Surviving the 25% Cut: A Netnographic Study of Fee Avoidance among Indonesian Shopee Sellers between Darurah and Hajah

Isa Mansyur Sholeh, Bakhrul Huda, Lilik Rahmawati

Abstract


This study analyses fee avoidance by Indonesian Shopee sellers and evaluates its legitimacy from the perspective of Islamic business ethics. A qualitative netnographic design was applied to 12 data units: public threads in an Indonesian Shopee seller Facebook community observed over three months, anonymized screenshots of fee deductions, and Shopee’s published fee schedule. The data were coded through open, axial, and selective coding and then assessed normatively using the maqasid al-shariah framework. The findings show that cumulative administrative, service, and program fees that reach 25 percent of the gross transaction value create substantial pressure on seller margins. Sellers respond through two repertoires: adaptive strategies within platform rules, such as price adjustment and selective program participation, and avoidance strategies that breach those rules, such as off-platform diversion and account switching. The community collectively rationalizes rule-breaking as an emergency. Under fiqh muamalah, however, this condition constitutes hajah rather than darurah and cannot justify departures from wafa bil-uqud and amanah. The study implies that ethical correction requires both seller literacy and greater transparency in platform fee policy. Its limitations are the passive observation of publicly available accounts and its single-platform focus, which restricts generalization.

Keywords


Fee Avoidance; E-Commerce; Islamic Business Ethics; Netnography; Hajah; Darurah; Digital Marketplace Misbehavior; User Deviance

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References


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