Profit on plants and garden items: 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

Live plants are a perishable product: they must reach the customer fresh, survive a trip in a box and are often replaced for free if they die. Packaging and replacement are costs most new sellers forget.

What to watch

Live-arrival rules of the platform and the courier, the share of orders that need a replacement, weather delays, packing that protects roots and leaves, and which plants may be shipped across state or country borders.

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.

What changes the answer

• If returns double to 20%, the expected profit per order placed becomes ₹5.71.
• If the advertising cost per order doubles, the profit per delivered unit becomes ₹22.14.
• If you cut the price by 10 percent, the profit per delivered unit becomes ₹21.43 (margin 8.0%).

A tip for this product

Offer a replacement for plants that arrive damaged, and put its expected cost into the price. Ask the customer for a photo on arrival so you can learn which species travel badly.

Try your own figures

Common questions

Keep going

• Profit calculatorGeneral version
• Other productsSeven more examples
• ReturnsWhat returns cost

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.