The Russian e-commerce market is undergoing major changes. The two giants, Ozon and Wildberries, have successively announced increases in multiple seller fees, with the new regulations set to take effect intensively in June 2025, drawing close attention from cross-border sellers.

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Both platforms raise rates, logistics and commissions become the focus

Ozon took the lead in announcing the implementation of a new rate system starting June 13. In terms of logistics, under the FBO (platform delivery) model, the delivery fee for items under 1 liter in volume will increase from 43 rubles to 46 rubles; under the FBS (seller inventory packing, platform delivery) model, the separate logistics rate for items under 0.4 liters will be canceled, and the unified fee for items under 1 liter will rise from 76 rubles to 80 rubles. Sales commissions have also generally increased: in the FBS model, most categories see a commission increase of 3–4.5 percentage points, the FBO model sees an overall commission increase of 4.5 percentage points, the fashion category rises by 5 percentage points, and the realFBS (seller fully manages logistics) model sees an average commission increase of 5 percentage points.

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It is worth noting that Ozon has set up a buffer mechanism for the new regulations. The new logistics rates will take effect 60 days after the seller creates a supply application. For example, applications created at the beginning of May will still be subject to the old rates before July. Sellers of shoes, clothing, and accessories who submit delivery applications before June 24 can lock in a sales commission of 13% for goods sold before the end of the year.

Following closely, Wildberries announced that starting June 9, the sales commission for some products will be increased by 5 percentage points. Currently, the platform's commission rate fluctuates between 3% and 25%. This increase will significantly squeeze the profits of related sellers. The platform stated bluntly in the announcement that the price increase is to cope with the "increasing cost burden." In recent years, Russia's e-commerce has developed explosively, with more than half of the population regularly shopping on Wildberries, putting enormous pressure on logistics infrastructure.

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Expansion strategies drive rate adjustments, sellers become key support

What supports the continued expansion of the two giants is precisely the cash flow brought by these rate adjustments. Seller fees, as the core source of platform income, have become an important "fuel" for their strategic advancement.

Ozon's pace of expansion is particularly rapid. At the beginning of the year, it established its first e-commerce customs logistics center in Russia, specializing in customs clearance and storage of imported goods; within the year, it plans to build six new warehousing centers in eastern and southern China to accelerate order fulfillment for Chinese sellers; by the end of 2024, it will have set up nearly 3,500 pick-up points in small towns across Russia. The market map is also expanding rapidly: in February, it opened the Armenian, Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan markets to Chinese sellers; in March, it broke category restrictions and introduced used car sales to seek new growth points. To support these investments, Ozon registered a 50 billion ruble bond program on the Moscow Exchange.

Image source: Ozon

Of course, Wildberries is equally ambitious. CEO Tatyana Kim revealed that in 2024, 18 logistics facilities with a total area of 2.5 million square meters will be opened, with multiple warehouse projects advancing simultaneously. In terms of business innovation, in March it was revealed that a second-hand platform "Wildberries Resale" is planned to create a closed-loop resale ecosystem; at the same time, the "Wibes" video shopping app was launched to tap new growth through TikTok-style content e-commerce.

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Sellers face challenges and opportunities

The simultaneous price increases by the two platforms will significantly raise sellers' operating costs in the short term. Especially for sellers dealing in small items, low average order value, or high-commission categories (such as fashion), profit margins will be directly squeezed. The "cost pressure" emphasized by Wildberries also reveals the real challenges that Russia's explosive e-commerce growth poses to platform infrastructure.

The giant wheel of platform expansion needs continuous fuel, and seller fees have become a key engine. Facing rising costs, sellers urgently need to recalculate their profit models, flexibly utilize the rate window period, and deeply bind themselves to the dividends of platform infrastructure and market expansion. Sellers who can leverage this to optimize their supply chains and explore new markets are expected to turn the current challenges into long-term competitive advantages.