Start from the selling price
Look at what the item has actually sold for recently, not what it is listed at. Add any postage the buyer pays, because selling fees are usually charged on that too.
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Reselling profit calculator
Check a flip before you buy: your profit, return and margin after selling fees, postage and packaging, and the most you can pay to make it worth it.
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Your profit
£17.50
ROI 291.7%
Margin 55.6%
Pay up to
£11.75
for a 100% return
Break-even buy price
£23.50
Pay more and you lose money
Where the money goes
of £31.50
- Selling fees 14%£4.40
- Postage and packaging 11%£3.60
- Item cost 19%£6.00
- Profit 56%£17.50
Guide
How to price a flip
Take off everything a sale costs
Selling fees are often a percentage of the total plus a fixed amount per order. Add the postage label and packaging. What is left pays for the item and your profit.
Set your maximum buy price
Decide the return you want before you shop. At a 100% target return you double your money, so you can pay up to half of what is left after fees and postage. The calculator works this out for any target.
- Break-even price: the most you can pay without a loss.
- Target price: the most you can pay and still hit your return.
ROI or margin?
ROI (return on investment) compares profit with what you paid: it tells you how hard your money works. Margin compares profit with the selling price. A cheap item can have a huge ROI and a small profit, so look at both.
How ProfitClerk works this out for you
- How your profit on each sale is calculatedSee how ProfitClerk turns an eBay sale into profit: what the buyer paid, less eBay fees, postage label, packaging, item cost, return postage and refunds.
- Postage the buyer paid vs postage you paidSee how ProfitClerk treats the postage the buyer paid as part of the sale and your label cost as a cost, so you can spot when postage loses you money.
- Add packaging costs to your salesAdd what boxes, mailers and padding cost to each eBay sale in ProfitClerk, by hand or from a spreadsheet, so every order's profit includes its packaging.
Questions
What is a good ROI for reselling?
Many resellers look for 100% or more on low-cost second-hand items (doubling their money), and accept less on expensive or fast-selling stock. Your time and storage matter too, so a quick £5 profit can beat a slow £15 one.
Which fee percentage should I use?
Use your marketplace's final value or commission rate, plus any payment processing fee, as a percentage of the total the buyer pays. Add the fixed per-order fee in the second box. If you are unsure, check the fee page of the site you sell on.
Does this include tax?
No. Income tax is due on your profit for the year, not item by item. If you are VAT-registered, take the VAT you owe off the selling price first, or use our VAT margin scheme calculator for second-hand goods.
Why is the maximum buy price lower than I expected?
Because fees and postage come off first and your target return applies to what you pay. Lower the target return or find a higher selling price to raise it.
See which buys really pay off
ProfitClerk matches every sale with what the item cost you, its real fees and postage, so your best and worst sources stand out.
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