What a result means
ProfitCalcTools models the assumptions entered. A positive result means stated revenue exceeds the costs included. It does not establish demand, future advertising performance, platform eligibility or the accuracy of a supplier quote. A result is not an accounting statement, investment recommendation or tax determination.
Use each calculator's labels and limitations. An order result, a campaign threshold and a monthly result answer different questions. Check which costs are included before comparing outputs.
Core relationships
| Measure | Definition in a simple model |
|---|---|
| Contribution before ads | Revenue − non-ad variable costs |
| Contribution after ads | Contribution before ads − acquisition cost |
| Monthly profit | Sum of order contributions after ads − fixed costs |
| Margin | Modeled profit ÷ stated revenue base × 100 |
| Markup on cost | (Price − cost) ÷ cost × 100 |
| ROAS | Ad-attributed revenue ÷ spend |
| ACOS | Spend ÷ ad-attributed revenue × 100 |
| Break-even CPA | Revenue − all modeled non-ad costs |
| Reverse price, single percentage base | Fixed order costs ÷ (1 − fee rate − target margin) |
Fixed costs may be allocated into an order when supported. Do not subtract them again from monthly profit. A label such as net profit remains limited to entered expenses; unentered taxes, finance costs or owner compensation do not disappear.
Inputs, presets and fictional examples
User inputs should come from the relevant quote, invoice, fee preview, carrier agreement or report. Presets are starting assumptions, not account-specific terms. Worked examples are fictional scenarios, not merchant case studies, actual earnings or official rate quotes.
Sources support the categories and definitions identified in the text. They do not mean the provider endorsed this guide or audited the calculations. A content revision date does not prove every provider fee was reviewed on that date.
Percentage fees and returns
Percentages can have different bases, minimums or tiers. Combining them is valid only when bases align and no fixed or piecewise components are missing. A fee on item price may differ from one on price plus delivery or collected tax.
For returns, either weight kept/returned outcomes or subtract the equivalent expected loss from a kept-order model. Do not apply both to the same loss. Recovered inventory is a value assumption, not cash collected. See the returns guide and monthly reconciliation.
Invalid inputs and impossible scenarios
A blank is not automatically zero. Denominators must be positive; order counts must be nonnegative whole numbers. A zero-order month can still incur fixed losses even though per-order overhead is undefined.
There is no finite positive-spend break-even ROAS when costs consume all revenue. The reverse-price formula is infeasible when fee rate plus target margin reaches 100%. The guide tools flag non-positive ad allowances and invalid inputs rather than presenting impossible targets as recommendations.
Reproduce a result and report a correction
Start with one order you can calculate independently. Change one assumption at a time, retain precision internally and round the display. Check a loss case and a zero-order case where relevant.
Automated tests accompany this collection's examples and four guide widgets. They validate those scenarios, not every legacy calculator or the full fee schedules of the platforms. The source, assumption and exclusion notes remain essential.
Report the page URL, input values, observed output and expected calculation through Contact. Do not send credentials, card details or customer records. Editorial standards explains authorship, AI assistance and commercial independence.
Replace the example assumptions with your own costs. Check field definitions before comparing results.