Wildberries and Ozon,
priced so promotions do not quietly cost you money
Both platforms push sellers into near-constant discount campaigns. A seller who joins every one without checking the real margin can sell a lot and still lose money. We set up the account, build the required card content, and price every SKU so a promotion never goes below cost.
Where margin disappears on these platforms
Wildberries and Ozon both run an unusually high volume of promo and discount campaigns, and sellers are invited to join most of them. Saying yes to every invitation is the default. It is also how a catalogue can look like it is selling well while losing money on a share of its orders. The discount stacks with platform fees, and nobody checked.
Card content is not optional in the way it might be elsewhere. Both platforms reward listings with properly formatted infographic images, and a seller who uploads plain product photos usually gets outranked by one who did not. Getting this right by category, at scale, is its own piece of work.
Logistics adds a real decision. FBO puts stock in the platform’s own warehouses and can win better placement, but it comes with storage costs and less control over returns. FBS keeps stock and fulfilment in the seller’s hands, which protects margin if the seller’s own logistics is actually fast enough to compete. Choosing without modelling both against real numbers is how sellers end up stuck with the wrong one for months.
Penalties and claims are the last piece. Both platforms fine sellers for issues ranging from packaging to delivery timing. The fines can be easy to miss inside a busy payout report, until they add up.
What we set up and manage
Account setup covers registration and category approval on both platforms. Card content gets built to each platform’s required infographic format, by category, instead of a generic template stretched across very different products.
We model FBO against FBS using your real margin, order volume and how fast your own logistics actually moves. Then we recommend the one that protects your numbers, not the one that looks simpler to launch. Pricing goes in with a margin floor that survives mandatory promo participation, the same logic behind any marketplace automation project we build. We also set a clear rule for which promo invitations are worth joining, based on the real margin after every fee and discount.
A per-SKU unit economics dashboard tracks revenue, platform fees and advertising cost against each other. A SKU that looks busy but unprofitable gets caught before it drags down the whole catalogue. Penalties and claims get tracked as they appear. We dispute the ones that are actually disputable, rather than promising every fine can be reversed.
From setup to a priced, monitored catalogue
- Account and category setup. Registration and approval on both platforms.
- Card content. Infographic-format images built to each platform’s requirements, by category.
- Logistics decision. FBO or FBS, modelled against your real margin and volume.
- Pricing and promo rules. A margin floor that survives mandatory promotions, and a rule for which ones to skip.
- Economics and penalties. A per-SKU dashboard, plus ongoing tracking of fines and claims.
What it costs
| Package | Price | What it covers | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup and first catalogue | from $1,500 | Account setup, card content, pricing for an initial catalogue | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Ongoing management | from $1,000 / month | Promo decisions, repricing, unit economics dashboard, penalty tracking | monthly, no lock-in |
| Multi-marketplace automation | from $8,000 | One pricing engine and catalogue across Wildberries, Ozon and other marketplaces | 8 to 12 weeks |
What sellers like you typically see
Sellers on these platforms are commonly invited into promo campaigns on a near-daily basis - an industry pattern, not a number we are promising for your account. Catalogues priced with a margin floor that already accounts for mandatory promotions tend to avoid the trap of high revenue with thin or negative real margin.
We ran the same margin-guard logic on our own marketplace before launch: it checked 864 orders and found zero priced below cost. See the full detail in the digital goods marketplace automation case study. Our e-commerce rebuild work is in the supplements store case study, with sales growing ×10 in a year - one client, results vary.
Why work with Senator Media on this
We price for these platforms the way we price our own marketplace: counting every fee and every mandatory promo before a number goes live. You get a fixed price for setup and a dashboard that shows real margin per SKU, not just revenue.
If your current catalogue cannot survive these platforms’ promo structure at any price, we say so during setup. See the full breakdown on our e-commerce and marketplaces service, or get a written plan for your catalogue.
FAQ
How much does Wildberries and Ozon setup cost?
Setup and the first priced catalogue starts at $1,500. Ongoing pricing, promo decisions and the economics dashboard start at $1,000 a month. Running one pricing engine across several marketplaces is $8,000 and up.
Should we join every promo campaign these platforms invite us to?
No. Some promos are worth it, and some quietly sell product below cost once the discount and the platform's own fees are both counted. We build a rule that checks the real margin before you opt in, instead of joining by default.
FBO or FBS - which is better?
It depends on your margin, your order volume and how much you trust your own warehouse's speed. We model both against your real numbers rather than defaulting to whichever one looks easier to set up.
What is card content, and why does it need its own design?
Both platforms expect infographic-style images on the product card, not just photos. Listings without them tend to convert worse. We build this content to each platform's specific format and size requirements.
Can you help if we get hit with a platform penalty or claim?
We track penalties and claims as they appear and dispute the ones that are actually disputable. Some are contractual and have to be paid. We tell you honestly which is which instead of promising every one can be reversed.
What does the unit economics dashboard actually show?
Revenue, platform fees, advertising cost and the real margin, by SKU, updated regularly instead of reconstructed by hand at month end. It is the same dashboard logic we build for any marketplace automation project.