Amazon, Noon or your own online store: where should you sell?
Amazon.ae and Noon bring shoppers, but they cost fees and control. Compare marketplaces with your own online store, and see how to use both.
By the Samay.ae teamUpdated 11 min read
Sell on Amazon.ae or Noon when you need shoppers quickly and can accept a fee on every sale. Build your own online store when you want to keep more of each sale, own your customer list and turn buyers into regulars. Many growing UAE brands do both: the marketplace helps new buyers find them, and their own store is where those buyers come back.
Our advice: if you resell products that shoppers already search for by name, start on a marketplace. If you have your own brand, start with your own store, then add a marketplace to reach new buyers.
How selling on Amazon.ae and Noon works
A marketplace is a big website where many sellers list products side by side. You open a seller account, list your products and set your price. The marketplace takes the payment, keeps its fees and pays you the rest.
Amazon.ae and Noon seller fees
Both marketplaces charge a referral fee (a commission) on each sale. It is a percentage of the price, set by product category, usually with a minimum of AED 1 per item.
For example, at the time of writing (October 2026), Amazon.ae charges 5% for mobile phones and 7% for consumer electronics. Apparel, home and books are at 15%. Amazon also charges a closing fee on each item sold. Its Professional selling plan has a monthly fee, which Amazon said was waived for a limited time.
Noon publishes fee tables by category for each way of fulfilling orders. Its rates also vary widely, from about 5% for some electronics to much higher rates for fashion.
Check the live tables before you set a price: Amazon.ae's selling fees and Noon's Fulfilled by Partner fee table.
Fulfilment: FBA, Fulfilled by Noon or do it yourself
Fulfilment means storing, packing and delivering orders.
- Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA): you send stock to Amazon. Amazon stores it, packs and ships each order, and handles returns. You pay fees per item and for storage.
- Fulfilled by Noon: Noon stores your stock and handles the orders, for fees listed in its tables.
- Doing it yourself: you keep the stock and pack each order. On Noon, this model is called Fulfilled by Partner.
Getting started as a new seller
To sell on Noon or become an Amazon seller in the UAE, you need a license that covers selling online. Expect to be asked for your trade license, ID and bank details, but check each marketplace's current list.
If you are a UAE or GCC national living in Dubai, the Dubai eTrader license is a low-cost home-based option, at about AED 1,370.
Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) also runs Dubai Traders, a programme launched in September 2024 with Noon and Amazon to help new e-commerce sellers. It brought on more than 2,400 new sellers in its first year, according to the Dubai Media Office.
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check with the licensing authority and the marketplace before you apply.
How your own online store works
Your own online store is a website that sells only your products. There is no commission. On any store, your payment gateway (the service that takes card payments for you) charges a percentage plus a small fixed fee on each sale. Your other costs depend on how you build the store.
- A do-it-yourself platform: you build the store from a ready-made template, or pay someone to set it up, on a platform such as Shopify. You pay a plan: at the time of writing, Shopify's Basic plan costs $29 a month paid yearly (about AED 107), or $39 paid monthly (about AED 143). If you use a third-party payment provider rather than Shopify's own, Shopify also adds 2% per sale on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced. Shopify Payments, its own service, avoids this fee, but in the UAE it is not yet available on Basic or Grow.
- A custom store: a developer designs and builds the store from scratch, around how your business works. It usually costs more to build, and someone must host, update and look after it. In return, there is no platform plan and no platform fee on each sale.
As a price example, we build custom stores, and our Website package costs 7,870 AED a year, with the design, your products, payments and delivery set up for you (see our packages). Only the domain name (your web address) is paid separately. The store, the web address and the customer list are all in your name. For every cost in one place, see how much an online store costs in the UAE.
Amazon or Noon vs your own online store: side by side
Here is the marketplace vs online store comparison.
| Factor | Amazon.ae or Noon | Your own online store |
|---|---|---|
| Shoppers | Already there and searching | You bring every visitor |
| Fees on each sale | A referral fee by category, plus a closing fee on Amazon | Payment fees. Some do-it-yourself platforms add their own fee; a custom store does not |
| Price and brand | You share the page with rival sellers and follow the marketplace's layout | Your design, your prices, your story |
| Customer data | The buyer is the marketplace's customer, and its rules limit contact | Your customer list, yours to keep |
| Competition | Rivals are one tap away, often on the same page | No rivals on your pages, but you must win attention on Google and Instagram |
| Payouts | On the marketplace's schedule, after its fees | From your payment provider; Tabby and Tamara pay out weekly |
| Effort | Listings and stock; fulfilment can be handed over | Store, marketing, delivery and customer service |
| Repeat orders | Pay the full fee again | Pay no commission, only the fees on each sale |
What you keep from an AED 200 sale: a worked example
The Amazon.ae vs own website question gets easier with numbers. Say you sell a dress for AED 200. We use a 15% referral fee, the apparel example from Amazon.ae's fee table. These figures are only an example, so check the live fees and get quotes.
- On the marketplace: the referral fee is AED 30. Amazon also takes a closing fee, so you keep AED 170 minus that fee. Fulfilment fees come on top if you use FBA or Fulfilled by Noon.
- On your own store: assume your payment provider charges 3% plus AED 1, which is AED 7. A custom store adds no platform fee, so you keep AED 193. On a platform such as Shopify's Basic plan, with a third-party payment provider, another 2% (AED 4) would come off, leaving AED 189.
That looks like a clear win for your own store. But the marketplace brought the shopper, and your store did not. Say you spend AED 20 on Instagram ads to win each new customer. Your store now keeps AED 173 on a first order, close to what the marketplace leaves you.
The difference shows on the next order. A customer who comes back to your store by themselves costs no ad money, so you keep AED 193 again. On the marketplace, every order pays the referral fee, even from a loyal buyer.
| Orders from one customer | Marketplace: you keep | Your own store: you keep |
|---|---|---|
| First order | AED 170 minus the closing fee | AED 173 (after AED 20 of ads) |
| Second order | AED 170 minus the closing fee | AED 193 |
| Five orders in total | AED 850 minus five closing fees | AED 945 |
We left out the product cost and VAT, which are the same in both places, and delivery, which depends on how you ship. Your store's fixed costs also come on top, such as a platform's monthly plan or a yearly fee for a custom store, and your domain name.
The lesson: a marketplace costs more per order, and your own store costs more to start. Repeat customers decide which one pays better. On your own store, you can bring them back by email, by WhatsApp or with your own shopping app.
Tip: Before you list a product, price it from the bottom up: product cost, all marketplace fees, delivery, and VAT if you are registered. If no profit is left at a price shoppers accept, that product does not suit the marketplace.
The hidden costs of selling on marketplaces
The referral fee is the cost you see. Others show up later.
- Price wars: shoppers compare offers side by side. If other sellers list the same product, you often end up competing on price alone.
- Ads inside the marketplace: in busy categories, you may need to pay for sponsored spots in search results to be seen.
- Returns: the marketplace sets the return rules its shoppers expect, and returned items cost you money.
- Account rules: marketplaces have strict rules on listings, delivery times, cancellations and contact with buyers. Breaking them can get listings removed or an account suspended.
- No customer list: you build sales, not relationships. If fees rise or rules change, you cannot take your customers with you.
The hidden costs of your own online store
Your own store has no commission, but it has a different cost: getting attention.
- Traffic: you need a plan for visitors from day one, from Instagram, WhatsApp, Google and some paid ads. Our guide to getting your first 100 customers shows where to start.
- Time on Google: SEO for online stores (getting found on Google) brings free visitors, but it takes months to build.
- Trust: a new store has no reviews yet. Offer payment options shoppers know, such as cash on delivery, Tabby and Tamara, and show clear policies.
How to use both: marketplaces for reach, your store for repeat orders
You do not have to choose one forever. Use marketplaces to get found and your own store to keep customers.
- List your best-sellers on a marketplace. Choose products people already search for, and let the marketplace bring first-time buyers.
- Keep the full range on your own store. Put bundles, gift sets, new arrivals and made-to-order items there, where you control the page.
- Build your brand outside the marketplace. Use Instagram, WhatsApp and Google so people search for your brand name, not just the product.
- Make the parcel memorable, within the rules. Good packaging and a thank-you card help buyers remember your name. But marketplaces control what goes in the box and how you contact their buyers, and their rules can forbid pointing buyers elsewhere. Read the seller rules first.
- Keep stock in sync. If the same stock sells in two places, update quantities quickly, or you will sell items you do not have.
- Plan around the big sale events. Amazon.ae's White Friday and Noon's Yellow Friday usually run over the last ten days or so of November. Plan your own offers with our UAE sales calendar.
Which should you start with?
- You resell products people search for by name, such as phones, accessories or popular brands: start on a marketplace. Shoppers already look for these items there.
- You have your own brand, such as abayas, perfume or handmade gifts: start with your own store and bring visitors from Instagram and WhatsApp. Add a marketplace later.
- You already sell on Instagram or WhatsApp: build your own store first. You already have the attention, and a store turns it into easy orders. See why Instagram sellers need their own online store.
- You have stock but no time to pack and deliver: compare FBA or Fulfilled by Noon with a local courier.
- You sell custom or made-to-order items: your own store suits you, because you control the options, the product page and the delivery dates.
Whichever you choose, the basics come first: a license, a bank account and a delivery plan. Our step-by-step guide on how to start an online store in the UAE covers each one.
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to sell on Noon or Amazon in the UAE?
Neither is better for every seller. Compare the referral fee for your category on both fee tables, check the fulfilment options and see how many sellers already offer products like yours.
How much commission does Noon take?
Noon charges a referral fee on each sale, with a minimum of AED 1 per item. The rate depends on the product category and on who fulfils the order. Rates range from about 5% for some electronics to much higher for fashion, so check Noon's current fee table for your category.
Can I sell on Amazon.ae without a license?
You should not plan to. The UAE's e-commerce law, Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2023, expects online sellers to hold the required licenses. Expect the marketplace to ask for business documents when you register. Our guide to the e-commerce license in the UAE explains your options.
Should I have my own website if I already sell on Amazon or Noon?
Yes, once your marketplace sales are steady. Your own store keeps more of each repeat order, builds a customer list you own and gives your brand a home. It also protects you if marketplace fees or rules change.
Can I sell the same products on Noon and my own store?
Yes, in general. Keep stock numbers in sync so you do not sell items you no longer have, and keep your prices consistent. Read each marketplace's seller agreement for any rules on pricing or contacting buyers.