Your own store, or Amazon and Flipkart? What actually pays for a small Indian brand
In short
Amazon and Flipkart bring customers fast, but their fees usually leave you keeping only about 10 to 20 percent of each sale. Your own store keeps far more, commonly 30 to 50 percent, plus the customer. For most small Indian brands the smart move is both: start on a marketplace to get seen, then move repeat buyers to your own store.
Every new brand in India faces the same question. Do you sell on Amazon and Flipkart, where the buyers already are, or on your own store, where the margin is? They do different jobs, and the fees decide most of it. Here is what each one really costs.
What does it cost to sell on Amazon or Flipkart?
More than the headline fee. Marketplaces take a referral commission on every sale, commonly 12 to 25 percent on Amazon and 4 to 22 percent on Flipkart depending on the category. On top of that come closing fees, shipping charges, and the cost of advertising to stand out among thousands of similar listings. By the time all of it is paid, many sellers keep only 10 to 20 percent of the sale price as real margin. And the cut never shrinks, because it is a share of every order, forever.
What do you keep on your own store?
Much more of each sale. On your own store there is no marketplace commission. You pay a fixed cost for the store and hosting, not a percentage of every order, so the more you sell the smaller that cost becomes as a share of revenue. A well-run own store commonly holds 30 to 50 percent margin. You also keep something the marketplace never hands over: the customer. Their details, their order history, and the chance to sell to them again at almost no cost.
What you keep per sale
So why do brands still sell on marketplaces?
Because they solve the hardest problem first: being seen. Amazon and Flipkart already have millions of buyers who trust the checkout. A new brand with no audience can make its first sales there far faster than on a store nobody has heard of yet. A marketplace is a discovery engine. You are renting its traffic and its trust, and for a brand starting from zero, that rent can be worth paying.
What do you give up on a marketplace?
Three things that matter more the bigger you get: the margin, the brand, and the customer. Your product sits in a grid next to competitors, the page looks like everyone else's, and the buyer remembers Amazon, not you. You do not get their contact details, so every repeat sale costs you the same fees again. You are building someone else's asset.
What is the smart approach for a small brand in India?
Use both, in order. Start on a marketplace to prove the product and make early sales without spending months building an audience. At the same time, set up your own store. As buyers come back, move them to your store, where you keep the margin and own the relationship. Over time the marketplace becomes your shop window, and your own store becomes your business.
Your own store also gives you something a marketplace never will: control over how you are found. You own the SEO, you own your Google presence, and for any brand with a local footprint, a Google Business Profile puts you on the map and in local search. At AETHEX we set that up and link it to your store as part of the build, so your store works as a shopfront and a way to be discovered, not just a checkout.
None of this means abandoning Amazon or Flipkart. It means not letting them be your whole business. Sell where the customers are, but own the place they come back to.
Common questions
Is it cheaper to sell on my own website?
Per sale, usually yes. You avoid the marketplace commission, which is often the single biggest cost. In return you take on getting found yourself, which is why most brands keep a marketplace presence too, at least early on.
Should I leave Amazon and Flipkart entirely?
Rarely, and not at the start. They are the fastest way to be seen. The goal is to add your own store, not to burn the marketplace, and to move repeat customers to where you keep more of each sale.
How much does an online store cost to set up in India?
Across the market a proper store often starts around ₹80,000. At AETHEX we build online stores from ₹14,999 and run the setup for you.
Can I sell on a marketplace and my own store at the same time?
Yes, and most successful brands do. Many keep their catalogue in sync across both. It is the recommended path: the marketplace for discovery, your own store for margin and loyalty.
Thinking about a website or online store for your business?