How to use the calculator
Choose your Shopify plan so the processing rate is right, then enter your selling price, product cost, shipping, and packaging. Use the sliders for your monthly app costs, your monthly order count (which spreads app costs across orders), ad spend per order, and return rate. The result updates as you go, and nothing is saved.
A worked example you can follow
Here is the default scenario on the Basic plan: a $65 product costing $14, with $6 shipping, $1.50 packaging, $89 a month in apps across 120 orders, $8 ad spend per order, and a 4% return rate.
Worked example · $65 order
Where the $65 actually goes
Selling price$65.00
Product cost (COGS)−$14.00
Shipping−$6.00
Packaging−$1.50
Payment processing (2.9% + $0.30)−$2.19
Apps per order ($89 ÷ 120)−$0.74
Ad spend per order−$8.00
Return loss (4%)−$0.80
Net profit per order$31.77
That is a 48.9% net margin, healthy for a direct-to-consumer store. Notice how the app cost per order shrinks as your order volume rises, which is why scaling helps.
What counts as a healthy margin on Shopify
Because you avoid a marketplace referral fee, Shopify stores can run higher margins than Amazon or TikTok sellers, but ad spend usually becomes the largest single cost. A common target is to keep product cost near 20% to 30% of price and to keep customer acquisition (your ad spend per order) under about a third of the price. A net margin above 20% after ads is a comfortable place to be.
Two costs are easy to underestimate. Payment processing is charged on every order and never goes away, and app subscriptions feel fixed but are really a per-order cost that only shrinks as volume grows. The calculator makes both visible so they stop being blind spots.
Using this to make better decisions
Model a product before you launch it, and raise your order-volume slider to see how apps and fixed costs dilute as you scale. If the margin is thin, the levers are usually price, sourcing, or ad efficiency. This is general educational guidance, not financial advice, so confirm your plan's current processing rate with Shopify.
Glossary of terms
New to selling online? Every term this calculator uses is defined below in plain language, with a quick example where it helps. No prior experience assumed.
- COGS (Cost of Goods Sold)
- What it costs you to obtain or make one unit of the product itself, not counting shipping or ads.Example: buying an item from a supplier for $8 means a COGS of $8.
- Payment processing fee
- A percentage plus a flat amount taken by the card processor on every order. On Shopify's Basic plan this is commonly 2.9% plus $0.30.Example: on a $65 order that is about $2.19.
- App cost per order
- Your monthly Shopify app subscriptions divided by your monthly order count, so each order carries its fair share.Example: $89 of apps across 120 orders is about $0.74 per order.
- Shopify plan
- Your subscription tier (Basic, Shopify, or Advanced), which sets your card processing rate. Higher tiers lower the rate but cost more per month.
- Transaction fee
- An extra fee Shopify charges if you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments. Using Shopify Payments avoids it.
- Ad spend per order
- How much you pay in advertising, on average, to generate one sale.Example: spending $300 to win 100 orders is $3 of ad spend per order.
- Return rate
- The share of your orders that customers send back, written as a percentage.Example: a 5% return rate means about 5 of every 100 orders come back.
- Net profit per unit
- What you actually keep from one sale after every cost has been subtracted from the price. This is the number that tells you whether a product makes money.
- Net margin
- Net profit shown as a percentage of the selling price, so products at different prices can be compared on equal footing.Example: $12 profit on a $30 sale is a 40% net margin.
- Gross vs. net
- Gross describes a figure before costs are removed; net is what remains after. Net is the honest number for decisions.
Frequently asked questions
Which Shopify plan should I select?
Pick the plan you actually pay for. Basic, Shopify, and Advanced each carry a different card processing rate, and the calculator adjusts the fee accordingly. Verify your current rate in your Shopify admin.
Why does my order volume change the result?
Your monthly app subscriptions are a fixed cost. Dividing them across more orders lowers the app cost carried by each order, so higher volume improves your per-order margin.
Does the calculator store the numbers I enter?
No. Every calculation happens locally in your browser and nothing is collected or transmitted.
Is this financial advice?
No. The results are estimates for your own planning, not financial, tax, or accounting advice. Always confirm current fees with Shopify.