Shopify's transaction costs are low, but the monthly plan is a fixed cost you need to spread across every order.
The true cost of selling on Shopify in 2026
Every fee below comes from one verified data source (last checked 2026-10). Pay attention to the "charged on" column — most fees apply to the whole order, not just your item price.
| Fee | Percentage | Fixed | Charged on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card processing | 2.9% / 2.7% / 2.5% | $0.30 | Order total, Basic / Grow / Advanced |
| Third-party gateway | 2% / 1% / 0.6% | — | Order total, by plan |
| Plan subscription | — | $39+/mo | Fixed monthly |
Shipping you charge the buyer is part of the fee base on most platforms. That means "cheap shipping, higher item price" and "higher shipping, cheaper item" cost you exactly the same in fees — the only way to lower fees is to lower the order total or move sales to cheaper channels.
Amortising your subscription
The Basic plan is $39/month billed monthly. At 20 orders a month that is $1.95 per order — more than the card fee on a $40 sale. At 300 orders it drops to $0.13.
Apps, themes and email tools add up too. Add their monthly cost to the plan field to see your fully loaded per-order platform cost.
Real-world worked example: breaking down a sale
Using this page's default inputs:
- Item price $45.00 + shipping charged $5.00 = order total $50.00.
- Card processing 2.9% + 30¢: −$1.75
- Plan cost per order: −$0.39
- Total platform fees: −$2.14 (4.3% of the order).
- Your costs (product, shipping, packaging): −$18.00.
- Net cash in pocket: $29.86 — a 59.7% margin. Break-even list price: $14.25.
How to protect your profit margins on Shopify
- Annual billing cuts the plan cost ~25%.
- Use the orders-per-month slider to find when Grow beats Basic on processing savings.
- Count packaging, labels, tape and inserts in your costs — at $0.50–$1.50 per order they're often the forgotten 3% of margin.
- Use reverse mode before you list: decide the profit you want, then price to it, rather than discovering your margin after the sale.
Frequently asked questions
Does Shopify charge fees on customer shipping?
Yes. Transaction and payment processing fees are levied against the entire transaction total, including buyer-paid shipping and any gift wrap options.
What is the minimum selling price to avoid losing money (break-even)?
The break-even threshold is the exact price at which revenue covers product cost, packaging, shipping, ad spend and all platform percentage and flat fees. FeeOrbit computes it live in the results card.
How does the reverse pricing calculator work?
Reverse mode lets you set the net profit you want (for example $20). The engine solves for the list price needed after deducting every percentage and flat fee: price = (profit + costs + flat fees) ÷ (1 − percentage fees) − shipping charged.
Is my financial or product data saved or shared?
No. FeeOrbit runs entirely in your browser. Inputs are only stored in your own browser's local storage so they're there next visit — nothing is sent to a server.
How current are these fee rates?
All fee constants were last verified in 2026-10 against each platform's published fee schedule. Platforms change fees regularly, so always confirm with your seller dashboard.