Mercado Libre in Colombia: fees, taxes, and starting to sell
A market that is growing faster than people tend to assume, and where competition among sellers is still noticeably lower than in Brazil.
Platform and customs conditions
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Selling fee | 9–20%3 |
| Free-shipping threshold | COP 60,0004 |
| Fixed fee on low-priced items | COP 2,500 at a price up to 30,000, COP 4,000 up to 60,000. Above the threshold there is no fee3 |
| VAT / IVA | 19%5 |
| Import duty | 0–20%, with individual tariff codes higher5 |
| Mercado Libre's position | One of the country's leading platforms6 |
| Momentum | GMV +28% over 20257 |
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Mercado Libre does not break Colombia out separately in its quarterly reporting, so we do not quote the platform's share of the local market — there is no verifiable data. The fees, thresholds, VAT, and duties on this page are backed by the sources at the bottom.
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 Colombia
Colombia is a market of 53.9 million people with growing e-commerce: Mercado Libre's GMV in the country added about 28% over 2025. The marketplace fee starts at 9%, VAT is 19%, and the import duty usually falls within 0–20%, though it can be higher for individual tariff codes — we verify the classification before the cargo ships.
A free-shipping threshold of COP 60,000 (roughly $19) and the fixed fee below that threshold make low-priced goods unattractive: as in the other countries of the region, the economics start to work on items from $20–25. In return, competition in most categories is lower than in Brazil and Mexico, and a new listing climbs the results faster.
In Colombia we open the company for the project and work through local contractors. This country is usually taken on as an expansion after the first successful market: the logistics setup and the listings are already worked out, and all that remains is adapting the price to local levels and recalculating taxes. You can compare Colombia with the other five countries in the summary table.
Other markets
- Fee
- 11.8–17.1%
- Shipping threshold
- ARS 33,000
- Population
- 46.0 million
- Presence
- we operate on the ground
- Fee
- 11–19%
- Shipping threshold
- R$ 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 Colombia
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
- Nubimetrics, fee breakdown — data as of August 28, 2025
- UpSeller, shipping thresholds — data as of November 24, 2025
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — data as of 2026
- Quartr, Mercado Libre overview — data as of November 20, 2025
- ECDB, Mercado Libre data — data as of 2025