A draft rule from Thailand's Office of Trade Competition Commission (OTCC) would let online shops choose their own couriers. It would also bar e-commerce platforms from treating shops badly for not using the platform's delivery service. The Deputy Government Spokesperson at the Prime Minister's Office said on 9 November 2026 that the draft is not yet in force. It does not cap commission fees, known in Thailand as "GP" fees, so sellers should not expect platform charges to fall right away.
The draft touches two everyday questions for anyone selling on Thai platforms: who picks the courier, and what the platform charges. Buyers would also see changes, because the draft calls for clearer courier options and delivery costs. Foreign residents who run online shops, or who shop on Thai platforms, are covered by the same issues.
The draft is still open for public comment
The full title is the draft notice of the Trade Competition Commission on regulating service fee structures and delivery in multi-sided platform ecosystems. The OTCC is taking comments from 4 November to 3 December 2026. Sellers and buyers can send views through the OTCC's channels.
The draft is not a binding notice yet. The Deputy Government Spokesperson stressed that platforms do not have to follow its proposals now. The briefing did not say which platforms the draft would cover. Sellers therefore cannot yet tell whether their shop on a given platform would be affected directly.
Shops could pick their own courier, within safety standards
Under the draft, a shop could use its own delivery service or a provider outside the platform. That is subject to safety and parcel-tracking standards. A shop that wants an outside courier would need to check that the courier meets those standards and can track parcels.
The draft would also bar platforms from tying the use of their own couriers, affiliates or partners to access to the platform or to benefits. A platform could not tell a shop that it must use an affiliated courier to sell or to receive perks.
Platforms could not punish shops that use other couriers
The draft proposes banning five actions against shops that choose another courier:
- Lowering the ranking of their products in search results
- Raising their fees
- Removing their badges or certification marks
- Excluding them from promotions
- Delaying payouts to the shop
If the draft passes as proposed, a shop that switches couriers would not have to worry about lower rankings, lost promotions or slower payouts just because it skipped the platform's courier.
For buyers, the draft proposes that platforms show courier options with the fee, delivery time and key conditions. Platforms would not hide options or set defaults that favor their own couriers. Any default would need disclosed criteria, and buyers would have to be able to change it easily. Buyers should be able to compare couriers before they check out.
No cap on GP fees, and comments close on 3 December
On fees, the draft proposes that platforms disclose selling fees, payment fees, advertising fees, promotion fees and delivery or warehouse fees. Each charge would need a reason and would need to relate to the service the shop receives.
The key point for sellers is that the draft sets no cap on commission or GP rates, and no single rate for all platforms. It also does not mean fees will drop immediately. It asks for disclosure and reasonable charging, not rate control. Anyone who read a headline and assumed the government now controls platform fees should correct that view.
Sellers who want the draft to reflect their costs could gather their experience with courier choice, the fees they are charged and how long payouts take, and send it before comments close on 3 December. Buyers interested in courier choice and transparent delivery fees can comment through the same OTCC channels.
Source: Deputy Government Spokesperson, Prime Minister's Office, and the Office of Trade Competition Commission (OTCC).
This article is adapted from ViewNews' Thai-language report.
