$10.15 to $18.42 to sell and ship one $50 order, before the product itself. That is 20% to 37% of the sale. Lowest: your own store, shipped nearby. Highest: eBay, shipped across the country.
- Own store (Shopify Basic), you ship$10.15 to $13.36
- Own store + a 3PL (Amplifier)$14.25 to $17.46
- Own store + Amazon MCF$11.38
- Amazon, Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA)$12.66
- Etsy, you ship$13.21 to $16.42
- eBay, you ship$15.21 to $18.42
Where the money goes
When you ship it yourself, postage is the biggest cost: $8.01 to $11.22 for a 1 lb USPS Ground Advantage label. On your own store that is more than the plan and card fees combined. On a marketplace, the commission comes next. Amazon FBA lands in the middle because its fee includes delivery.
| Setup | Platform | Card processing | Fulfillment | Postage | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Own store (Shopify Basic), you ship | $0.39 | $1.75 | You | $8.01 to $11.22 | $10.15 to $13.36 |
| Own store + a 3PL (Amplifier) | $0.39 | $1.75 | $4.10 | $8.01 to $11.22 | $14.25 to $17.46 |
| Own store + Amazon MCF | $0.39 | $1.75 | $9.24 | Included | $11.38Holiday peak: $11.68 |
| Amazon, Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) | $7.90 | In the fee | $4.76 | Included | $12.66Holiday peak: $12.96 |
| Etsy, you ship | $3.45 | $1.75 | You | $8.01 to $11.22 | $13.21 to $16.42 |
| eBay, you ship | $7.20 | In the fee | You | $8.01 to $11.22 | $15.21 to $18.42 |
Every fee, line by line, with its source
| Setup | Platform | Card processing | Fulfillment | Postage | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Own store (Shopify Basic), you shipYou pack it, you buy the label | $0.39Basic plan ($39 a month ÷ 100 orders) (source) | $1.75Shopify Payments, card processing (2.9% + 0.30) (source) | You do it | $8.01 to $11.22USPS Ground Advantage, commercial (online label) price, 1 lb, zone 1 to 8 (source) | $10.15 to $13.36Not included: your box and packing materials, your time. |
| Own store + a 3PL (Amplifier)Amplifier packs it, postage billed on top | $0.39Basic plan ($39 a month ÷ 100 orders) (source) | $1.75Shopify Payments, card processing (2.9% + 0.30) (source) | $4.10Amplifier pick and pack with its monthly fee spread over 100 orders (source) | $8.01 to $11.22USPS Ground Advantage, commercial (online label) price, 1 lb, zone 1 to 8 (source) | $14.25 to $17.46Not included: packaging (billed separately, price not published), receiving and storage. |
| Own store + Amazon MCFAmazon packs and delivers it | $0.39Basic plan ($39 a month ÷ 100 orders) (source) | $1.75Shopify Payments, card processing (2.9% + 0.30) (source) | $9.24Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment, Large Standard: 12+ to 16 oz, Standard speed, 1 unit, plus its 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge (delivery included) (source) | Inside fulfillment | $11.38Amazon's holiday peak (Oct 15 to Jan 14): $11.68Not included: storage and inbound fees. |
| Amazon, Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA)Amazon packs and delivers it | $7.90Referral fee, most categories (15%, minimum 0.30) (source)Professional plan ($39.99 a month ÷ 100 orders) (source) | Inside the fee | $4.76FBA fulfillment fee, large standard 12+ to 16 oz, item priced $10 to $50, plus its 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge (delivery included) (source) | Inside fulfillment | $12.66Amazon's holiday peak (Oct 15 to Jan 14): $12.96Not included: monthly storage and inbound placement fees. |
| Etsy, you shipYou pack it, you buy the label | $3.45Listing fee (1 × 0.20 USD) (source)Transaction fee (6.5%) (source) | $1.75Etsy Payments processing (3% + 0.25) (source) | You do it | $8.01 to $11.22USPS Ground Advantage, commercial (online label) price, 1 lb, zone 1 to 8 (source) | $13.21 to $16.42Not included: Offsite Ads fee when a sale comes from one of its ads, your box and packing materials, your time. |
| eBay, you shipYou pack it, you buy the label | $7.20Final value fee, most categories, no eBay Store (13.6%) (source)Per order fee (source) | Inside the fee | You do it | $8.01 to $11.22USPS Ground Advantage, commercial (online label) price, 1 lb, zone 1 to 8 (source) | $15.21 to $18.42Not included: Promoted Listings ad fees, insertion fees beyond the free monthly allowance, your box and packing materials, your time. |
- Platform fee. Shopify charges a monthly plan ($39 a month on Basic), not a cut of each sale. Amazon’s referral fee is 15% in most categories, eBay’s final value fee 13.6% plus $0.40 an order, Etsy 6.5% plus a $0.20 listing fee.
- Card processing. Shopify Payments charges 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic, Etsy 3% + $0.25. eBay says its final value fee covers processing, and Amazon lists no separate processing fee.
- Fulfillment. Free in money if you pack it yourself. A 3PL charges per order, plus a monthly fee or minimum. Amazon’s FBA and MCF fees cover packing and delivery in one price.
- Postage. USPS’s own commercial price for a label bought online, zone 1 (local) to zone 8 (cross-country). Compare carriers on the cheapest way to ship.
Intro offer, not the regular price: $1 a month for the first 3 months. Who: New stores, on most plans (Shopify does not list which plans are excluded). Ends: no end date published. After: the standard monthly plan price. Offer terms
Selling more lowers the monthly fees, not the percentages
Shopify’s plan adds $3.90 to each order at 10 orders a month and $0.04 at 1,000. Etsy and eBay have no monthly fee here, so their totals stay put. For Amazon we use whichever selling plan costs less per order.
| Setup | 10 orders a month | 100 orders a month | 1,000 orders a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Own store (Shopify Basic), you ship | $13.66 to $16.87 | $10.15 to $13.36 | $9.80 to $13.01 |
| Own store + the lowest-cost 3PL with a full rate card | $26.76 to $29.97Amplifier | $14.25 to $17.46Amplifier | $12.70 to $15.91Amplifier |
| Own store + Amazon MCF | $14.89 | $11.38 | $11.03 |
| Amazon, Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) | $13.25 | $12.66 | $12.30 |
| Etsy, you ship | $13.21 to $16.42 | $13.21 to $16.42 | $13.21 to $16.42 |
| eBay, you ship | $15.21 to $18.42 | $15.21 to $18.42 | $15.21 to $18.42 |
At low volume, a 3PL minimum is the cost
At 10 orders a month, ShipCalm works out to $200.00 an order before postage, because its minimum is billed whether you ship or not. And 14 of the 23 US fulfillment providers we track only quote, so ask for the all-in cost of a one-item order.
Every 3PL with a published rate, at 10, 100 and 1,000 orders
| 3PL | 10 orders | 100 orders | 1,000 orders | Why it moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AmplifierPostage on top | $13.10 | $4.10 | $2.90 | $100 a month account fee. Packaging billed separately, price not published. |
| SaltboxPostage on top | From $37.90 | From $6.49 | From $3.35 | $349 a month membership. Packaging billed separately, price not published. |
| ShipCalmPostage on top | $200.00 | $20.00 | $3.99 | $89 per week platform fee (Essentials DTC, mandatory), times 52 weeks over 12 months; $6,000 a quarter minimum on its rate sheet, shown as a third per month. Packaging billed separately, price not published. |
| Simpl FulfillmentPostage included | From $75.00 | From $7.50 | From $7.00 | $750 monthly account minimum, billed pay-the-difference. Packaging included. |
"From" means the provider publishes a starting price only, so the real fee for a 1 lb order may be higher. Fulfyld is left out: its published rate covers packages up to 12 oz, so a 1 lb order is by quote.
Amplifier and Saltbox charge a monthly fee on top of each order. ShipCalm and Simpl Fulfillment set a monthly minimum you pay even in a slow month. Price your own mix in the 3PL cost calculator, or see pick and pack fees.
Amazon charges more in the holiday peak
From October 15 to January 14, Amazon raises its fulfillment fees. On this order FBA goes from $12.66 to $12.96, and own store + MCF from $11.38 to $11.68.
What else these totals leave out
- Intro prices. A first-months discount is not the cost of running a store. We use regular prices; offers are shown as a labelled line.
- Fees on tax and shipping. eBay’s fee and Etsy’s processing fee are charged on sales tax and on any shipping you collect. We left tax out, so with tax their totals rise a little.
- Ads and storage. An Etsy sale from an Offsite Ad pays an extra 15% fee, and Amazon charges FBA storage each month.
- Packaging, your time, returns, receiving. Not in any total. A fee a provider does not publish is never estimated: the provider is left out and named.
How the math works
The order. One item, 1 lb packed, priced at $50. The buyer pays $50 with free shipping, so every marketplace fee is on $50 and the seller buys the label. Shipped within the US to a home. No sales tax, no refund, standard category on every marketplace, 100 orders a month unless a table says otherwise.
The setups. Own store = Shopify Basic billed monthly with Shopify Payments, standard US card. 3PL = the lowest-cost 3PL at that volume among those that publish every per-order fee (Amplifier at 100 orders), postage on top at the USPS price, which a 3PL may beat with its own rates or exceed with its markup. Amazon MCF and FBA use Amazon’s 12+ to 16 oz row (large standard size), regular rates plus Amazon’s 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge; FBA uses the $10 to $50 price band. Amazon is on Individual ($0.99 per item sold) or Professional ($39.99 a month), whichever costs less per order. Etsy and eBay are shipped by you, no eBay Store, no ads.
Dates. Seller fees checked Oct 20, 2026, fulfillment fees Oct 22, 2026, USPS prices Oct 22, 2026 (in effect from Oct 4, 2026). How we check: how we verify prices. Card fees for other processors: payments.
US only. Our Canadian data has no domestic Canada Post label table, so we can’t price the postage leg for Canada the same way.
Use this data
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Every setup at 10, 100, 1,000 orders a month, split into platform, card, fulfillment and postage.
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Honest Fees, “What it costs to ship one online order (2026)”, updated Oct 23, 2026. https://honestfees.com/cost-to-ship-an-online-order
Free to cite and reuse with a link.
Common questions
How much does it cost to ship one online order?
For a $50 order of one 1 lb item shipped in the US, fees and postage come to $10.15 to $18.42 at 100 orders a month, from providers' published prices checked Oct 20, 2026. Your own store shipping it yourself is lowest; eBay shipped cross-country is highest.
Is it cheaper to use Amazon FBA or ship it yourself?
On this order, Amazon FBA costs $12.66 in fees with delivery included ($12.96 in Amazon's holiday peak). Selling on your own store and shipping it yourself costs $10.15 to $13.36, but you find the buyers and do the packing. Etsy and eBay shipped yourself cost $13.21 to $16.42 and $15.21 to $18.42.
How much does a 3PL charge per order?
Of the 3PLs we track that publish a full rate card, Amplifier was lowest at 100 orders a month: $4.10 per one-item order including its monthly fee, before postage and packaging. At 10 orders a month, minimums push some 3PLs far higher. 14 of 23 providers we track only quote.
What is the biggest cost of shipping an order yourself?
Postage. A 1 lb USPS Ground Advantage label bought online is $8.01 to $11.22 depending on distance, from USPS's own price list. On your own store that is more than the plan and card fees combined.