Mercado Libre in Chile: fees, the 6% duty, and market entry
A small but solvent market with the simplest customs regime in the set: a flat 6% duty and zero under free-trade agreements.
Platform and customs conditions
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Selling fee | 13–20%3 |
| Free-shipping threshold | CLP 19,9904 |
| Fixed fee on low-priced items | CLP 700 at a price up to 9,990, CLP 1,000 up to 19,990. Above the threshold there is no fee4 |
| VAT / IVA | 19%5 |
| Import duty | a flat rate of 6% on the customs value; 0% under free-trade agreements5 |
| Mercado Libre's position | A strong player, but the local retailers Falabella and Ripley hold a noticeable share6 |
| Momentum | GMV +40% year over year, Q1 20267 |
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There is no reliable figure in open sources for Mercado Libre's share of Chile's e-commerce market, so we do not quote a specific percentage. Every other figure on this page — fees, the shipping threshold, VAT, and duty — carries a link to its source at the bottom of the page.
How we work in this country
Entry route
The fastest route is Partnership: our company imports and sells the goods, and you do not need a legal entity. If the market takes off, we open a company in your name.
Logistics
We pick up the cargo at your supplier, ship it, clear customs, and put it in the warehouse. You choose the product and the supplier.
What you need to know about entering Mercado Libre in Chile
Chile is a small market by population (19.9 million people), but it has the most predictable customs regime of the six countries: instead of a grid of rates by tariff code, a flat 6% duty applies to the customs value, and 0% under free-trade agreements. For a seller that means the landed-cost calculation does not depend on how the product is classified, and the chance of an unpleasant surprise at the border is markedly lower.
The marketplace fee in Chile is above average — 13–20% — VAT is 19%, and the free-shipping threshold is CLP 19,990 (about $21). At the same time, purchasing power in the country is among the highest in the region, so Chile is usually considered for mid-priced and premium goods rather than a cheap mass-market assortment.
We open the company in Chile for the project and run operations through local contractors. Most often this country becomes the second or third market: the same product that already proved itself in Argentina enters Chile with a ready listing and understood unit economics. You can run your own case in the calculator — it accounts for Chilean rates.
Other markets
- Fee
- 11.8–17.1%
- Shipping threshold
- ARS 33,000
- Population
- 46.0 million
- Presence
- we operate on the ground
- Fee
- 11–19%
- Shipping threshold
- R$ 79
- Population
- 213.6 million
- Presence
- team with local citizenship
- Fee
- 8–20.5%
- Shipping threshold
- MXN 299
- Population
- 133.0 million
- Presence
- opened on request
Let us calculate your product for Chile
Send us the category, purchase price, weight, and volume — we come back with the unit economics within 24 hours.
Sources
- Worldometer, population — data as of 2026
- ExchangeRate-API — data as of August 4, 2026
- Wivo Analytics, Chile — data as of May 23, 2026
- Nubimetrics, fee breakdown — data as of August 28, 2025
- Servicio Nacional de Aduanas, Chile — data as of 2026
- eMarketer, Latin America e-commerce market shares — data as of May 6, 2025
- Mercado Libre Q1 2026 report — data as of May 7, 2026