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whatnot start price and break-even calculator

The lowest price that won't lose money, from item cost, shipping and the buyer's tax. Then the price that pays you.

Where and what

Region

Sets the commission rate. Coins and pallets pay 4%.

Only Singles get the $1,500 commission cap.

Cost
$

For a lot, divide what you paid by the pieces you'll sell.

Shipping

Who pays shipping

$

Processing applies to it. It isn't your income.

Tax
%

Processing applies to it. 8% is a fair US average.

Target

Price for

Auction starts are whole numbers in practice.

Start at

$2.00

Break-even is exactly $1.63. Any lower loses money.

Break-even
$1.63
Price for target
$1.63
Fees
$0.67
You keep
$1.33

At $2.00, line by line

Sold at
$2.00
Buyer also pays shipping and 8% tax
$5.15
Commission, 8% of the item
-$0.16
Processing, 2.9% of $7.15 + $0.30
-$0.51
Payout
$1.33
Item cost
-$1.00
Profit
$0.33

Sold at $1.00, this item loses $0.56. A $1.00 start only works if the bidding always climbs past $1.63.

If it climbs

What you make at each price above the start, same shipping and tax.

Sells forFeesProfitMargin
$2.00-$0.67$0.3317%
$3.00-$0.78$1.2241%
$4.00-$0.89$2.1153%
$5.00-$1.00$3.0060%
$7.00-$1.22$4.7868%
$12.00-$1.78$9.2277%
$17.00-$2.34$13.6680%
$27.00-$3.45$22.5584%

Floor by cost

Break-even start for other costs at these settings. Print it and keep it by the camera.

Item costBreak-evenStart
$0.50$1.07$2.00
$1.00$1.63$2.00
$2.00$2.76$3.00
$5.00$6.13$7.00
$10.00$11.76$12.00
$20.00$23.01$24.00
$50.00$56.77$57.00
$100.00$113.03$114.00

A $1 start on a $1 card loses money on every uncontested lot.

Cost $1. The buyer pays $4.99 shipping and 8% tax. whatnot takes 8% of the item, 30 cents, and 2.9% of the $6.07 the buyer paid. Break-even is $1.63.

Pay for a 78 cent envelope yourself and break-even is $2.35. Start there, or count the $1 wins as marketing spend.

$1.63

Break-even start on a card that cost $1, buyer-paid shipping, 8% tax, 8% commission.

How the floor is computed

One line of algebra. Fees that scale with price go in the denominator; fixed costs go in the numerator.

P = (f + p × S + L + C) / (1 − r − p × (1 + t) − m)

P   the price to start or list at
f   fixed processing fee per checkout   ($0.30 US, £0.25 UK, ¥50 Japan)
p   processing rate                     (2.9% US, 2.42% UK and EU)
S   shipping the buyer pays             (processing is charged on it)
L   the label you pay                   (seller pays, or cap overage)
C   what the item cost you
r   commission rate                     (8%; 4% coins and pallets; 6.67% UK and EU)
t   buyer sales tax rate on the item    (processing is charged on it)
m   target margin on the price          (0 for break-even)

Rounded up to the cent, then to the dollar if you asked. A dollar profit target is added to C. The $1,500 cap is ignored: it never binds at a floor.

$1.63
break-even start on a $1 card with buyer-paid shipping and 8% tax. Start at $2.
$2.35
the same card when you pay a 78 cent envelope yourself.
33%
of a $2 sale goes to fees. The 30 cents alone is 15% of the price.

Questions sellers ask

Why is the floor above what the item cost me?
whatnot takes its fees from the sale price. On a $1 sale you pay 8 cents commission, 30 cents fixed, and 2.9% of everything the buyer paid, shipping and tax included. The price has to leave enough after that to cover your dollar.
Is this the auction start price or the Buy It Now price?
Both. For an auction, it's the lowest start that can't lose money if one bid wins. For Buy It Now, it's the lowest price to list at. Set a margin or profit target to price for earnings.
What happens if it sells exactly at the floor?
You get your money back. Break-even means zero profit before your time, packaging and the label printer. Use a margin or profit target for a price that pays you.
How does the shipping policy change the floor?
Buyer pays: shipping isn't your cost, but processing is charged on it, so a few cents land in the floor. Seller pays: the label and the fees on it go into the floor. Cap: you eat the part of the label above the cap.
Why does a cheap item have such a high floor relative to its cost?
The 30 cent fixed fee. On a $2 card it's 15% of the price by itself. All fees on a $2 sale run about a third of the price. That's why $1 starts on $1 cards lose money.
Does the buyer's sales tax matter? I never see that money.
whatnot still charges 2.9% processing on it. At 8% tax on a $20 item, that's about 5 cents. Small per sale, real across a show. The floor includes it.
What about the $1,500 commission cap?
The cap only touches the part of a sale above $1,500 in capped categories. Floors sit near your cost, so it never changes one. The Singles toggle keeps the fees right in the price table for bigger cards.
Should I add my time to the floor?
Not here. This is the price where the item stops losing money. Pay yourself with a margin target, or use the show break-even tool to see how many orders an hour pay a wage.
How do I price a whole case or lot, not one card?
Divide what you paid by the pieces you expect to sell, and use that as the cost. The profit calculator does the full lot math: how many pieces pay off the lot.
Why round up to whole dollars?
Auction starts are whole numbers in practice, and $2 reads better than $1.63. The exact break-even always shows, so you see what rounding added. Turn rounding off for Buy It Now.

Floors on every show plan.

Add a lot and pick a rule. Each item in the lineup gets its cost, break-even and target price. Export the listing CSV with SKU and cost, and next week's report comes back matched.

Start free

Fee schedule checked September 2026. Not affiliated with whatnot. Results are estimates. Your Weekly Orders Report and statements are the record.

The math, explained

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