In short: In South Africa, common selling channels include Takealot Marketplace, Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree. Fees and payouts differ: marketplaces often take a success / fulfilment cut and settle by EFT on their own cycle; classifieds may let you list free and get paid privately. Always price from the platform’s live fee tools, not from blog screenshots. Not financial advice.
Sources: Takealot – Sell; Takealot Seller Portal Fee Estimator; Takealot Seller Portal; Gumtree – Post an ad; Gumtree Help – Pay & Ship seller costs; Gumtree Help – Top Ads; Facebook Marketplace; Meta Help on Marketplace selling / delivery payout where available in your region.
Takealot Marketplace
Takealot’s public sell entry is takealot.com/sell. Approved sellers manage catalogue, stock and payouts in the Seller Portal. Success fees, fulfilment and related charges are category- and size-based. Use the official Fee Estimator inside the Seller Portal before you set a retail price. Do not treat third-party fee tables as current. Settlement is typically by EFT to the bank account on your seller profile on Takealot’s published cycle; confirm the live payout schedule and any holds in your portal statements.
Only use official Takealot and sellers.takealot.com domains. Real onboarding does not ask you to pay a stranger “activation” fee on WhatsApp.
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is widely used for local pickup sales in South Africa. For many local, cash-or-EFT meetups, Meta does not sit in the middle of the payment, so there may be no marketplace commission on that sale. Optional boosts or ads are separate paid products. Where Meta offers shipping / checkout in a region, fee and payout rules follow Meta’s own seller and merchant policies. Confirm what Marketplace shows in your own Facebook app for South Africa before you assume a fee or a payout date.
Meet in public places, do not share OTP or Remote PIN, and prefer in-app or bank-traceable payment over “I already paid via a weird link” stories.
Gumtree South Africa
Gumtree lets you start from gumtree.co.za/post. Basic listing is commonly free; Gumtree also sells optional paid visibility such as Top Ads (prices vary by category and city on their help pages). If you use Pay & Ship, Gumtree’s seller-cost help article explains the platform fee as a share of the selling price plus how delivery is handled. Read that live article and your checkout screen before you accept an order. Payout timing then follows Gumtree’s Pay & Ship process, not a private EFT you arrange yourself.
How to choose (practical themes)
- Need reach and logistics: Takealot Marketplace, if you can clear fees and stock rules.
- Local once-off items: Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree free ads, with careful meetup safety.
- Want platform payment protection: check Takealot settlement or Gumtree Pay & Ship terms, not verbal promises.
- Price after fees: run the official estimator or fee article first; then add your cost of goods and returns risk.
Payout and tax hygiene
Keep invoices, portal statements and bank deposits matched. If you turn over enough to register for VAT or income tax, SARS rules apply to your business, not to the marketplace brand. This page does not calculate tax for you.
Last checked: September 2026 against Takealot Sell / Fee Estimator entry points and Gumtree Help articles for Pay & Ship and Top Ads. Platform fees and payout calendars change. Confirm inside each live portal. Not financial advice.