Mercado Libre in Argentina: fees, taxes, and turnkey entry
The market we started with, and the one where we hold the most resources of our own. Here we run the warehouse, clear customs ourselves, and sell ourselves.
The founder and part of the team hold Argentine citizenship; our own warehouse in Buenos Aires, a customs broker, a registered importer.
- Capital
- Buenos Aires
- Population
- 46.0 million1
- Currency
- ARS, ~1673 per $1
Platform and customs conditions
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Selling fee | 11.8–17.1%2 |
| Free-shipping threshold | ARS 33,0002 |
| Fixed fee on low-priced items | ARS 1,095 at a price up to 15,000, ARS 2,190 up to 25,000, ARS 2,628 up to 33,000. Above the threshold there is no fee2 |
| VAT | 21%3 |
| Import duty | 0–35%3 |
| Mercado Libre's position | The country's No. 1 platform4 |
| Momentum | GMV +41% year over year in local currency, Q1 20265 |
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We use the rate of 1,673 pesos to the dollar as a working conversion rate for revenue, not as a market quote on a given date. The fixed-fee tiers in Argentina are revised in step with inflation, so the ARS 33,000 threshold (about $9.7) should be treated as a reference point: we verify the current values in the seller dashboard before every calculation.
How we work in this country
Entry route
The fastest option is Partnership: our company imports and sells the goods, and you need no legal entity of your own. If the market takes off, we open a company in your name.
Logistics
We collect the cargo from your supplier, ship it, clear customs, and place it in the warehouse. You choose the product and the supplier.
What you need to know about entering Mercado Libre in Argentina
Argentina is the market our project started from, and the only one of the six countries where we have our own warehouse, a customs broker, and a team with local citizenship. In practice that means the shipment does not have to be handed to a contractor you have never met: we receive the container, we clear it through customs, and we sell it. For a first test batch, that noticeably reduces the number of places where something can go wrong.
The economics in Argentina come down to three figures: the 11.8–17.1% selling fee, 21% VAT, and the fixed fee on low-priced items. The last one hits items priced up to roughly $20: the fee is deducted from every sale regardless of price, so a $12 item can hand a third of its revenue to the platform. If your product falls into that zone, it is smarter either to raise the price by bundling or to look at another category — we say so before importing, not after.
The import duty in Argentina ranges from 0 to 35% depending on the tariff code, and it is the code that most often decides whether a batch will be profitable. We check the classification before the cargo ships, together with the customs broker, and include the final rate in the calculation. You can run your own product against all these rates in the calculator, and the blog piece on VAT (IVA) and Ingresos Brutos explains what part of the taxes paid comes back.
Other markets
- Selling fee
- 11–19%
- Shipping threshold
- R$ 79
- Population
- 213.6 million
- Presence
- Team with local citizenship
- Selling fee
- 8–20.5%
- Shipping threshold
- MXN 299
- Population
- 133.0 million
- Presence
- Opened on request
- Selling fee
- 13–20%
- Shipping threshold
- CLP 19,990
- Population
- 19.9 million
- Presence
- Opened on request
We will calculate your product for Argentina
Send us the category, purchase price, weight, and volume — we come back with the economics within 24 hours.
Sources
- Worldometer, population — data for 2026
- Nubimetrics, Argentina — data as of August 28, 2025
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — data for 2026
- Quartr, Mercado Libre overview — data as of November 20, 2025
- Mercado Libre Q1 2026 report — data as of May 7, 2026