How to price spots so you actually profit
Price a spot by adding up everything the break costs you, including fees, then dividing by the number of spots and adding the margin you need. The step most breakers miss is the fees, because they come out of every sale.
- Product. What you paid for the box or case, including tax.
- Platform fees. Commission and card processing on every order. See Whatnot seller fees explained and eBay Live seller fees explained.
- Postage. What it costs to ship each buyer's cards.
- Supplies. Sleeves, toploaders, mailers, labels and tape.
- Your target profit. Pick a number you are happy with, not a leftover.
You sell 20 spots at $62, and each buyer pays $5 shipping. You spend $40 on supplies and about $100 on postage in total.
- Sales from spots: 20 × $62 = $1,240.
- Shipping charged: 20 × $5 = $100.
- Platform fees on Whatnot (standard rate): $7.20 per order, or $144.00 across 20 orders (schedule 2026-11, effective 2026-11-01).
- What you receive after fees: $1,196.00.
- Costs to pay out of that: $900 product + $100 postage + $40 supplies = $1,040.
- Profit: $156.00, which is 12.6% of spot sales.
On eBay Live, with the same numbers, fees are $125.20 and profit is $174.80 (schedule 2026-11, effective 2026-11-01).
These are examples with made-up costs. Use your own numbers. Our fee calculator does the fee part for any price.
A quick way to estimate it:
- Add product, supplies and postage.
- Add expected fees (use the calculator for one order and multiply).
- Divide by the number of spots.
Any price above that earns profit. Any price below it loses money, no matter how good the break goes.
- Empty spots. If a spot does not sell, you pay for it. Count the full product against only the spots you sell.
- Price changes. Product costs and fees change. Check your math each time.
- Returns and claims. A refunded order may still cost you fees or shipping.
- Taxes. Sales tax rules and income tax are outside this article. Ask an accountant.
If your price is higher, say why: better product, faster shipping or a clearer record. If it is lower, check you can still cover costs.
So does Breaker OS, which keeps sales, fees and box cost together so you see profit for each show. Either way, check the number after every break.
This is general information, not financial or tax advice.
Lock who bought each spot, save every hit with the time and see your profit per show.
See how Breaker OS helps sellers