“4,500 Won ‘Vanishes’ with Each Delivery... Small Business Owners Struggle”

According to PSPD on the 23rd, the total commission rate for Baedal Minjok-affiliated stores was around 20–22% as of August 2023, but this rose to 23–26% by August this year.

In particular, when the order amount is less than 20,000 won, the delivery fee remains fixed, resulting in about 30% of total sales being lost to commission fees. There have been cases where, for an order of 15,000 won, more than 4,500 won is deducted as commission.

PSPD pointed out that so-called ‘free delivery’ events have, in reality, led to higher subscription fees or food prices, ultimately increasing the burden on consumers. For example, at one snack bar, last year’s order of pork cutlet for 6,000 won, noodles for 6,000 won, and a delivery fee of 3,000 won has now become pork cutlet for 8,500 won, noodles for 7,500 won, plus a free delivery subscription fee of 1,990 won, totaling 17,190 won.

PSPD stated, “While delivery app companies deny any link between commission fees and rising prices, many stores cite commission burdens as the direct cause of menu price hikes.” The organization proposed introducing a cap that would limit the total commission per delivery to within 15%.