Fees, Profit & Payouts
22 articles
Shopify vs WooCommerce (2026): Honest Comparison + 5-Year Total Cost
How do Shopify and WooCommerce actually differ, and which is pricier over 5 years? A side-by-side table plus a 5-year total-cost table: Shopify is hands-off but has a monthly fee; WooCommerce is cheap at the base but you host, plug in, and maintain it yourself. Speed vs control.
Read more →How Much Does a Shopify Store Really Cost? (2026 Breakdown)
What does Shopify actually cost per month, and what are the hidden costs? This lays out plan fees, payment processing, apps, theme, and domain in one table, with a realistic year-one total range — and the biggest cost most people forget: ads. Prices approx., 2026 — verify on Shopify.
Read more →What Is LTV (Customer Lifetime Value)? Formula & How to Improve It (2026)
LTV (customer lifetime value) is the total profit a customer brings over the whole relationship. Here's the definition, the formula in words, a worked example, and a table of what drives LTV and how to lift each lever, plus a free calculator.
Read more →What Is CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)? Formula & Benchmarks (2026)
CAC (customer acquisition cost) is what you spend on average to win one new customer — total acquisition spend divided by new customers. Here's the definition, the formula in words, a worked example, and healthy CAC-to-LTV ratio benchmarks, plus a free calculator.
Read more →What Is Take Rate? Platform Fee Formula & Benchmarks (2026)
Take rate is the share of each transaction a platform keeps — platform revenue ÷ the GMV it facilitates. Here's the definition, the formula in words, a worked example, and a benchmark table of take rates across major ecommerce platforms.
Read more →What Is GPM (Gross Profit Margin)? Formula & Benchmarks (2026)
For sellers, GPM usually means Gross Profit Margin: gross profit as a percentage of revenue. Here's the definition, the formula in words, a worked example, and healthy-margin benchmark bands — plus how it differs from the other TikTok GPM (gross merchandise per mille).
Read more →What Is Contribution Margin? Formula, Worked Example & Cost Breakdown (2026)
Contribution margin is what's left of revenue after variable costs — the money that covers fixed costs and then becomes profit. Here's the formula, a worked example, the variable-cost line items, and how it relates to net profit and AOV.
Read more →What Is Sell-through Rate? Formula, Worked Example & Healthy Ranges (2026)
Sell-through rate measures how much of your stock sold in a period — units sold divided by starting available inventory. Here's the formula, a worked example, a healthy-range table, and how it relates to cash flow.
Read more →What Is AOV (Average Order Value)? Formula & How to Increase It (2026)
AOV (Average Order Value) is the average amount spent per order — total revenue divided by number of orders. Here's the formula, a worked example, six levers to raise it, and how it relates to margin and conversion.
Read more →What Is ROAS? Formula, Benchmarks & How to Calculate (2026)
ROAS (return on ad spend) is ad revenue divided by ad spend — how much revenue each $1 of ad spend brings back. Here's the definition, the formula in words, a worked example, and why a good ROAS depends on your margin — plus a free calculator.
Read more →What Is ACOS? Formula, Benchmarks & How to Calculate (2026)
ACOS (advertising cost of sales) is ad spend as a percentage of the revenue those ads generate — the inverse of ROAS. Here's the definition, the formula in words, a worked example, and good/ok/bad benchmark ranges, plus a free calculator.
Read more →What Is BEROAS? Formula, Benchmarks & How to Calculate (2026)
BEROAS (break-even ROAS) is the minimum ROAS at which your ads neither make nor lose money. Here's the plain definition, the formula in words, a worked example, and a margin-to-BEROAS benchmark table — plus a free calculator.
Read more →TikTok Shop Payout Schedule & Settlement Process (2026)
TikTok Shop payout and settlement process for US sellers: see the 1–31-day post-delivery window, payout schedule, reserves, held funds and bank timing.
Read more →De Minimis Rollback Plus Tariffs: What Cross-Border TikTok Shop Sellers Should Do (2026)
The US duty-free exemption was revoked in 2025, hitting low-value China dropship models hardest. Here is what changed across tariffs, deposits, and commissions, and how to respond.
Read more →TikTok Shop Deposit: POP Rules & Refunds (2026)
TikTok Shop deposit guide for sellers: understand US cross-border POP, the $1,500-per-shop example, category rules, refunds, cash-flow impact and scam checks.
Read more →TikTok Shop vs Shopify (2026): Fees, Traffic, Ownership & Which to Choose
TikTok Shop vs Shopify for ecommerce: compare traffic, platform and payment costs, customer ownership, fulfillment and the best use of each channel. A practical choose-one-or-both framework for 2026.
Read more →TikTok Shop Taxes for US Sellers (2026): 1099-K & Deductions
TikTok Shop taxes for US sellers: understand 1099-K thresholds, payout reconciliation, sales tax, deductions and a practical close process.
Read more →TikTok Shop vs Temu: Which Platform Should You Sell On in 2026?
TikTok Shop vs Temu for sellers: compare control, traffic model, fulfillment, fees, brand strategy and contribution profit, then choose with a 30-day product test.
Read more →TikTok Shop vs Amazon (2026): Fees, Traffic, Fulfillment & Which to Start With
TikTok Shop vs Amazon for sellers: compare discovery vs search, fee scope, fulfillment, creator work, contribution margin and a 30-day test plan before choosing one or both.
Read more →What Are GMV and GPM on TikTok Shop? The Two Numbers Every Seller Must Know (Stop Confusing Them)
GMV is revenue, not profit — and what is GPM, how does it differ? This explains in plain terms how GMV and GPM are calculated on TikTok Shop, healthy ranges, and why watching only GMV can sink you.
Read more →Is TikTok Shop Worth It in 2026? An Honest Earnings Breakdown (Who Should — and Shouldn't)
Is TikTok Shop still profitable, and how much can you make? Ignore both the '$50k in 3 months' hype and the 'total loss' fear-mongering. This uses the real fee stack + Opportunity Score to objectively show who profits and who should steer clear.
Read more →TikTok Shop Fees & Profit Margins Explained (2026): What's Left After Every Cut
How much does US TikTok Shop really take? The 6% referral fee, payment processing, affiliate commission, refund admin fee… This guide uses a full worked example on a $30 product to show your true net profit — so 'sells well' doesn't become 'all for nothing.'
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