Chrono24 fees for dealers: the real cost per sale
How to put Chrono24 fees for dealers into your margin. Package, commission, payment and returns as cost per sale, with a worked example.
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Most dealers know their Chrono24 commission rate. Fewer know what Chrono24 actually costs them per watch sold. The difference is the monthly package, the pieces that never sell, and the time listings sit.
What you pay as a dealer
A dealer account typically combines two things: a monthly package that sets how many watches you can list, and a commission on each sale. Rates depend on your contract, the package and sometimes the watch, and they change. Take them from your current price list, not from a forum thread or an old blog post (including this one).
On top of that, depending on how you sell:
- Payment and escrow costs when the buyer pays through the platform.
- Shipping and insurance, often absorbed by you to stay competitive.
- Returns. A returned watch costs two shipments and a few weeks of not being for sale.
Turn it into a cost per sale
The package is a fixed cost. Spread it over the watches you actually sold through the channel, not the ones you listed.
A worked example with assumed numbers. Say your package costs EUR 500 a month and you sell 10 watches a month on the platform. That is EUR 50 per sale before any commission. Say the commission on a EUR 10,000 watch is 6.5%: EUR 650. Add EUR 60 insured shipping. Your channel cost for that sale is EUR 760, or 7.6% of the price.
Sell 4 watches that month instead of 10 and the same sale costs EUR 835. The commission did not change. Your turnover did.
Why it matters for the buying price
If the watch sells under the § 25a margin scheme, you pay VAT on your margin, and channel costs do not reduce the sale price that margin is computed from. On a thin steel-sports margin, a channel cost of 7 to 8 percent decides whether the deal was worth doing. Put it into the buying price from the start, as described in how to price a pre-owned watch.
Price per channel, not one price everywhere
If Chrono24 costs you 7 to 8 percent and a direct sale to a client costs you a phone call, the same watch does not need the same price in both places. Common practice:
- A higher ask on the marketplace that carries the fee.
- A lower net price for direct clients and dealers.
- One stock behind all of them, so the watch is never sold twice.
How ChronoDesk handles it
- One record, several prices. Your Chrono24 listings come from the same watch record as everything else. Chrono24 pulls a live XML feed on a schedule; you choose which watches go in, map the fields and preview the XML before they fetch it. Prices can differ per platform. We set the connection up for you.
- Sold is sold everywhere. A watch sold to a client in the shop does not stay listed on Chrono24 or Shopify.
- Profit by channel. Statistics split profit by channel, with every cost on the piece. You see what Chrono24 earns you after its cost, next to direct sales, your storefront and the dealer marketplace.
If you are weighing other channels, read where to sell watches beyond Chrono24.
FAQ
How much does Chrono24 charge dealers?
Dealer accounts combine a monthly package with a commission per sale. The rates depend on your contract and change over time, so check your current price list.
Is Chrono24 worth it for a small dealer?
It depends on turnover. The package is fixed, so the cost per sale falls with every additional watch you sell through it. Calculate it per sale for your last three months before deciding.
Know what each channel earns you after its cost. ChronoDesk is free for 60 days. See the plans.
