Shopify vs Amazon Fee Calculator

What This Calculator Does and Why It Matters

Choosing between Shopify and Amazon is one of the most important decisions an online seller makes. Both platforms can be highly profitable, but they charge very different types of fees. What eats into your margins on one platform may not even exist on the other.

This free Shopify vs Amazon fee calculator lets you input your real monthly revenue, product costs, ad spend, and platform settings. It then calculates your total fees and net profit side by side so you can see exactly which platform puts more money in your pocket.

If you are already selling on Amazon and want to dig deeper into FBA-specific costs, our Amazon FBA profit calculator with storage fees gives you an even more granular breakdown.

How to Use This Calculator

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Enter your total monthly revenue and product cost (cost of goods sold).
2. Enter your average order value so the calculator can estimate the number of transactions.
3. Select your product category. This determines Amazon’s referral fee percentage.
4. Under Shopify settings, choose your plan tier. The plan affects both your monthly fee and your payment processing rate.
5. Enter your monthly Shopify ad spend and app subscription costs.
6. Under Amazon settings, choose FBA or FBM. If using FBA, enter your average item weight to estimate the fulfillment fee per unit.
7. Enter your monthly Amazon PPC ad spend.
8. Click Compare Fees to see the full side-by-side breakdown and net profit for each platform.

The Formula Explained

Breaking Down the Formula

For Shopify, the total cost includes your monthly plan fee, payment processing fees (calculated as a percentage of revenue plus a per-transaction fixed fee), ad spend, and app subscriptions. Payment processing rates range from 2.4% to 2.9% depending on your plan.

For Amazon, the total cost includes the $39.99 professional seller monthly fee, referral fees (a percentage of each sale based on category), FBA fulfillment fees per unit if applicable, and PPC ad spend. According to Amazon’s official seller fee schedule, referral fees typically range from 6% to 17% depending on the product category.

Example Calculation with Real Numbers

Assume $10,000 in monthly revenue with a $50 average order value (200 orders), $4,000 in product costs, and a general merchandise category. On Shopify’s $105/month plan, payment processing at 2.6% plus $0.30/order comes to about $320. With $1,500 in ads and $100 in apps, total costs are roughly $5,925, leaving a net profit of about $4,075. On Amazon with FBA, a 15% referral fee takes $1,500, FBA fees on 200 units at 1.5 lbs average add about $950, plus $1,000 in PPC ads. Total Amazon costs come to roughly $7,490, leaving net profit of about $2,510.

When Would You Use This

Real Life Use Cases

This calculator is most useful for sellers who are deciding where to launch a new product, or for existing sellers who want to know if switching platforms (or going multi-channel) makes financial sense.

It is also valuable when scaling up. Fee structures that seem small on low revenue can become very significant at $50,000 or $100,000 per month. Running the numbers at your projected revenue can reveal which platform will serve you better as you grow. For broader e-commerce cost comparisons, you may also find our Shopify vs WooCommerce total cost of ownership calculator useful.

Specific Example Scenario

A seller launching a beauty product line is deciding between Shopify and Amazon. Their product has a high margin but is in the beauty category where Amazon charges 17% referral fees. After running the calculator, they find that Shopify’s lower fee structure saves them nearly $800 per month at their expected volume — a clear signal to start with a Shopify store and use Amazon as a secondary channel only.

Tips for Getting Accurate Results

Use Your Real Average Order Value

The average order value affects how many transactions the calculator estimates, which directly impacts your Shopify processing fees. If your AOV is $200 versus $30, the per-transaction fixed fee of $0.30 becomes proportionally much smaller. Always use your actual data rather than an estimate.

Factor in All Your App and Tool Costs

Shopify sellers often underestimate the total cost of their monthly app subscriptions. Email marketing tools, review apps, inventory managers, and upsell plugins can easily add $200 to $500 or more per month. Include all recurring tool costs for an accurate comparison. For a detailed breakdown of Shopify’s complete cost structure, Shopify’s official pricing page is the best reference.

Account for Amazon Storage Fees Separately

This calculator covers FBA fulfillment fees per unit but does not include monthly storage fees, which vary by time of year and inventory volume. If you hold significant inventory at Amazon warehouses, especially from October through December, add your estimated storage costs to the Amazon total. Our Amazon FBA storage fee and ROI calculator can help you estimate that additional cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

What fees does Shopify charge?

Shopify charges a monthly subscription fee ($39, $105, or $399 depending on plan), payment processing fees on each transaction (2.4% to 2.9% plus $0.30 per order), and an additional transaction fee if you use a third-party payment processor. There are also optional costs like apps, themes, and domain registration.

What fees does Amazon charge sellers?

Amazon charges a $39.99/month professional seller fee, referral fees on each sale (typically 6% to 17% depending on category), and FBA fulfillment fees if you use their warehouse service. Additional costs include storage fees, optional advertising (PPC), and sometimes closing fees on media products.

Which platform has lower fees overall?

It depends heavily on your product category and volume. For high-margin products in categories with high Amazon referral fees (like beauty at 17%), Shopify’s flat processing rate is often cheaper. For products in low-referral-fee categories like electronics (6%) or sellers who benefit from Amazon’s built-in traffic, Amazon can be more cost-effective.

Do I have to use Shopify Payments?

No, you can use a third-party payment processor like Stripe or PayPal on Shopify. However, Shopify charges an additional transaction fee of 0.5% to 2% if you do not use Shopify Payments. Using Shopify Payments avoids this extra fee.

What is an Amazon FBA fulfillment fee?

FBA fulfillment fees are per-unit charges Amazon deducts for picking, packing, and shipping your product from their warehouse to the customer. The fee depends on the item’s size tier and weight. Lightweight standard items start around $3.22 per unit, while larger or heavier items cost significantly more.

Can I sell on both Shopify and Amazon at the same time?

Yes, and many successful sellers do exactly this. Shopify offers direct Amazon integration so you can list products on both channels and manage inventory from one dashboard. This multi-channel approach captures both Amazon’s traffic and the higher margins that come from owning your own storefront.

Is Amazon’s referral fee charged on the full sale price including shipping?

Generally yes. Amazon calculates the referral fee on the total amount the customer pays, including any shipping charges you collect. This is an important detail for sellers who charge for shipping separately, as it increases the effective referral fee percentage.

How does ad spend affect which platform is more profitable?

On Shopify, you are responsible for 100% of your traffic generation, so ad spend is typically higher. On Amazon, you get some organic visibility from the marketplace, though PPC is increasingly necessary to compete. Sellers with strong brand recognition may find Shopify more profitable because their organic traffic keeps ad costs lower.

Conclusion

There is no single right answer to the Shopify vs Amazon question — it depends entirely on your product, category, margins, and marketing strategy. The best way to decide is to run your real numbers through both scenarios and compare the outcome.

This free calculator gives you a clear, side-by-side monthly profit comparison so you can make a data-driven decision rather than guessing. Try adjusting your ad spend, product category, and order volume to see how each change shifts the results for your specific business.