Selling Channel Cost Comparison
This modeled comparison asks how fee structure changes seller economics for the same hypothetical product and order—not which marketplace is “best.” Platforms price take-rates differently; the table shows what that does to modeled fees and profit under one shared assumption set.
Channel rows are produced by the existing e-commerce, Shopify, Etsy, and TikTok Shop engines with sourced marketplace presets where the project already publishes them.
Shared product economics
Every channel uses item/selling price $50.00, buyer-paid shipping $5.00, product cost $15.00, fulfillment $5.00, packaging $1.00, advertising $10.00 per order, quantity 1, and refund rate 0.0% (completed-order framing). Etsy Offsite Ads are off; TikTok is organic with 0% creator commission. Shopify monthly subscription and apps are excluded from the per-order row.
Modeling notes that intentionally differ from some calculator UI defaults: buyer-paid shipping is $5.00 (Etsy/TikTok examples use that shipping line; e-commerce/Shopify UI defaults are often $0.00), advertising is $10.00 (e-commerce example uses $12.00), and refund rate is 0.0% so completed-sale marketplace engines and expected-value engines share one frame.
Modeled channel results
| Channel | Gross order revenue | Platform/payment fees | Modeled profit / order | Modeled margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct e-commerce (generic payment fees) | $55.00 | $1.90 | $22.10 | 40.2% |
| Shopify US Basic + Shopify Payments | $55.00 | $1.90 | $22.11 | 40.2% |
| Etsy US Payments (no Offsite Ads) | $55.00 | $5.68 | $18.33 | 33.3% |
| TikTok Shop US (6% most categories, organic) | $55.00 | $3.30 | $20.70 | 37.6% |
Under these modeled assumptions, Direct e-commerce and Shopify Basic with Shopify Payments have the same per-order economics before monthly Shopify costs. The table still shows each calculator engine's own result ($22.10 vs $22.11); that one-cent difference is only floating-point and display rounding between the existing calculation paths—not an economic advantage for either channel. Shopify subscription and app costs remain excluded from the per-order row.
Fee assumptions by channel
- Direct e-commerce (generic payment fees) — 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing; 0% platform fee.
- Shopify US Basic + Shopify Payments — 2.9% + $0.30 online standard card; Shopify transaction fee 0% Last verified 2026-09-08 (source).
- Etsy US Payments (no Offsite Ads) — 6.5% transaction + 3% + $0.25 processing + $0.20 listing allocation; Offsite Ads off Last verified 2026-09-08 (source).
- TikTok Shop US (6% most categories, organic) — 6% referral fee on customer payment + platform discount − tax; no creator commission Last verified 2026-09-09 (source).
Interpretation
- Direct e-commerce and Shopify Basic + Shopify Payments share the same modeled card rates and a 0% Shopify transaction fee under Shopify Payments, so their per-order economics match before monthly Shopify costs. Do not read the one-cent displayed profit difference (Direct $22.10 vs Shopify $22.11) as a real channel advantage— it is rounding only.
- Etsy's stacked transaction, processing, and listing allocation produce higher platform/payment fees ($5.68) than the payment-only direct row ($1.90), so modeled profit is lower under the same product costs and ads.
- TikTok Shop's 6% referral on the customer-payment base yields fees of $3.30 and modeled profit $20.70 in this organic scenario— different structure again, not a universal ranking.
- The useful takeaway is structural: percentage bases, fixed fees, listing allocations, and referral definitions change contribution even when product cost and ad spend stay fixed.
Caveats
- This is a modeled comparison under one shared product/order assumption set—not observed merchant results or a ranking of platforms.
- Etsy and TikTok Shop engines model a completed sale without refund expected-value; refund rate is set to 0% for all channels so the frame stays comparable.
- Buyer-paid shipping is $5 for every channel so fee bases that include shipping are aligned; that differs from the e-commerce and Shopify calculator UI shipping default of $0.
- Shopify monthly subscription and app costs are excluded from the per-order row; allocating them would require an order-volume assumption.
- Etsy Offsite Ads and TikTok creator commissions are off; turning either on changes take-rate and profit.
- Platform fee schedules change; verify current official documentation for your account, market, and category.
- Taxes, custom agreements, currency conversion, FBT, premium cards, and regional rules are outside this model.
Site-wide sourcing rules: methodology.
Related tools
Related analyses: E-commerce profit sensitivity · Product price vs profit.