Flipkart has introduced a new Rs 3 platform fee. The e-commerce giant is levying these charges even for Flipkart Plus customers. The fee applies to both online and COD payment orders. The change appears to be part of a larger trend, as platforms such as Zomato and Swiggy have also started charging a platform fee for each order. Here are the details.
Flipkart’s New Platform Free
Flipkart has started charging users platform fees. Currently, this is noticeable for orders below Rs 5000. The charges are applied on the Flipkart website and mobile app.
The new platform fee is applied at checkout, just before payment. The company mentions that the charge is a nominal fee to sustain efficient operations. However, Flipkart has not mentioned the exact criteria for this new fee.
Flipkart has yet to make a public announcement about this change. We noticed these charges earlier today while trying to make a small purchase on the platform. According to some X (formerly Twitter) users, the platform fee was introduced just last week, around August 13.
Flipkart is charging platform fees only for its main e-commerce section. The Grocery division remains unaffected.
While the platform fee is a new addition to Flipkart, it’s not completely new. The Walmart-owned company is also known to charge ‘Offer handling fees’ and ‘Sale fees’ during discount sales, which are applied when a user claims a bank offer using credit or debit cards.
We have contacted Flipkart to get some clarity over these new platform fees. Their reply is still awaited; we will update the story once they respond.
In related news, Flipkart is now gearing up to enter the quick commerce segment. The company recently announced Flipkart Minutes, an instant grocery delivery service similar to Zepto, BlinkIt, and Swiggy Instamart. It is operational in Bengaluru, and the company plans to expand it nationwide in the upcoming months.
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