazon is the biggest online store, noon is second and Carrefour third (ECDB, 2025).

So for a seller who wants open access and steady traffic, Amazon and noon lead. Trendyol's edge is reach: one listing shows in all six GCC states.

How commission compares by category

Commission is the share of each sale a marketplace keeps. Every big Gulf marketplace sets it by category, so your product decides which one is cheaper.

Here's how the three main rate cards line up in Saudi Arabia:

Outside fashion, the gap between the cheapest and dearest card is usually one or two points.

So for most products, pick on traffic, delivery and payouts. Commission only decides the choice in fashion.

Every category with its price bands is in our Amazon referral fees table and the noon seller fees guide.

Fulfilment, delivery fees and payouts compared

Fulfilment is who stores, packs and delivers your orders. It changes your costs more than most sellers expect.

Amazon and noon both run warehouse services:

• FBA (Fulfilment by Amazon). Amazon stores your stock and delivers with the Prime badge. A small parcel up to 1 kg costs SAR 10 on Amazon.sa.
• FBN (Fulfilled by noon). Noon does the same with its Express badge, for SAR/AED 8–10 on a small parcel.
• Ship it yourself. Amazon's Easy Ship, noon's FBP and every Trendyol, SHEIN and Temu order use your own stock and dispatch.

Storage adds a little on top. It costs SAR 3 per cubic foot a month on Amazon.sa and SAR 2.75 on noon KSA.

Payouts follow a different rhythm on each:

Cash flow matters most in your first months. Noon's weekly cycle helps there, as our guide to how noon pays sellers shows.

Arabic listings and ads compared

Arabic listings get you found. Many Gulf shoppers search in Arabic, especially in Saudi Arabia.

Each marketplace handles it a little differently:

• Amazon. List in Arabic and English. Amazon's tools can copy your listings between stores, but write Arabic titles yourself.
• Noon. English is required to go live. Arabic is optional, but noon doesn't translate, and English-only items may not show on the Arabic site.
• Trendyol. Add Arabic and English titles to every product.

Ads are where the two big marketplaces differ most. Sellers report Amazon.sa clicks at about SAR 1–4, depending on the category. On noon, long-tail clicks often cost under SAR 1.

For example, a home product that pays SAR 2 a click on Amazon might pay SAR 0.5 on noon. That's why many sellers test new products on noon first.

Our guide to Arabic product descriptions shows how to write titles shoppers actually type.

Worked example: one pair of sandals on three marketplaces

Let's price the same product everywhere. A pair of women's leather sandals sells for SAR 249 in Saudi Arabia, VAT included.

It weighs 0.8 kg and ships in a 30 × 20 × 10 cm box, about 0.21 cubic feet. On Amazon and noon, the marketplace stores and ships it. On Trendyol, you ship it for about SAR 20 including packing.

Amazon leaves you about SAR 30 more per pair than noon. Over 500 pairs, that's almost SAR 15,000.

Trendyol sits between the two. During its two-month newcomer window, it roughly ties Amazon.

At 30% off you keep about SAR 2 more a pair. At 20% off you keep about SAR 2 less.

Swap the sandals for a home product and the picture flips. All three charge 14% on home goods, so the totals land within a few riyals of each other.

Run your own product through the calculator below. It covers Amazon and noon in both Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Specialist and retailer marketplaces compared

Beyond the big five, a handful of specialist stores and apps take outside sellers. Most are curated, so you apply or go through a distributor.

These work best as a second channel. Haraj is the cheapest of all, but it has no checkout or delivery, so it suits local, hands-on sales.

Getting into grocery and essentials apps is its own skill. Our guide to quick commerce in the GCC walks through it.

Which marketplace should you pick?

For most new sellers, start on Amazon or noon. They have the most shoppers and the clearest routes in, including from abroad.

Then let the table settle the details:

• Selling fashion? Amazon or Trendyol keep far more of each sale than noon.
• Need fast cash flow? Noon pays every week.
• Want all six GCC states from one listing? Trendyol covers them all.
• No Gulf company yet? Amazon Global Selling is the simplest door.

The profiles, seller types and a step-by-step launch plan are in our full guide to the best marketplaces in the Middle East. For everything beyond the big names, browse the other GCC marketplaces hub.