Etsy seller math

Etsy Break-even ROAS Calculator

Etsy stacks three separate fees on every sale — your ad break-even starts after all of them.

Break-even ROAS on Etsy = price ÷ margin after Etsy's stacked fees. Every sale pays a 6.5% transaction fee, payment processing (~3% + 25¢ in the US), and the 20¢ listing fee — before materials and shipping. A $35 item with $10 materials, $3.58 in combined Etsy fees, 20¢ listing and $4 shipping keeps about $17.22 — a break-even ROAS of roughly 2.0×. Etsy Ads returning less than that are buying sales at a loss. Enter your numbers to see your exact line.

Etsy Break-even ROAS Calculator — your per-order numbers

Break-even ROAS

2.03×

Break-even ACOS

49.2%

Target ROAS

4.13×

Margin / order

$17.22

At 49.2% gross margin, spend up to 49.2% of revenue on ads to break even.

Estimate only. Figures assume the costs you entered are complete and per-order; they exclude returns, overhead, and taxes.

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Etsy fees in this calculation

Presets reflect typical Etsy economics (verified 2026-07-23) — adjust every field to your actual numbers. Estimates only.

Transaction fee On the item price + shipping you charge 6.5%
Payment processing US rate — varies by country ~3% + 25¢
Listing fee Per listing / renewal — pennies, but real $0.20

Worked examples

Handmade item, typical fees

Selling price $35.00
All per-order costs $17.78
Contribution margin $17.22
Break-even ROAS 2.03×

Three stacked Etsy fees total ~$3.78 — about 11% of the price.

Digital download (no shipping, no materials cost per unit)

Selling price $12.00
All per-order costs $1.56
Contribution margin $10.44
Break-even ROAS 1.15×

Near-pure margin: fees are the ONLY per-order cost, floor near 1.15×.

Break-even ROAS by margin — quick reference

Gross margin (after fees)Break-even ROAS
20% 5.00×
25% 4.00×
33% 3.03×
40% 2.50×
50% 2.00×
60% 1.67×

Frequently asked questions

What fees does Etsy take from each sale?

Three stack on every order: the 6.5% transaction fee (charged on item price plus shipping you charge the buyer), payment processing (about 3% + 25¢ in the US), and the 20¢ listing fee. Together they typically take 10–12% of a physical item's price.

Is Etsy Ads worth it for my shop?

Only when its return clears your break-even ROAS. Etsy reports ad revenue per dollar spent — compare that number directly to the floor this calculator gives you. Below the floor, ads convert profitable organic sales into paid losses.

How is break-even different for digital products on Etsy?

With no materials or shipping, fees become your only per-order cost, so margins run 85%+ and break-even ROAS can approach 1.1–1.2×. That is why digital sellers can sustain far more aggressive ad spend than physical-goods shops.

Does Offsite Ads change my break-even?

Yes — Offsite Ads takes 12–15% of attributed orders on top of standard fees, and you cannot opt out above $10k revenue. For those orders, add the Offsite fee to "other costs": a $35 sale loses another $4.20–$5.25 of margin, raising the floor sharply.

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