Why "6% referral fee" is not your real cost
TikTok Shop advertises a ~6% referral fee on most US categories, and that number is technically true — and practically useless. The all-in cost of selling on TikTok Shop stacks several layers on top:
- Referral fee (≈6% US) — charged on the full amount the customer pays, including shipping.
- Affiliate commission (10–20%) — if you sell through creators, this is often your single biggest cost.
- FBT fulfillment ($3.58+ per order) — or your own shipping cost if self-fulfilling.
- GMV Max ads — most scaling sellers spend 10–20% of revenue here.
- Refunds — you lose the shipping cost and often the goods, on every returned order.
Stack a typical scenario: a $29.99 product with 15% affiliate, $3 ads and 5% refunds nets closer to a 38–52% all-in take rate. That's the number this calculator shows you — before you buy inventory, not after.
Rule of thumb: products need 60%+ gross margin to stay structurally profitable on TikTok Shop once ads and affiliates are in the mix.
What this tool does differently
- Reverse pricing — enter the margin you want, get the list price you should charge. Every other calculator only works forward.
- Refund-aware — model what returns actually do to a thin margin.
- Per-order and monthly view — decide if a product is worth scaling at 300 orders/month, not just one order.
- Runs 100% in your browser — nothing is uploaded or stored.
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