Blog / Marketplaces
How marketplace fees quietly turn a good product into a loss
Commission, payment fees and shipping are taken from the sale. Here is how to price them in.
Last reviewed 2026-11-11
Marketplaces and payment providers take a share of the selling price. That share grows when you raise the price, so it cannot be treated as a fixed cost.
Say an item costs 12 to buy and ship, and the platform plus card fees take 15% of the sale. To keep a 20% margin the price must be 12 divided by 0.65, which is 18.46. Pricing it at 12 plus 20% gives 14.40, and after the 15% fees that leaves just 0.24 profit.
Rates differ by platform and change over time, so check the current rates with each one and enter your own numbers. The calculator keeps a preset for each major platform that you can edit.