How Much Does Shopify Take Per Sale? Fees Fully Explained

Key Insights
• Shopify takes a percentage plus a fixed fee per transaction when using Shopify Payments, commonly cited as around 2.9% plus 30 cents on entry-level plans, though the exact rate varies by plan tier and region.
• Using a third-party payment gateway instead of Shopify Payments adds an extra fee on top of the gateway’s own processing rate, which is why most merchants stay on Shopify Payments by default.
• Higher-tier Shopify plans receive lower transaction rates, which means the monthly plan fee and the per-sale fee are connected costs, not separate line items to evaluate independently.
• The fee structure differs for online transactions, in-person POS transactions, and third-party gateway transactions, so “how much does Shopify take” has three different answers depending on how the sale actually happened.

How much does Shopify take per sale is a deceptively simple question with a slightly more complicated real answer. The short version: Shopify Payments charges a percentage of the sale plus a small fixed fee, with the exact rate depending on your plan tier. The complete version involves a few more moving parts, whether you use Shopify Payments or a third-party gateway, whether the sale happened online or in person, and which plan you are on, all of which change the actual number that gets deducted.

This guide breaks down each of those variables so you can calculate your own real number instead of relying on a single flat figure that may not match your specific setup, plan tier, or payment method, and confirm it against your own actual sales data going forward.

How Much Does Shopify Actually Take Per Sale?

For online sales processed through Shopify Payments, the commonly cited standard rate is around 2.9% of the sale amount plus 30 cents per transaction on entry-level plans, with the percentage dropping on higher-tier plans as sales volume and plan cost both increase together. On a $100 sale at that rate, the fee works out to roughly $3.20, leaving the merchant with approximately $96.80 before accounting for any other costs like apps or shipping.

This rate is not universal across every plan, region, and payment method. It is the figure most commonly cited for a standard online transaction on an entry-level plan using a major credit card. In-person transactions through Shopify POS typically carry a different, often lower, rate, and international cards or specific payment methods can carry their own adjustments.

Why the Rate Changes by Plan Tier

Shopify’s plan tiers are not just about feature access. Each tier carries its own transaction rate, and higher-tier plans receive lower rates as part of the value proposition for the higher monthly fee. This means the monthly plan cost and the per-sale fee are connected, not separate, decisions worth calculating together.

A store processing meaningful sales volume can find that a higher-tier plan’s lower transaction rate saves more in fees than the plan’s higher base cost, even before considering the additional features that tier unlocks. Calculate this the same way you would any other volume-based pricing decision: estimate monthly sales volume, apply the rate difference between tiers, and compare that savings against the base plan cost difference directly.

What Happens If I Use a Different Payment Gateway?

Shopify Payments is built into the platform and activates without a separate account or approval process. Choosing a third-party gateway instead, PayPal, Stripe, or another provider, means Shopify adds a fee on top of whatever that gateway charges independently, since you are no longer using Shopify’s own integrated processing.

This additional fee is why most merchants default to Shopify Payments unless they have a specific reason not to, an existing relationship with another provider, a regional requirement, or a business model that a specific gateway supports better. For most standard stores, Shopify Payments works out cheaper overall once the third-party gateway’s own fees are combined with Shopify’s added surcharge, which is worth calculating explicitly rather than assuming either option is automatically cheaper.

Not sure which plan and payment setup minimizes your actual fees? Get a Shopify Pricing Strategy Consult

The Three Fee Types That Add Up

Transaction fees are only one part of what gets deducted from a sale. The monthly plan fee is a fixed cost regardless of sales volume, which matters when calculating true cost per sale at different volume levels, since the same monthly fee spread across more sales lowers the effective cost per transaction.

Separate monthly, payment, and third-party gateway fees to accurately calculate your store’s real cost per sale.

International Cards and Currency Conversion

Cards issued outside your store’s home country or currency often carry an additional fee on top of the standard rate, sometimes called an international or cross-border fee. This is separate from currency conversion charges, which apply when a transaction settles in a different currency than the one the card was originally issued in.

Model international transaction fees separately, as they can significantly increase your real cost per sale at scale.

How This Differs From Overall Shopify Store Cost

Total Shopify store cost includes far more than transaction fees: the monthly plan fee, apps, theme costs, domain registration, and any development or design work. Transaction fees are specifically what gets deducted from each sale, a narrower and more specific number than the full cost of running the store.

Merchants researching overall store cost and merchants researching per-sale fees are usually asking different questions with different practical implications. Total store cost matters for monthly budgeting. Per-sale fees matter for pricing products correctly and understanding true margin on each transaction, which is a distinct calculation worth doing separately rather than folding into a general cost estimate.

Common Mistakes When Calculating Shopify Fees

• Assuming one flat rate applies regardless of plan tier, payment method, or transaction type across the board
• Forgetting that third-party gateways add a fee on top of the gateway’s own processing rate, not instead of it
• Not factoring transaction fees into product pricing, which quietly erodes margin on thin-margin items over time.
• Comparing only the monthly plan fee without factoring in how the transaction rate changes across tiers
• Confusing overall store cost with per-sale transaction fees, which are related but genuinely distinct numbers

Ready to Understand Your Real Cost Per Sale? How much Shopify takes per sale depends on your plan tier, your payment method, and whether the sale happened online or in person. Calculate the actual number for your specific setup rather than relying on a single cited figure, and factor that number into your product pricing directly so margin decisions are based on real costs, not assumptions. Our Shopify development team can help model the real numbers for your specific store and sales volume. Talk to our team about your Shopify pricing strategy.

Pro Tip 💡

Build your transaction fee into your product pricing explicitly rather than treating it as an afterthought that eats into margin. Calculate your actual rate, apply it to your average order value, and price with that number already accounted for. Merchants who skip this step often discover months later that their advertised margin and their real margin were never the same number.

FAQ

1. How Much Does Shopify Take Per Sale on Average?

For online sales through Shopify Payments on an entry-level plan, a commonly cited figure is around 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction. This varies by plan tier, payment method, and region, so always confirm your specific rate on Shopify’s current pricing page.

2. Does Shopify Charge Extra for Using PayPal or Stripe?

Yes. Using a third-party gateway instead of Shopify Payments adds a Shopify fee on top of whatever that gateway charges independently. This combined cost is usually higher overall than using Shopify Payments alone for most standard stores.

3. Do Higher Shopify Plans Have Lower Transaction Fees?

Yes. Transaction rates typically decrease on higher-tier plans as part of the value proposition for the higher monthly cost. This means monthly plan fees and per-sale fees are connected costs worth calculating together, not separately.

4. Are In-Person Shopify POS Fees Different From Online Fees?

Yes, in-person transaction rates through Shopify POS typically differ from online transaction rates, often at a different percentage. Confirm your specific in-person rate separately from your online rate, since they are not automatically the same number.

5. Do Transaction Fees Apply on Top of My Monthly Plan Fee?

Yes. The monthly plan fee and per-sale transaction fees are separate, additive costs that both apply to every store. Pay the monthly fee regardless of sales volume, while transaction fees apply to every sale your store processes.

6. How Do I Calculate My Real Cost Per Sale?

Calculate transaction costs by combining payment fees, gateway charges, and your monthly plan cost spread across your average sales volume.