Selling on Shopify is exciting — until you look at your payout and wonder where a chunk of your revenue went. If you’ve been asking yourself how much does Shopify take per sale, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common questions from new and experienced merchants alike. The answer depends on your pricing plan, the payment gateway you use, and where in the world you’re selling. This guide breaks down exactly how Shopify’s pricing works, what you actually pay per order, and how to minimize fees so you can keep more profit as your store grows.
Brief understanding of Shopify Fees
Before you can calculate exactly how much Shopify takes per sale, you need to understand that Shopify actually charges fees in two distinct layers — and most merchants only know about one of them.
The Difference Between Transaction Fees and Payment Processing Fees
Transaction fees are charged by Shopify directly as a percentage of your sale. They apply only when you use a third-party payment gateway (like PayPal, Stripe, or any other provider that isn’t Shopify Payments).
Payment processing fees are charged by whoever processes the actual card payment. If you use Shopify Payments, Shopify is both the platform and the payment processor — so you pay one combined rate. If you use a third-party gateway, you pay both the third-party’s processing fee and Shopify’s transaction fee.
How Your Monthly Plan Cost Factors In
Your monthly subscription isn’t technically a “per-sale” fee, but it absolutely affects your effective cost per sale. A merchant on the Basic plan ($25/month) paying 2% transaction fees on $5,000/month in sales is paying $100 in transaction fees plus $25 in plan costs. Understanding this total picture is essential for healthy margins.
How much Percent does Shopify take per Sale
Shopify Starter ($5/month)
The Starter plan is designed for creators selling through social media and messaging apps, not a full online store. It comes with a 5% transaction fee on every sale — the highest of any plan. Payment processing through Shopify Payments is not available on this plan in most regions.
Best for: Hobbyists and creators testing the waters. Not recommended for serious e-commerce businesses.
Basic Plan ($25/month)
The most popular entry-level plan for new online stores.
- Third-party gateway transaction fee: 2%
- Shopify Balance: 2.29% earnings rate
Best for: New merchants just launching, with monthly sales under $5,000.
Grow Plan ($65/month)
The middle-tier plan that hits a sweet spot for growing stores.
- Third-party gateway transaction fee: 1%
- Shopify Balance: 2.29% earnings rate
Best for: Merchants doing $5,000–$20,000/month who want lower fees and more features.
Advanced Plan ($399/month)
Built for established global businesses with significant monthly volume.
- Third-party gateway transaction fee: 0.6%
- Shopify Balance: 2.29% earnings rate
Best for: High-volume merchants doing $20,000+/month where lower per-transaction fees offset the higher plan cost.
Shopify Plus (from $2,300/month)
Enterprise-level. Fees are fully negotiable based on volume, but the standard published rate is:
- Third-party gateway transaction fee: 0.2%
- Shopify Balance: 3.32% earnings rate
Best for: Brands doing $500,000+/month in GMV.
How much does Shopify take per Sale in UK
In the UK, Shopify typically takes between 1.5% and 2.0% + £0.25 per transaction for online credit card sales if you use Shopify Payments, depending on your subscription plan. For in-person sales (POS), rates are lower, starting around 1.7%. If you use a third-party payment gateway, fees increase by an additional 2%.
- Third-Party Payments: Using PayPal, Stripe, or others as your main processor incurs an extra 2% fee on top of their charges.
- Shopify Tax: Free for the first £100,000 in global sales; thereafter 0.25% (0.15% for Plus) on taxable sales, capped at £0.99 per order.
- Currency Conversion: A 1.5% fee applies for international currency conversion.
How much does Shopify take per Sale in India
In India, Shopify charges a transaction fee of 0.5% to 2% per sale when using third-party payment gateways (like Razorpay, PayU, etc.), as Shopify Payments is not fully rolled out. Combined with gateway fees, total costs are typically 3%-4.5%.
Transaction Fees by Plan (Third-Party Providers):
- Basic Plan: 2% per transaction.
- Grow Plan: 1% per transaction.
- Advanced Plan: 0.6% per transaction.
These fees apply on top of the monthly subscription, starting at roughly ₹1,499/month for the Basic plan.
Reduce how much money does Shopify take per Sale
With the right setup, you can significantly lower the percentage Shopify takes from each sale.
Switch to Shopify Payments
This is the single most impactful change most merchants can make. By using Shopify Payments, you eliminate the third-party transaction fee entirely. On the Basic plan, this alone saves 2% per sale. On $10,000/month in sales, that’s $200/month — more than enough to justify paying attention to it.
Shopify Payments is currently available in over 39 countries, including major expansions in Europe. India and many Southeast Asian countries are notably not on this list.
Pay Annually and Save Up to 25%
Shopify offers significant discounts for annual billing vs. monthly billing. This doesn’t reduce your transaction fees, but it lowers your effective plan cost per month:
- Basic: $19/month (annual) vs $25/month — saves $72/year
- Grow: $49/month vs $65/month — saves $192/year
- Advanced: $299/month vs $399/month — saves $1,200/year
Conclusion
Understanding how much does Shopify take per sale is essential if you want to protect your margins and scale your business sustainably. From subscription plans and payment processing to regional transaction fees, the total cost can vary significantly depending on how your store is set up. By choosing the right plan, using Shopify Payments where available, and optimizing your payment structure, you can reduce unnecessary costs and keep more revenue from every order. The more clearly you understand how much percent does Shopify take per sale, the easier it becomes to price products strategically and grow your store with confidence.
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