TikTok Shop fees in this calculation
Presets reflect typical TikTok Shop economics (verified 2026-07-23) — adjust every field to your actual numbers. Estimates only.
| Marketplace commission US rate — verify current schedule for your category | ~8% |
| Affiliate commission Only on affiliate-attributed orders — model it in "other costs" | 10–20% typical |
| Shipping Low AOV makes per-order shipping proportionally heavy | seller-paid common |
Worked examples
Organic / Shop-tab sale
| Selling price | $25.00 |
| All per-order costs | $15.00 |
| Contribution margin | $10.00 |
| Break-even ROAS | 2.50× |
Commission only — the floor most sellers think they have.
Affiliate-driven sale (15% cut)
| Selling price | $25.00 |
| All per-order costs | $18.75 |
| Contribution margin | $6.25 |
| Break-even ROAS | 4.00× |
The same order with a $3.75 affiliate cut — the floor most sellers actually have.
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 TikTok Shop charge sellers?
A marketplace commission (about 8% in the US, category-dependent) on each order, plus the affiliate commission you offer creators — commonly 10–20% — on affiliate-attributed sales. Both come out of your margin before ad spend, so both belong in a break-even calculation.
How do I account for creator/affiliate commissions in ROAS?
Treat the affiliate cut as a per-order cost on affiliate-attributed orders: add it to "other costs" here. A 15% commission on a $25 product is $3.75 — often the difference between a 2.5× and a 4× break-even.
Why is break-even ROAS higher on TikTok Shop than my Shopify store?
Lower average order values make fixed per-order costs (shipping, packaging) proportionally larger, and commission plus affiliate cuts stack on top. The same product often needs a full point more ROAS on TikTok Shop to clear break-even.
Do TikTok ads and affiliate commissions both count against the same margin?
Yes — one contribution margin pays for everything. If affiliates take $3.75 and ads take the rest of your $10 margin, the order breaks even. That is why scaling both channels at once needs the combined math, not two separate dashboards.