Reseller profit calculator
Enter what it sold for and what it cost you, pick the platform, and see the profit that actually lands in your pocket.
- Sale price$45.00
- eBay fees-$6.52
- Shipping label-$5.50
- Packaging and supplies-$0.50
- What you paid for it-$8.00
- MarginProfit as a share of what the buyer paid54.40%
- Return on costProfit as a share of what you paid306.00%
How to use it
- Enter the sale price and what the buyer paid for shipping, if anything.
- Enter what you paid for the item, your label cost, and a few cents for packaging.
- Pick the platform. Fees are applied the way each marketplace actually charges them, including on buyer-paid shipping where that applies.
- Read the profit, the margin on the sale, and the return on what you paid.
Worked example
A thrifted jacket sells on eBay for $45.00 with free shipping. You paid $8.00, the label was $5.50 and the poly mailer $0.50.
eBay fees: $45.00 × 13.6% = $6.12, plus $0.40 = $6.52. Profit = $45.00 − $6.52 − $5.50 − $0.50 − $8.00 = $24.48, a 54.40% margin and a 306.00% return on cost.
How it's calculated
revenue = sale price + shipping paid by the buyer
profit = revenue − platform fees − shipping label − supplies − cost of goods
margin = profit ÷ revenue
return on cost = profit ÷ cost of goods
Platform fees use each marketplace’s current schedule: eBay 13.6% of the order plus a $0.30 or $0.40 per-order fee, Mercari 10% of the order, Poshmark $2.95 under $15 or 20% of the item price, Depop 3.3% + $0.45, Etsy 6.5% plus 3% + $0.25 plus the $0.20 listing fee, PayPal 2.99% + $0.49, Stripe 2.9% + $0.30. Sales tax the buyer pays is collected by the platform and doesn’t appear here.
FAQ
Should I count my time?
This calculator shows cash profit per item. If you want an hourly figure, divide the profit by the minutes spent sourcing, listing, and packing. Many full-time resellers aim for a minimum profit per item, say $15, rather than a margin percentage, because a 60% margin on a $5 item isn't worth the trip to the post office.
Why doesn't sales tax appear?
Marketplaces collect sales tax from the buyer and remit it themselves, so it never reaches you. eBay does charge its final value fee on the tax portion, which this calculator doesn't add; on a $45 sale in a 7% state that's about $0.43 more in fees.
Is margin or return on cost the better number?
Margin tells you how much of the buyer's money you keep, which matters when you're deciding on a price. Return on cost tells you how hard your sourcing money worked, which matters when you're deciding what to buy. Thrift flips often show a huge return on cost and a modest margin; retail arbitrage is the reverse.
What about returns and unsold items?
They're real costs but they don't belong on a per-item calculation. A common approach is to track them monthly and knock a few percent off your expected profit, for example 5% for returns and 10% for items that never sell.