Printify Cost per Sale: What Sellers Should Expect

To see how this fits with all profit metrics, check POD Profit Margins Explained. For Printify’s official explanation of how much you’ll make per sale, see Printify Help: How Much Will I Make per Sale. Want live margins including ad costs & fees? Use PodVector.

What “Cost per Sale” Really Means

The “cost per sale” is how much it costs you, the seller, to fulfill one order. It includes:

• Production cost (what Printify charges you)
• Shipping cost (to customer)
• Extra print area costs (sleeves, back prints, all-over print)
• Platform fees / transaction & payment processing fees (Shopify, Etsy, etc.)
• Returns or refunds (if a sale is partially or fully reversed)

Printify’s catalog shows only the base production cost (i.e. what Printify charges you before you publish). The other costs must be layered on yourself or tracked in your analytics tool. Source: Printify Help

Production Costs in Printify Catalog

When you browse Printify’s catalog, each item shows a “production price” — that’s what Printify charges you (for blank + print + base fee). That doesn’t include shipping, and any extra print areas or version upgrades will increase that cost. Printify Reference

Printify advises users to set their retail price as: production cost + desired profit. They recommend aiming for roughly a 40% profit margin above your costs. Printify Guidance

Shipping, Extras & Hidden Add-ons

After adding production cost, you must add:

• Shipping: varies by product, destination, and provider — sometimes 20–50% of your production cost
• Extra print areas: a back print, sleeve print, or neck label often adds a few dollars
• Premium color variants: heather, tri-blend, or special fabrics may cost more
• Sales channel fees: e.g. Shopify, Etsy, or Amazon transaction or listing fees
• Payment processing fees: e.g. 2.9% + $0.30 (or local rates) on each sale

What Margin to Expect (Printify Suggestion)

Based on Printify’s help docs, they suggest merchants set a retail price that gives them around a 40% margin above their costs. That means your expected margin = (Retail Price – Cost per Sale) / Retail Price ≈ 40%. Printify Source

That margin is before ad spend, refund handling, or payment fees — those will eat into that 40%. Use a tool to capture all those components.

Sample Per-Sale Cost Breakdown

Let’s walk through an example for one shirt sold in the U.S.:

• Production cost (via Printify catalog): $10.00
• Shipping cost: $5.00
• Extra print area (back print): $2.00
• Platform & payment fees (approx 3% + fixed): $1.05
• Total cost per sale = $18.05

If you sell that shirt for $30.00, your gross margin before ads/returns = $30 – $18.05 = $11.95 (~39.8%).

Tips to Lower Your Cost per Sale

• Use a closer print provider to reduce shipping costs.
• Limit extra print areas — use front-only prints when possible.
• Bundle orders or upsells to raise AOV so fixed fees weigh less.
• Negotiate better rates (via Printify Premium or volume discounts).
• Use internal analytics (or PodVector) to spot products with high cost drag.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Printify’s catalog price change?

Yes — Printify updates production costs over time based on supplier changes and material cost fluctuations. Always recheck before scaling. Printify Docs

Does the cost include returns or refunds?

No — returns or refunds are not included in your cost per sale. You must account for those separately when calculating net profit.

Is 40% margin enough?

It’s a solid starting point. But depending on your ad spend, marketplace fees, and refund rates, you may need more buffer. Track your actual net margin over time.