↑↓ navigate↵ openesc close

Profit Per Order Calculator

Find what you keep from one order after the costs you enter and returns.

  • Free
  • Nothing saved
  • Updated October 13, 2026
  • Sources read October 13, 2026
CalculatorRuns in your browser. Nothing is saved.
What the buyer pays

The price of the item after any discount. Leave out sales tax.

What the buyer pays you for shipping. Use 0 for free shipping.

What you pay on each order

What the items in this order cost you. For print on demand, use the provider's charge for the product and the print.

Your label or your provider's shipping charge. This is not the shipping the buyer paid.

Box, mailer, tape, inserts.

Marketplace and payment fees charged as a percent of what the buyer pays. Use 0 if you enter dollars below.

Fees charged as a flat amount per order. You can also enter your whole fee here in dollars and use 0 above.

Ad spend divided by the number of orders in the same period.

Anything else this order costs you, such as your own time. Use the same rule every time.

Returns

Use your own order history. Use 0 to leave returns out.

What you pay when an order comes back, such as the return label. Use 0 if you pay nothing.

The share of the product cost you get back because you can sell the item again. Use 0 if you cannot.

All starting values are example numbers. The fees are not any platform's rate.

US dollars, USD. Use up to two decimal places without commas or currency symbols. Nothing you enter is saved or sent.

Result

Enter your order details. Your profit updates as you type.

Profit per order$5.95
Profit$5.95

In short

This profit per order calculator shows what you keep after the costs you enter and the average cost of returns. Revenue is the money from a sale. Costs are what you pay for that order. Profit is what is left. Margin is profit as a share of the order total.

It is for sellers on marketplaces, online shops and print on demand. Sales can rise while costs use up what you earn. Enter each cost to see which ones reduce your profit. This is an amount per order before fixed costs, not net income.

  • Profit per order
    $5.95
    example after entered costs and returns
  • Margin on the order total
    16.08%
    example profit divided by order total
  • Profit before ads
    $9.95
    example ad budget to break even
  • Average cost of returns
    $2.05
    per order in this example
The payment from one order flows along a path to the product maker, the delivery van, packing, and fees and ads. A small stack of coins is left at the end.
The money from one order pays for many costs. What is left at the end is your profit per order.

Inputs

How to use it

Item price (USD)
$32.00
The price of the item after any discount. Leave out sales tax.
Shipping charged to the buyer (USD)
$5.00
What the buyer pays you for shipping. Use 0 for free shipping.
Product cost (USD)
$15.00
What the items in this order cost you. For print on demand, use the provider's charge for the product and the print.
Shipping you pay (USD)
$5.50
Your label or your provider's shipping charge. This is not the shipping the buyer paid.
Packaging (USD)
$0.50
Box, mailer, tape, inserts.
Fees as a share of the order total (%)
10%
Marketplace and payment fees charged as a percent of what the buyer pays. Use 0 if you enter dollars below.
Fixed fees per order (USD)
$0.30
Fees charged as a flat amount per order. You can also enter your whole fee here in dollars and use 0 above.
Ad cost per order (USD)
$4.00
Ad spend divided by the number of orders in the same period.
Other costs per order (USD)
$0.00
Anything else this order costs you, such as your own time. Use the same rule every time.
Share of orders returned or refunded (%)
5%
Use your own order history. Use 0 to leave returns out.
Cost of a return (USD)
$4.00
What you pay when an order comes back, such as the return label. Use 0 if you pay nothing.
Product cost you get back on a return (%)
0%
The share of the product cost you get back because you can sell the item again. Use 0 if you cannot.

Profit per order calculator: which costs count?

Count these

6
  • Product costYesWhat the goods cost you. This can include shipping to get them and tax paid on goods bought for resale.
  • Shipping you payYesYour shipping label or provider charge.
  • PackagingYesBox, mailer, tape and inserts.
  • Marketplace and payment feesYesCount each fee once. Do not enter the same fee in both fee boxes.
  • AdsYesAd spend divided by orders in the same period.
  • ReturnsYesUse the returns boxes. Do not add the same costs to Other costs.

Your call

1
  • Your own timeYour choiceUse one rule each time you count it.

Leave out

2
  • Sales tax the buyer paysNoLeave it out of the item price and shipping charged.
  • Rent, software and other fixed costsNoThese are costs you pay whatever you sell. They do not belong to one order.

The IRS says sales tax charged to the buyer is not your income. That is the tax you must collect and pay to the state or local government. A tax imposed on you as the seller is treated differently, so ask a tax professional about yours.

One platform holds the costs of an order, such as the product, shipping, packing, ads and returns. A separate platform holds rent and software.
Count the costs of the order itself. Rent and software stay out, because you pay them whatever you sell.

The math

How it is calculated

Here is how this calculator works. All costs means product cost, shipping you pay, packaging, fees, ads and other costs. Return rate is returned orders divided by orders, shown as a percent. Product cost back is product cost times the share you can recover. A returned order is refunded in full. You do not get back the fees, the postage you paid, the packaging or the ad cost. You pay the cost of a return that you enter, and you get back the share of the product cost that you enter.

Order total
order total = item price + shipping charged
Fees
fees = order total × fee % + fixed fee
Profit if kept
profit if kept = order total − all costs
Cost of one return
cost of one return = order total + return cost − product cost back
Average cost of returns
average cost of returns = cost of one return × return rate
Profit per order
profit per order = profit if kept − average cost of returns
Margin
margin = profit per orderorder total × 100
Profit before ads
profit before ads = profit per order + ad cost

Excel and Google Sheets

Order profit in a spreadsheet

Put the inputs in cells B2 through B13 in the order shown here. Enter percents as numbers, such as 10 for the example fee.

CellInput
B2Item price
B3Shipping charged
B4Product cost
B5Shipping you pay
B6Packaging
B7Fee percent
B8Fixed fee
B9Ad cost
B10Other costs
B11Return rate
B12Cost of a return
B13Product cost back percent
B14=B2+B3
CellWhat it givesFormulaExample
B14Order total=B2+B3$37.00
B15Fees=ROUND(B14*B7/100,2)+B8$4.00
B16Profit if kept=B14-(B4+B5+B6+B15+B9+B10)$8.00
B17Cost of one return=B14+B12-ROUND(B4*B13/100,2)$41.00
B18Average cost of returns=ROUND(B17*B11/100,2)$2.05
B19Profit per order=B16-B18$5.95

Spreadsheet ROUND rounds ties away from zero, as this tool does for the returns line. Spreadsheets use binary numbers, so a sum can differ by a cent in rare tie cases.

Example

Worked example

A print-on-demand shirt sells for $32.00, plus $5.00 shipping. All inputs are made-up example numbers. The 10% plus $0.30 fee is not any platform's rate.

Order total$32.00 item + $5.00 shipping$37.00
Product costEntered$15.00
Shipping you payEntered$5.50
PackagingEntered$0.50
Marketplace and payment fees10% of $37.00 + $0.30$4.00
Ad costEntered$4.00
Profit if the order is kept$37.00 − $29.00$8.00
Average cost of returns5% × ($37.00 + $4.00 − $0.00)$2.05
Profit per order
$5.95
$8.00 − $2.05
Margin on the order total
16.08%
$5.95 ÷ $37.00

Of the $37.00 order, $5.95 is left after each cost and the average cost of returns. A kept order leaves $8.00. A returned order loses $33.00.

Where the example order goes

From order total to profit
Order total$37.00
Product cost−$15.00
Shipping you pay−$5.50
Packaging−$0.50
Fees−$4.00
Ads−$4.00
Average cost of returns−$2.05
Profit per order$5.95
Product cost −$15.00Shipping you pay −$5.50Packaging −$0.50Fees −$4.00Ads −$4.00Average cost of returns −$2.05Profit per order $5.95

In print on demand the buyer pays you and you pay the provider for the product, the print and the shipping. Printful, for example, lists the base price, shipping, extra customization fees and tax as separate charges. It also says it does not accept returns or exchanges for buyer's remorse, wrong size or wrong color. So a change-of-mind return can cost you the whole product cost. Check the policy of the provider you use.

These are facts from one provider, checked on October 13, 2026. All money, fees and return inputs in the example are made up.

Three cases

Discounts and advertising examples

CaseWhat changesOrder totalAverage cost of returnsProfit per orderMargin
Starting numbersNone$37.00$2.05$5.9516.08%
No adsAd cost $0.00$37.00$2.05$9.9526.89%
Free shippingShipping charged $0.00$32.00$1.80$1.705.31%
More returnsReturn rate 15%$37.00$6.15$1.855.00%
20% off the itemItem price $25.60$30.60$1.73$0.511.67%

Each row changes one input from the starting example. A discount leaves less money to cover the same costs.

Interpret

Reading your result

Profit or loss

Positive profit is money left after your entered costs. Negative profit means those costs exceed the order total. Profit margin per order divides this amount by the whole order total, including shipping charged.

A returned order

The returned-order result is what you lose or keep if this one order is fully refunded. It is not a forecast. A negative returns cost means returning the item costs less than keeping the order.

Profit before ads

This is the most you can spend on ads per order and break even. Break-even means profit is zero after your entered costs. If this amount is negative, the order loses money even without ads.

Margin before ads and ROAS

ROAS is revenue divided by ad spend. The example margin before ads is 26.89%. Enter that in the Break-Even ROAS Calculator for about 3.72×. Returns are already counted in that margin.

Gross margin and net income

Gross margin subtracts only the cost of goods sold from net sales. Ads are a selling expense that comes after gross margin. Net income also counts overhead and other income or costs. Read the Profit Margin page for those levels.

How the return rate changes profit

Return rate against profit per order
-$5.00$0.00$5.00$10.000%5%10%15%20%25%30%Profit per order19.51%: break-even

Return rate (%) · Profit per order (USD)

Use your own return rate. This example is not a forecast of how many orders will come back.

What can I spend on ads?

Subtract the profit you want from profit before ads to find your ad budget per order.

The example leaves $9.95 before ads. For $5.00 profit per order, the ad budget is $4.95.

Use your own ad costs and profit goal. The page gives no average or target for your shop.

Ad cost per orderProfit per orderMargin
$0.00$9.9526.89%
$2.00$7.9521.49%
$4.00$5.9516.08%
$6.00$3.9510.68%
$8.00$1.955.27%
$10.00-$0.05-0.14%

Avoid

Common mistakes

  1. Leaving out the shipping label

    Count shipping charged as money in, and shipping you pay as a cost. They are separate amounts.

    Wrong
    $11.45 profit
    Right
    $5.95 profit

  2. Leaving out ads

    Ad spend reduces what you keep. Enter your cost per order for the same period as your sales.

    Wrong
    $9.95 profit
    Right
    $5.95 profit

  3. Leaving out returns

    A refund lowers sales. Postage, packaging, ads and fees remain costs in this model. A return may also add a return label cost.

    Wrong
    $8.00 profit
    Right
    $5.95 profit

  4. Applying the percent fee to the item only

    This model charges the percent on item price plus shipping. Item-only fees would be $3.50, leaving $6.45. If your fee uses another base, enter the actual dollar fee and set the percent to 0.

    Wrong
    $3.50 fees
    Right
    $4.00 fees in this model

  5. Dividing by the item price

    Use the order total as the margin base. The item price leaves out the shipping that the buyer pays.

    Wrong
    18.59%
    Right
    16.08%

Limits

What it does not include

  • Enter totals for the whole order if it has several items. There is no quantity field or quantity discount model.
  • It leaves out currency changes, subscriptions, fixed overhead, income tax and how long money takes to arrive. It gives no monthly total.
  • Partial refunds, discounts stacked on refunds and platform rules on fee refunds are outside this model.
  • Money can be $0.00 to $1,000,000,000.00 per box. Item price must be at least $0.01. Percents can be 0 to 100. Each input allows at most two decimal places.
  • The percent fee and product cost back round half up to the cent. The average returns cost rounds ties away from zero. That line rounds before it is subtracted, so the result lines add up.
  • Nothing you enter is saved or sent. This tool gives no tax, legal or financial advice.

Questions

Questions

What about gross, operating and net margin?

Those levels count different costs. See how each level works on the Profit Margin page. Gross, operating and net margin

What is contribution margin per order?

Contribution margin is the selling price less the costs that change with each unit sold. This per-order amount is what remains to help cover fixed costs and profit. Contribution margin calculator

What is a healthy profit margin per order?

Choose the profit you need from your own costs and goals. This page gives no benchmark. The ad budget table shows how to work backward from a profit goal.

How does order quantity change profit per order?

Use the totals for all items in the order. Do not multiply the fixed fee by the number of items. A monthly total needs a separate choice about which fixed costs to subtract.

Can a discount code turn an order into a loss?

Yes, if the lower order total no longer covers your costs. In the example, a 20% item discount leaves $0.51. Change your own price to check the result.

Sources

Sources and review

Sources6 official pages, each read on the date shownShow allHide
  1. OpenStax: merchandising and net salesopenstax.org · Read

    Net sales, returns, allowances and cost of goods sold. It does not define gross margin in its text.

  2. OpenStax: income statementsopenstax.org · Read

    Gross margin, selling expenses such as ads, and net income. It does not set a profit target for an order.

  3. OpenStax: contribution marginopenstax.org · Read

    The amount left after variable costs to cover fixed costs and profit. It does not give this tool's returns model.

  4. IRS: Publication 334 (2025)irs.gov · Read

    How sales tax collected from buyers is treated for income, and tax paid on goods bought for resale. It is not tax advice.

  5. Printful: returns and refundsprintful.com · Read

    One provider's return policy on the day read. It does not describe other providers.

  6. Printful: how payments workprintful.com · Read

    One provider's price structure on the day read. It does not describe other providers or set the example prices.

The page text was last updated on October 13, 2026 and the sources were last checked on October 13, 2026. Example figures are illustrative and were made with the same formulas as the calculator.