Seller ProfitProfit on stickers and print-on-demand: 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
Print-on-demand sellers do not hold stock: the platform or a printer makes each item after the order. That removes the risk of unsold stock but leaves a thin, fixed margin that fees and ads can erase.
What to watch
A per-item print cost that fixes your margin, the listing and transaction fees of the platform you sell on, shipping that is added by the printer, design copyright, and the time you spend making designs.
A worked example with made-up numbers
The cost, price and every fee below are made up to show the working in US dollar; they are not the fees of any marketplace and the GST rate is an example. Replace each with your own.
| Selling price | $4.50 |
| Sale value without GST | $4.50 |
| Cost of the unit | -$1.40 |
| Fees and shipping (example percentages) | -$2.04 |
| Packaging and advertising | -$0.75 |
| Profit per delivered unit | $0.31 |
| Margin | 6.9% |
| Expected profit per order placed, after 2% returns | $0.24 |
What changes the answer
- If returns double to 4%, the expected profit per order placed becomes $0.18.
- If the advertising cost per order doubles, the profit per delivered unit becomes -$0.09.
- If you cut the price by 10 percent, the profit per delivered unit becomes -$0.09 (margin -2.1%).
A tip for this product
Calculate the margin for the single-item order and for the larger orders separately. A buyer who adds three stickers to a cart can be worth more than three separate buyers because the fixed fees are paid once.
Try your own figures
Common questions
Is print-on-demand worth it with such a small margin?
It can be if designs sell repeatedly, because you spend time once and earn on every order. Count your design hours as a cost before you decide.
Who owns the designs I sell?
You need the right to every image, font and word you print. Using a character or a quote that belongs to someone else can get your shop closed.
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.