When evaluating Shopify as an eCommerce platform, one of the most critical financial questions is: how much does Shopify take per sale? Understanding Shopify’s fees is essential for pricing your products, managing profit margins, and selecting the right plan. While Shopify offers a range of features and integrations, each sale on the platform includes certain costs—most notably transaction fees and payment processing fees. In this article, we break down how Shopify charges per sale, how those fees differ by plan and payment method, and how to optimize your setup to minimize unnecessary deductions.
Shopify’s Payment Processing Structure
Shopify charges two types of fees per sale: credit card processing fees and transaction fees. The amount Shopify takes depends on whether you use Shopify Payments (its in-house gateway) or a third-party payment provider like PayPal or Stripe.
If you use Shopify Payments, you only pay credit card processing fees. These vary depending on the plan you’re on:
- Basic Shopify: 2.9% + 30¢ per online transaction
- Shopify: 2.6% + 30¢ per online transaction
- Advanced Shopify: 2.4% + 30¢ per online transaction
In-person sales using Shopify POS have lower fees:
- Basic Shopify: 2.7%
- Shopify: 2.5%
- Advanced Shopify: 2.4%
By using Shopify Payments, you avoid additional transaction fees charged by Shopify itself.
Transaction Fees with Third-Party Gateways
If you choose to use a third-party payment processor (like PayPal, Square, or Authorize.net), Shopify charges an additional transaction fee on top of what the provider charges. These fees vary by plan:
- Basic Shopify: 2.0%
- Shopify: 1.0%
- Advanced Shopify: 0.5%
This is on top of the credit card processing fees from the third-party gateway. For example, if your provider charges 2.9% + 30¢, and you’re on the Basic plan, your total per-sale cost could exceed 5%.
To reduce how much Shopify takes per sale, using Shopify Payments is the most cost-efficient option.
How to Calculate Shopify Fees Per Sale
Let’s say you’re on the Basic Shopify plan and sell a $100 item using Shopify Payments. The fee would be:
- 2.9% of $100 = $2.90
- Plus $0.30 flat fee
- Total taken by Shopify: $3.20
You would receive $96.80 after fees.
If you used a third-party gateway instead:
- Third-party fee (e.g., 2.9% + 30¢): $3.20
- Shopify transaction fee (2% of $100): $2.00
- Total fee: $5.20
Your net would be $94.80. In this scenario, Shopify takes a larger portion when you’re not using their payment system.
How Shopify Plus Changes the Fee Structure
For high-volume businesses, Shopify Plus is the enterprise version of Shopify and features negotiable rates. Instead of a fixed percentage, you may pay as low as 2.15% + 30¢ per transaction with Shopify Payments, or negotiate a custom fee schedule based on volume.
Shopify Plus also reduces third-party transaction fees further and includes more advanced features, integrations, and automation tools.
Additional Fees to Consider
Beyond per-sale deductions, there are other costs that can affect your overall profitability on Shopify:
- Currency conversion fees: If you sell internationally, Shopify Payments charges a 1.5% fee for currency conversions.
- Chargeback fees: If a customer disputes a transaction, Shopify may charge a $15 fee unless the dispute is resolved in your favor.
- App fees: While not directly tied to sales, many Shopify apps used to optimize checkout, upsells, or shipping may add monthly or usage-based fees.
Understanding these peripheral costs helps you build more accurate profit projections.
Optimizing for Lower Fees
Reducing how much Shopify takes per sale can be achieved by:
- Using Shopify Payments to avoid added transaction fees
- Upgrading to a higher-tier plan as your volume increases to get lower processing rates
- Encouraging domestic over international sales to avoid currency conversion charges
- Minimizing chargebacks through clear communication and fulfillment practices
If your store is processing significant monthly revenue, consider whether a move to Shopify Plus or even WooCommerce (with more customizable fee control) might improve margins.
At Best Website Builder Group, we work with businesses to find the ideal platform setup for profitability—ensuring every dollar earned is maximized through the right tech stack and pricing strategy.
Conclusion
So, how much does Shopify take per sale? The answer depends on your plan, your payment processor, and your transaction volume. At minimum, Shopify will take around 2.4%–2.9% + 30¢ per sale through Shopify Payments. If you use a third-party gateway, Shopify adds an extra fee of up to 2%, which significantly increases the amount deducted from each transaction.
Choosing the right Shopify plan, enabling Shopify Payments, and managing additional costs can make a substantial difference in your bottom line. For guidance in optimizing your eCommerce store’s fee structure, Best Website Builder Group provides strategic consulting and development that ensures every sale works harder for your business.
