Ecommerce profit calculator
Profit per order, or contribution profit, is the order value minus everything that order costs you: product cost, the shipping label, pick and pack, packaging, card processing, the expected cost of returns and the marketing spent to win it. Divide it by the order value for your margin. Profit plus marketing is the most you can spend on marketing per order before the order stops making money.
The numbers filled in are example values; replace them with yours.
$13.62per order
Contribution profit: what one order leaves you before fixed costs.
A 20% margin on a $68.00 order. You could spend up to $27.62 on marketing per order and still break even.
Packing slip
| Line | Share of the order value | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Order value | $68.00 | |
| Product cost | 35% | −$23.80 |
| Shipping label | 13% | −$8.50 |
| Pick and pack | 5.9% | −$4.00 |
| Packaging | 1.3% | −$0.85 |
| Card processing | 3.3% | −$2.27 |
| Returns | 1.4% | −$0.96 |
| Marketing | 21% | −$14.00 |
| You keep | 20% | $13.62 |
Before rent, salaries, software and other fixed costs.
How profit per order is worked out
Start from what the customer pays and take away every cost that comes with that one order. What is left is contribution profit: the money each order adds toward rent, salaries and everything else that doesn’t change with volume.
Product cost = $68.00 × 35% = $23.80
Card processing = $68.00 × 2.9% + $0.30 = $2.27
Returns = 8% × $12.00 = $0.96
Profit per order = $68.00 − $23.80 − $8.50 − $4.00 − $0.85 − $2.27 − $0.96 − $14.00 = $13.62
Margin = $13.62 ÷ $68.00 = 20%
Break-even marketing = $13.62 + $14.00 = $27.62
Average order value is what the customer pays, including any shipping you charge them. Shipping label is what you pay the carrier. If you offer free shipping, the label is all cost; work out the order value that pays for it with the free shipping threshold calculator.
Cost per return is everything one return costs you: the return label, handling, and the value of items you can’t resell. The calculator spreads it over every order at your return rate. Work out what returns cost across a month with the return rate calculator.
Pick and pack is the warehouse work per order, whether your own team or a 3PL does it. If you sell on Shopify, see how Shopify fulfillment works with Fulfillment Hub USA; our published pricing lists pick, storage and bin rates.
Profit at other marketing costs
Set a ceiling on what you pay to win an order. The break-even row is the most you can pay before the order stops making money.
| Marketing per order | Profit per order | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| $0.00 | $27.62 | 40.6% |
| $10.00 | $17.62 | 25.9% |
| $14.00Yours | $13.62 | 20% |
| $20.00 | $7.62 | 11.2% |
| $27.62Break-even | $0.00 | 0% |
| $30.00 | −$2.38 | −3.5% |
Online card rates, checked on 2026-10-30
The calculator’s card rate presets come from these pricing pages. Your statement is the final word; negotiated and volume rates differ.
| Provider and plan | Card rate | Also listed |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify Payments, Basic | 2.9% + 30¢ | Premium cards 3.5% + 30¢ |
| Shopify Payments, Grow | 2.7% + 30¢ | Premium cards 3.3% + 30¢ |
| Shopify Payments, Advanced | 2.5% + 30¢ | Premium cards 3.1% + 30¢ |
| Shopify Payments, Plus | 2.25% + 30¢ | Premium cards 2.95% + 30¢ |
| Stripe, standard | 2.9% + 30¢ | Domestic cards; +1.5% international, +0.5% manually entered, +1% currency conversion |
Shopify also lists online international rates at +1% on every plan, and third-party transaction fees of 2% (Basic), 1% (Grow), 0.6% (Advanced) and 0.2% (Plus) that may apply when you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments. Add those to the card fee if they apply to you. Sources: Shopify pricing and Stripe pricing.
Where to look when the margin is thin
Read the slip from the top. The biggest lines are usually the ones worth working on first.
Shipping you give away
Free shipping on every order puts the whole label on you. A threshold set at the right order value lets the extra spend pay for it; find it with the free shipping threshold calculator.
Returns
Every point of return rate adds a share of the cost per return to each order. See the full monthly cost with the return rate calculator, then work on the reasons items come back.
Pick, pack and packaging
Compare your own cost per order with a 3PL’s published rates. Fulfillment Hub USA lists pick fees from $2.85 for the first item on its pricing page, and connects to Shopify stores for Shopify fulfillment.
Marketing per order
Hold cost per order below the break-even figure above. Bigger baskets raise it: every extra dollar of order value adds its margin to what an order can afford.
Common questions
What is contribution profit per order?
It is what one order leaves you after the costs that come with it: order value − product cost − shipping − pick and pack − packaging − card processing − returns − marketing. For a $68 order with $54.38 of those costs, contribution profit is $13.62, a 20% margin. Fixed costs such as rent, salaries and software come out of the total across all orders, not per order.
How much can I spend on marketing per order?
Up to your profit per order before marketing. Add the marketing cost back to the profit per order: if an order makes $13.62 after $14.00 of marketing, you could spend up to $27.62 to win it and still break even. Spend more than that and every new order loses money.
What do Shopify Payments and Stripe charge per order?
Checked on 2026-10-30: Shopify Payments’ online standard card rates are 2.9% + 30¢ on the Basic plan, 2.7% + 30¢ on Grow, 2.5% + 30¢ on Advanced and 2.25% + 30¢ on Plus. Stripe’s standard rate is 2.9% + 30¢ per successful transaction for domestic cards, plus 1.5% for international cards, 0.5% for manually entered cards and 1% if currency conversion is required. Check your own statement for the rate you actually pay.
Does Shopify charge more if I don’t use Shopify Payments?
Shopify’s pricing page says third-party transaction fees may apply when you use a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus. Add that percentage to your provider’s card fee in the calculator.
What does pick and pack cost at a 3PL?
It depends on the 3PL and your volume. Fulfillment Hub USA publishes its rates: starting at $2.85 for the first item in an order and $0.70 for each extra item, with lower rates at higher volume tiers. The button in the calculator fills those starting rates for your items per order; enter packaging separately.
Sources
- Shopify, Pricing (Shopify Payments online card rates and third-party transaction fees by plan)
- Stripe, Pricing (standard rate for domestic cards and surcharges)
Checked 2026-10-30. Rules change; confirm with the carrier or agency before you rely on a number.
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