TikTok Shop vs Amazon, Temu, AliExpress: which channel to choose for selling online?

General comparison of major marketplaces

Figures are approximate 2026 reach and commission ranges; audience metrics differ by platform, and commissions vary by category, model and market.

Why TikTok Shop stands out

• A massive, mobile audience: close to 1.9 billion monthly users worldwide.
• Creators do the selling: on TikTok Shop, affiliated creators drive around 70% of European sales, more than any other lever.
• An integrated shopping channel: users stay in-app to discover and buy in a few taps.
• Native formats: shoppable videos, lives and brand challenges built for discovery.

🔥 TikTok Shop is built for the attention economy: fast visibility, immediate conversion.

Strengths of the other marketplaces

Each platform brings something different:

• Amazon: strong logistics, high conversion, and unmatched search-driven demand, though the fee stack and competition are heavy.
• Temu: ultra-competitive prices and volume. It has moved past its zero-commission launch phase and now onboards local European sellers under a semi-managed model, so it's no longer purely cross-border.
• AliExpress: a low-cost gateway to international sales.
• Cdiscount: a credible French marketplace with strong local presence.

These platforms reward a structured strategy: tight margin control, sharp pricing and consistent operations.

The real difference: how each channel sells

The commission numbers matter less than the model behind them. Amazon and Cdiscount are search-and-buy marketplaces, where demand already exists and you compete on price, content and delivery. Temu and AliExpress compete on price above all. TikTok Shop is the outlier: demand is created by creators and content, not captured from search. That's why its winners budget it as a media channel, funding creator commissions, rather than treating it as one more feed to switch on.

Combine TikTok Shop and marketplaces with Lengow

Why choose when you can centralise? With Lengow, you can:

• Distribute your catalogue on TikTok Shop, Amazon, Cdiscount and more
• Synchronise your orders, stock and product data
• Manage your campaigns from a single interface

👉 See how Lengow connects your sales channels

Conclusion: towards a smart multichannel strategy

TikTok Shop stands out for its modernity and viral power. Amazon, Temu, AliExpress and Cdiscount remain solid pillars, each with a different job to do. The point isn't to pick one, it's to find the right combination for your goals, and to sell each channel the way it actually works.