Seller ProfitProfit on books and printed material: a worked example
How this kind of product earns or loses money online, with example figures you can replace by your own.
How this product sells
Books are heavy for their price, so shipping weight sets the margin. Some print products have a printed price and a standard discount from the publisher, which fixes both your cost and your price.
What to watch
Weight bands in shipping fees, a printed maximum price you may not exceed, damaged corners, old stock of editions that go out of date, and whether you may legally sell the title at all.
A worked example with made-up numbers
The cost, price and every fee below are made up to show the working in Indian rupee; they are not the fees of any marketplace and the GST rate is an example. Replace each with your own.
| Selling price | ₹299 |
| Sale value without GST | ₹299.00 |
| Cost of the unit | -₹110 |
| Fees and shipping (example percentages) | -₹121.86 |
| Packaging and advertising | -₹33.00 |
| Profit per delivered unit | ₹34.14 |
| Margin | 11.4% |
| Expected profit per order placed, after 4% returns | ₹28.97 |
What changes the answer
- If returns double to 8%, the expected profit per order placed becomes ₹23.81.
- If the advertising cost per order doubles, the profit per delivered unit becomes ₹19.14.
- If you cut the price by 10 percent, the profit per delivered unit becomes ₹8.43 (margin 3.1%).
A tip for this product
Weigh a packed book on a kitchen scale and check the shipping band before you list. A 20 g difference can push an order into a higher shipping band and erase your profit.
Try your own figures
Common questions
Why is GST zero in this example?
The example uses 0 to show a product that carries no GST. Check whether your product and your country charge tax; the calculator takes whatever rate you type.
Can I sell any book I buy?
Not always. Copyright and the publisher terms apply, and pirated copies are illegal. Buy from the publisher or a licensed distributor.
Keep going
Fee percentages, GST rates and other figures in the examples on this site are made up to show the working. They are not the fees or rates of any marketplace or country: type the numbers from your own seller account and from the tax authority. Checked 14 November 2026.