How do POD platform fees work?

Most POD platforms charge a marketplace commission on the item price, a payment processing fee on the total order (item + shipping), and sometimes an advertising fee for promoted listings. Self-hosted stores like Shopify skip the marketplace cut but still pay processing fees. Redbubble works differently — it sets the base price and you add your margin on top.

How much does Etsy charge POD sellers?

Etsy charges a 6.5% transaction fee on the item price plus shipping, around 3% + $0.25 in payment processing per order, and a $0.20 listing fee. POD sellers using Offsite Ads can pay an additional 12–15% on those specific orders.

What fees should I include when pricing POD products?

Marketplace commission, payment processing (% and fixed), advertising (Promoted Listings, off-site ads, or paid social), and any other fees — currency conversion, VAT collection, app subscriptions. Then add your POD base cost and shipping to find your true cost.

How do I calculate marketplace fees?

Multiply your selling price by the platform's marketplace fee percentage. Etsy: price × 6.5%. Shopify on its own store: 0%. Redbubble's commission is baked into the base price. Add a custom percentage in the calculator for Printify Pop-Up, Spring, or other channels.

What percentage of a POD sale goes to fees?

For most Etsy POD sellers, fees take 10–15% of revenue. Shopify POD sellers usually pay 3–5% in processing fees only. If you run ads, total fees commonly climb to 20–30% of revenue, which is why pricing for healthy margin from the start matters so much.

Print-on-Demand Fee Calculator

Estimate the marketplace, payment processing, and advertising fees on a POD sale across Etsy, Shopify, Printify, Printful, Gelato, Redbubble, TeePublic, and Spring — before you set your price. Pick a platform preset or enter custom rates.

Last Updated: June 2026

Built with current Etsy, Shopify, Printify, and Printful fee structures.

Free calculator
Instant estimate
No signup needed
Beginner friendly

Who this calculator helps

POD sellers comparing fee impact across Etsy, Shopify, Redbubble, TeePublic, and Spring.
Sellers expanding from one platform to another and wanting an apples-to-apples fee view.
Pricing planners running 'what if I raise my price by $3' scenarios on a single page.
Sellers modeling Etsy Offsite Ads (12–15%) effect on attributed orders.
POD newcomers picking a primary platform based on real fee math, not marketing copy.

POD platform preset

Selling price ($)

What the customer pays for the product (before shipping).

Shipping charged to customer ($)

Most platforms charge fees on shipping too.

Marketplace fee (%)

The platform's commission on the item price.

Payment processing fee (%)

Card processing — usually applied to price + shipping.

Processing fixed fee ($)

Per-order flat fee on top of the % (e.g. $0.25 or $0.30).

Etsy: 6.5% transaction fee + 3% + $0.25 payment processing (US).

Optional — ads & other fees

Advertising fee (%)

Off-site ads, promoted listings, or sponsored placements (% of item price).

Other fees per order ($)

Currency conversion, regulatory fees, app fees, etc.

Fees take about 9.3% per sale. You keep $27.23 before product and shipping costs.

Marketplace fees

$1.63

Payment processing fees

$1.15

Advertising fees

$0.00

Total fees

$2.78

Net amount after fees

$27.23

Before product + shipping cost

Effective fee percentage

9.25%

Fee breakdown

Gross $30.00

Marketplace fee
$1.63
Payment processing
$1.15
Advertising fee
$0.00
Other fees
$0.00
Net amount kept
$27.23

Net amount shown above is what the platform pays you — it does not yet subtract your product base cost or shipping cost. For real profit per item, use the Print-on-Demand Profit Calculator. Selling on Etsy or Shopify? Cross-check with the Etsy Fee Calculator or Shopify Fee Calculator.

All calculations are estimates based on average platform fees. Real profits may vary depending on category, ads, and shipping.

Free worksheet for your next step

Turn this calculator result into a plan with a matching worksheet, checklist, or printable resource.

ChecklistPrint-on-Demand
Print-on-Demand Profit Checklist
A checklist for reviewing base cost, fees, shipping, and margin before listing.
Open the checklist →
GuidePrint-on-Demand
Printful Pricing Guide
Learn how to price Printful products profitably using margin benchmarks, pricing formulas, shipping strategies, bundles, and product-specific examples.
Read the guide →

How to use this calculator

Enter your numbers in each field above — the calculator updates instantly as you type, so there's nothing to submit.
Use your real figures when you have them, or sensible estimates while you're planning. If a field doesn't apply, leave it at zero.
Compare the results, then change one input at a time to see how each lever (price, cost, fees, volume) moves the outcome.

When to use this calculator

Before listing a new POD product — confirm the platform's fees leave room for profit at your target price.
When evaluating a switch from Etsy to Shopify (or vice versa) for the same product line.
When deciding whether Promoted Listings or Offsite Ads pay back at your typical AOV.
When pricing low-ticket items where the flat per-order fee dominates effective fee %.
Together with the Print-on-Demand Profit Calculator to subtract base cost and shipping for real profit.

Formula

Marketplace Fee = Selling Price × Marketplace % · Processing Fee = (Selling Price + Shipping) × Processing % + Fixed Fee · Advertising Fee = Selling Price × Ad % · Total Fees = Marketplace + Processing + Advertising + Other · Net = Selling Price + Shipping − Total Fees · Effective % = (Total Fees ÷ Gross) × 100

Worked example

A $25 Etsy POD t-shirt with $5 shipping charged. Etsy preset: 6.5% marketplace, 3% + $0.25 processing, 0% ads, $0 other.

Marketplace fee = 25 × 0.065 = $1.63
Processing fee = (25 + 5) × 0.03 + 0.25 = $1.15
Advertising fee = 25 × 0 = $0.00
Total fees = 1.63 + 1.15 + 0 + 0 = $2.78
Net after fees = 30 − 2.78 = $27.22
Effective fee % = 2.78 ÷ 30 × 100 = 9.3%

Answer: $2.78 total fees · $27.22 net · 9.3% effective fee

More worked examples

Shopify POD sticker pack: $8 price, $1 shipping, Shopify (0% marketplace, 2.9% + $0.30 processing), no ads.

Marketplace = $0
Processing = 9 × 0.029 + 0.30 = $0.56
Total fees = $0.56 · Net = $8.44 · Effective = 6.2%

Answer: 6.2% effective fee — Shopify's no-marketplace-cut helps low-ticket POD margins a lot.

Etsy POD with Offsite Ads (post-$10k threshold): $40 hoodie + $6 shipping, 6.5% marketplace, 3% + $0.25 processing, 12% offsite ads on this order.

Marketplace = 40 × 0.065 = $2.60
Processing = 46 × 0.03 + 0.25 = $1.63
Offsite Ads = 40 × 0.12 = $4.80
Total fees = $9.03 · Effective = 9.03 ÷ 46 ≈ 19.6%

Answer: 19.6% effective — Offsite Ads turn a normal Etsy order into one of the most expensive sales channels in POD.

Redbubble Standard tier: $24 retail (20% markup on $20 base). Modeled as $20 marketplace baseline + 50% platform-fee on the $4 artist margin.

Effective marketplace cut ≈ $20 + (4 × 0.50) = $22 retained by Redbubble
Net to artist = $2

Answer: Use the dedicated Redbubble Profit Calculator — Redbubble's base-price model doesn't map cleanly to a percentage marketplace fee.

How it works

Every POD platform charges a slightly different mix of fees, and they're rarely shown together in one place. The three big ones are the marketplace commission (Etsy 6.5%, Shopify 0% on its own platform, Redbubble built into the base price), payment processing (typically a percentage plus a small fixed amount per order), and any advertising spend you treat as a per-sale cost.

This calculator stacks all three plus an Other Fees field for currency conversion, VAT, app subscriptions, or affiliate cuts. Two details trip sellers up most often. First: payment processing applies to the total the buyer pays, including the shipping you charge — not just the item price. Second: the flat per-order processing fee (often $0.25 to $0.30) eats a big share of low-priced products, which is why $5 stickers feel like a losing battle.

The net amount shown is what the platform pays out to your bank. It is not your profit — you still need to subtract the product base cost from your POD supplier (Printify, Printful, Gelato, etc.) and your actual shipping cost. For that view, use the Print-on-Demand Profit Calculator.

Expert tips

The flat per-order processing fee dominates effective fee % on items under $10 — push AOV with multi-pack bundles wherever possible.
Etsy Offsite Ads are mandatory once you cross $10k in 12 months — pre-bake the 12–15% into your effective fee % if you're near or past the threshold.
Compare fees at YOUR average AOV, not a generic example — the same platform can be cheapest at $50 AOV and most expensive at $5 AOV.
Shopify Payments is almost always cheaper than third-party gateways once Shopify's transaction fee kicks in.
Net amount after fees is not profit — subtract supplier base cost and your real shipping with the Print-on-Demand Profit Calculator.

How to interpret your results

Dollar values are shown per sale, per order, or per item unless a result is explicitly labelled monthly, weekly, or daily.
Percentages (margin, ROI, conversion rate) are easier to compare across products and price points than raw dollars — use them when you benchmark.
A positive result means you're ahead after the costs and fees you entered. A negative result means the current numbers don't work — change a lever (raise price, cut a cost, lower ad spend) and recalculate.
Treat the output as a planning estimate, not a guarantee. Fees, taxes, and conversion rates shift over time — re-run the numbers whenever a key input changes.

Limitations

Presets reflect public 2026 US rates — international rates, B2B/wholesale tiers, and enterprise plans differ.
Doesn't model refunds and partial refunds — most platforms keep some fees on refunded orders.
Doesn't include chargeback or dispute fees.
Currency conversion drag on cross-border orders is not modeled.
Redbubble's base-price model is approximated; use the Redbubble Profit Calculator for accuracy.

Common mistakes

Forgetting that marketplace and processing fees apply to shipping charged, not just the item price.
Ignoring the flat per-order processing fee — it can be 5–10% of revenue on cheap products.
Treating net amount after fees as profit. It still has to cover product cost and your real shipping cost.
Using the wrong platform preset. Etsy, Shopify, and Redbubble all charge fees differently.
Skipping ad costs. Promoted Listings, Etsy Offsite Ads, and Facebook ads all eat into margin and should be modeled per sale.

Go deeper with plain-English guides on the same topic.

FAQ

How do POD platform fees work?: Most POD platforms charge a marketplace commission on the item price, a payment processing fee on the total order (item + shipping), and sometimes an advertising fee for promoted listings. Self-hosted stores like Shopify skip the marketplace cut but still pay processing fees. Redbubble works differently — it sets the base price and you add your margin on top.
How much does Etsy charge POD sellers?: Etsy charges a 6.5% transaction fee on the item price plus shipping, around 3% + $0.25 in payment processing per order, and a $0.20 listing fee. POD sellers using Offsite Ads can pay an additional 12–15% on those specific orders.
What fees should I include when pricing POD products?: Marketplace commission, payment processing (% and fixed), advertising (Promoted Listings, off-site ads, or paid social), and any other fees — currency conversion, VAT collection, app subscriptions. Then add your POD base cost and shipping to find your true cost.
How do I calculate marketplace fees?: Multiply your selling price by the platform's marketplace fee percentage. Etsy: price × 6.5%. Shopify on its own store: 0%. Redbubble's commission is baked into the base price. Add a custom percentage in the calculator for Printify Pop-Up, Spring, or other channels.
What percentage of a POD sale goes to fees?: For most Etsy POD sellers, fees take 10–15% of revenue. Shopify POD sellers usually pay 3–5% in processing fees only. If you run ads, total fees commonly climb to 20–30% of revenue, which is why pricing for healthy margin from the start matters so much.

Why trust this calculator?

This tool uses standard mathematical formulas and commonly accepted calculation methods, shown openly in the Formula section above so you can verify the math yourself. Results are estimates based on the information you enter and do not account for every individual circumstance. For important financial, tax, legal, medical, or business decisions, please double-check with a qualified professional before acting on the numbers.

Keep going

One calculator rarely tells the full story. Pair this one with a related tool below to pressure-test your numbers from a different angle, or browse Work & Money Calculators for more in the same category.

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