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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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