You know what you sold it for. But after eBay fees, shipping, COGS, and returns — what did you actually keep?
Most resellers track revenue and call it profit. Here's the formula that shows your real margin, and how to stop doing it by hand.
The Real Profit Formula
Your true profit on any item is:
Sold Price - (eBay Fees + Shipping Cost + Cost of Goods + Returns) = Net Profit
eBay's fees alone eat 13-15% of your sale price (final value fee + promotional fee + international fee). Add shipping materials, platform costs, and what you paid for the item, and that "great sale" can easily be a loss.
Common Mistakes
- Ignoring COGS: If you paid $40 for a card and sold it for $50, you didn't make $50. You made $10 minus fees.
- Forgetting shipping: "Free shipping" isn't free. Subtract what you actually paid.
- Not tracking returns: A refund wipes out your profit and costs you the return shipping.
Automate It
SellDeck calculates real profit automatically — cost basis, eBay fees, shipping, COGS, and returns are factored in for every item. No formulas, no manual entry. See your exact margin per item, per show, per platform.