Work out what a thrift store flip actually earns you. Enter your purchase price, resale price, marketplace fee, and shipping or supply costs to get net profit, profit margin, and return on your cost.
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Results
Calculated
Net profit
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Per item, after all costs
Profit margin
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Net profit as % of resale price
Return on cost (ROI)
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Net profit as % of purchase price
Fees & other costs
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Marketplace fee + shipping/other
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How to use this calculator
Enter what you paid for the item at the thrift store, the price you plan to sell it for, the marketplace's selling fee, and any shipping or other out-of-pocket costs. Click Calculate to see your net profit, profit margin, and return on your original cost. Click Clear to reset the fields and try a different item.
The formula
This calculator uses the standard resale-flip profit formula that resellers use to price and evaluate flips:
Total costs = Purchase price + Marketplace fee amount + Shipping & other costs
Net profit = Resale price − Total costs
Profit margin = Net profit ÷ Resale price × 100
Return on cost (ROI) = Net profit ÷ Purchase price × 100
Understanding the inputs
Purchase price is what you actually paid at the thrift store, garage sale, or estate sale. Resale price is the amount the buyer pays, before the platform takes its cut. Marketplace fee is the percentage the selling platform charges on the sale — this varies by platform (eBay is roughly 13% on most categories, Poshmark takes a flat 20% on sales of $15+, Mercari and Depop are closer to 10%), so use the rate for the platform you actually sell on. Shipping & other costs covers anything else that comes out of your pocket: postage you pay (if you don't pass it to the buyer), packaging, cleaning or repair supplies, and listing fees.
Interpreting the results
Net profit and profit margin tell you how much of the sale price you actually keep. Return on cost (ROI) tells you how hard your original cash outlay worked — a $2 find that resells for $30 can have a triple-digit ROI even with a modest dollar profit. Resellers typically use margin to judge whether a sale price is worth listing at, and ROI to judge whether an item was worth buying in the first place.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is thrift flip profit calculated?
Net profit equals your resale price minus everything it cost you to get that sale: the price you paid for the item, the marketplace's selling fee (a percentage of the resale price), and any shipping, cleaning, or listing costs. Profit margin is net profit divided by resale price; return on cost (ROI) is net profit divided by what you originally paid for the item.
What marketplace fee should I use?
Selling fees vary by platform: eBay charges roughly 13% final value fee on most categories, Poshmark takes a flat 20% on sales of $15 or more, Mercari charges about 10%, and Depop charges around 10% plus payment processing. Check your platform's current fee schedule and enter the percentage that applies to your listing.
Why is ROI on cost different from profit margin?
Profit margin measures profit against the sale price — how much of what the buyer paid you keep. ROI measures profit against your original thrift purchase price — how hard your initial cash outlay worked for you. A cheap item with a modest margin can still have a huge ROI, which is why resellers often track both.
Should I include my time in the profit calculation?
This calculator covers hard costs only: purchase price, marketplace fees, and shipping or supply costs. It does not value your sourcing, cleaning, photographing, and listing time. For a full picture of whether flipping is worth it, divide your total profit across a batch of items by the hours spent and compare that to what your time is worth.