Well, it finally happened. OpenAI went and turned ChatGPT into a massive digital storefront. With the new "Instant Checkout" feature, millions of users can now find and buy products from merchants on platforms like Etsy and Shopify without ever leaving the chat. This is a pretty big shake-up for ecommerce, shifting the starting point from a search engine to a conversation.
But for all of us merchants, this new sales channel brings up one very important question: what’s this going to cost me? This guide will walk you through everything we know so far about ChatGPT merchant fees, how the whole Instant Checkout thing works, and what it could mean for your business. We’ll get into the good, the bad, and why having your own AI strategy might be more important than ever.
What are ChatGPT merchant fees and instant checkout?
Instant Checkout is a new feature inside ChatGPT that lets people buy things right there in the chat. When someone asks for product recommendations, ChatGPT can now show them items from partner merchants and pop up a "Buy" button. The whole transaction is then handled by Stripe, making it a super smooth process for the shopper.
The ChatGPT merchant fees are simply the cut that businesses pay to OpenAI for any sales made through this feature. According to OpenAI, merchants will pay a "small fee" on each purchase. This move opens up a huge new way for OpenAI to make money beyond its subscriptions and marks its entry into what some are calling "agentic commerce", where an AI basically acts as a personal shopper. The first wave includes U.S.-based sellers on Etsy, and it’s expected to roll out to over a million Shopify merchants like SKIMS and Glossier soon.
How ChatGPT’s instant checkout works
Before we get into the strategy part, it helps to understand the nuts and bolts of this new shopping experience. The process is designed to be incredibly simple for the user, but it does put a new layer between you and your customer.
The user experience: From question to purchase
From the customer’s side of the screen, things are straightforward.
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A user asks ChatGPT for a recommendation, something like, "find me a handmade leather wallet under $100."
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ChatGPT scans its network of integrated merchants and pulls up a few relevant products.
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For products that are eligible, a "Buy" button shows up next to the details.
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The user clicks "Buy," fills in their shipping and payment info in a secure pop-up powered by Stripe, and that’s it. The purchase is complete.
They never had to open a new tab, turning a simple question into a sale in just a couple of clicks. The order confirmation then comes from you, the merchant, just like any other sale.
The merchant’s role and the agentic commerce protocol
Behind the scenes, this all runs on something called the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), an open standard that OpenAI and Stripe developed together. Think of it as a shared language that lets AI agents talk to businesses.
When a purchase is made, the ACP sends the order details to your store’s backend. From that point on, you handle it just like you always do:
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Accept or decline the order.
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Charge the customer’s payment method.
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Figure out and handle sales tax.
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Manage shipping and any returns.
So, you still control everything that happens after the purchase, but ChatGPT handles that initial customer conversation.
The ChatGPT merchant fees structure: What we know (and don’t)
This is the big question, isn’t it? OpenAI has said merchants will pay a "small fee" on sales, but they haven’t shared the exact percentage. It seems to be set through individual deals with partners like Shopify and Etsy.
This lack of transparency is pretty different from how things usually work. For example, Etsy’s standard transaction fee is a publicly stated 6.5% of the total order. Without a clear number from OpenAI, merchants have to guess whether the potential sales boost is worth an unknown commission rate that could change.
The pros and cons of selling through ChatGPT
So, should you jump on the ChatGPT bandwagon? It really comes down to the classic trade-off between getting more eyeballs on your products and keeping control of your brand.
The benefits: A massive new sales channel
The main upside is pretty obvious: you get access to a gigantic, engaged audience. With over 700 million weekly users, ChatGPT is one of the most popular platforms on the planet. A lot of these folks are already asking shopping-related questions, which means they’re ready to buy. If ChatGPT recommends your product, you could suddenly be in front of a huge new group of customers.
The drawbacks: Losing control and brand identity
Here’s the catch. When a customer buys through ChatGPT, they’re having a "ChatGPT experience," not a "your brand" experience.
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No direct traffic: You miss the chance to get people onto your own website, where you’ve carefully crafted the look, feel, and user journey. You lose out on all those upselling and cross-selling opportunities.
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Generic look: Your products are just shown in a standard, neutral format. All the unique branding and storytelling that makes your stuff special gets stripped away.
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You’re at the mercy of the algorithm: Your visibility is completely in the hands of OpenAI’s recommendation algorithm, and nobody really knows how it works. There’s no "ChatGPT SEO" you can do to make sure you get shown for the right searches.
Losing data and customer relationships: The hidden cost
While you get the final order details, that all-important discovery phase happens on OpenAI’s turf. This means you lose out on valuable clues about what the customer was looking for and how they made their decision. The direct connection with the customer gets weaker, making it tougher to build real loyalty and bring them back for future purchases.
Owning your AI strategy vs. paying ChatGPT merchant fees
Selling through ChatGPT is a bit like setting up a booth in a giant, AI-run digital mall. You get a ton of foot traffic, but you’re just one of many vendors, and you have to play by the mall’s rules. The other option? Building your own AI-powered storefront right on your own website.
This is where a dedicated AI solution like eesel AI can give you a real edge. Instead of letting another platform run the conversation, you can put a custom AI chatbot directly on your site. This lets you tap into the power of conversational commerce while staying completely in the driver’s seat.
An eesel AI chatbot, trained on your Shopify catalog, help articles, and past customer tickets, becomes a true expert on your brand.
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Total customization: You get to decide the AI’s tone of voice, its personality, and exactly what it can do, making sure every chat feels true to your brand.
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Unified knowledge: It connects to all your information, from product specs to return policies, giving customers instant and correct answers without them ever having to leave your site.
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Go live in minutes: Seriously, setting up eesel AI is a self-serve process. You can have a fully working AI agent on your site in just a few minutes, no waiting for an invite or messing with complicated protocols.
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Transparent pricing: Unlike the fuzzy ChatGPT merchant fees, eesel AI has predictable, flat-rate pricing. You never pay per resolution, so you don’t get a surprise bill after a busy month.
| Feature | Selling via ChatGPT | Using eesel AI on Your Site |
|---|---|---|
| Brand Control | Low (Stuck with the standard ChatGPT look) | High (Fully customizable to match your brand) |
| Customer Data | Limited (OpenAI keeps the discovery data) | Complete (You own every bit of interaction data) |
| Fee Structure | Unclear (A variable, per-sale fee) | Transparent (Flat monthly fee, no hidden costs) |
| Setup Time | Varies (Depends on when they integrate) | Fast (Self-serve, live in minutes) |
| Key Advantage | Huge potential audience | Full control and stronger customer relationships |
A full breakdown of ChatGPT pricing plans
Just to be clear, the fees merchants pay are totally separate from the subscriptions that users have. The ChatGPT merchant fees are a transactional cost for you, while the plans below are what individuals and businesses pay to use the chatbot itself. Here’s a look at the public user plans for ChatGPT:
A screenshot of the ChatGPT pricing page, which is separate from the ChatGPT merchant fees charged to businesses.| Plan | Price | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/month | Access to GPT-5, web search, limited file uploads & custom GPTs. |
| Plus | $20/month | Everything in Free, plus extended model access, higher limits, and agent access. |
| Pro | $200/month | Everything in Plus, with unlimited access to GPT-5 & GPT-5 pro, and extended agent access. |
| Business | $25/user/month (annual) | Secure workspace, admin controls, data excluded from training, app connectors. |
| Enterprise | Contact Sales | Everything in Business, plus enterprise-grade security, expanded context window, and priority support. |
The future of commerce is conversational
OpenAI jumping into ecommerce is a loud and clear signal that the way people shop online is changing. This whole "agentic commerce" thing isn’t just a sci-fi concept anymore; it’s here. For merchants, this means we’re at a crossroads: do you take advantage of the massive reach of a platform like ChatGPT, or do you focus on building and owning your own conversational AI experience?
While it’s always smart to keep an eye on new channels, giving up control over your brand and customer relationships is a huge risk. The strategy that will likely hold up best in the long run is one that involves using AI on your own terms.
This video explores how AI e-commerce with ChatGPT and Shopify allows users to shop directly from personalized recommendations.
Ready to own your AI commerce strategy?
If you want the benefits of a smart AI shopping assistant without the mysterious fees and loss of brand control, eesel AI was built for you. Our platform lets you launch a fully customized AI chatbot on your website that learns from your product catalog, help docs, and past tickets to deliver an on-brand, expert experience every single time.
Turn more of those chats into sales and build stronger relationships with your customers.
Start your free eesel AI trial today and see just how easy it is to build an AI agent that truly works for you.
Frequently asked questions
ChatGPT merchant fees are the commissions businesses pay to OpenAI for sales made directly through the Instant Checkout feature. When a customer buys a product recommended by ChatGPT, a "small fee" is applied to that transaction. This process is powered by Stripe and integrated with platforms like Shopify and Etsy.
Currently, OpenAI has not publicly disclosed the exact percentage for ChatGPT merchant fees, only stating it will be a "small fee." It appears the rates are set through individual agreements with partners. Merchants are advised to estimate impact using standard affiliate or marketplace rates, typically 5-15%, for margin calculations.
Yes, a drawback of paying ChatGPT merchant fees is a potential loss of control. While you receive final order details, the crucial discovery and decision-making phases occur on OpenAI’s platform, limiting your access to customer data and insights. This can make building direct loyalty and understanding customer journeys more challenging.
Paying ChatGPT merchant fees provides access to a massive, engaged audience, potentially leading to a significant sales boost by exposing your products to millions of active users. However, visibility is subject to OpenAI’s recommendation algorithm, and sales are not guaranteed, as success depends on many factors including product relevance and competition.
Even after a sale is completed via Instant Checkout and ChatGPT merchant fees are incurred, you retain full responsibility for order fulfillment. This includes accepting/declining the order, charging the customer’s payment method, handling sales tax, managing shipping, and processing any returns, just like any other direct sale.
Yes, you can leverage AI for commerce without paying ChatGPT merchant fees by implementing your own AI-powered solutions, such as a custom AI chatbot on your website. Platforms like eesel AI allow you to train an AI on your specific product catalog and brand information, offering a fully controlled and customized customer experience with transparent pricing.
