Break profit calculator.

How the math works.

A break has one income line and two kinds of cost: what Whatnot takes, and what you spend. The calculator runs these six steps, using fee rates checked against Whatnot's help center in November 2026.

1. Spot sales = spots × average spot price. This is the gross the break brings in.
2. Commission = commission rate × spot sales. For US sports cards it is 8% at the Standard tier (under $15,000 in sales per four-week period), stepping down to 7.75% from $15,000 and to 6.50% at $500,000 and up. Whatnot charges it on the item price only, never on shipping or tax.
3. Processing = 2.9% × (spot sales + shipping buyers pay + sales tax) + $0.30 per order. Each spot sold is usually its own order, so the calculator charges $0.30 per spot.
4. Your costs = box or case + supplies + shipping you cover + refund reserve. Shipping the buyer pays is not your cost, since it pays for the Whatnot label, and tax is not your revenue.
5. Net profit = spot sales − commission − processing − your costs. Margin = net profit ÷ spot sales.
6. Break-even spot price = (your costs + 2.9% × buyer-paid shipping + $0.30 × spots) ÷ (spots × (1 − commission rate − 2.9% × (1 + tax rate))).

With 8% commission, 2.9% processing, and a 7% average tax, the bracket in the break-even formula is 1 − 0.08 − 0.029 × 1.07 = 0.889: each spot dollar leaves about 89 cents to pay for the box before the fixed $0.30 per order. Simply dividing total cost by spots gives a number that moves every time the price moves, because the fees inside it were figured at your current price. The formula solves for the price where profit is exactly zero.

Worked examples.

The inputs below are examples chosen to show the arithmetic, not market prices. Each uses 8% commission, 2.9% + $0.30 processing, and a 7% average sales tax. Example 1 is the calculator's default, so you can check it above.

Example 1: one hobby box, 32 random team spots

• Example inputs: a $120 hobby box, $8 of supplies, 32 spots at an average of $7.00, and 16 buyers paying $5.00 shipping ($80 total).
• Spot sales: 32 × $7.00 = $224.00
• Tax buyers pay: 7% × $224.00 = $15.68, so the order total is $224.00 + $80.00 + $15.68 = $319.68
• Commission: 8% × $224.00 = $17.92
• Processing: 2.9% × $319.68 = $9.27, plus 32 × $0.30 = $9.60, for $18.87
• Net profit: $224.00 − $120.00 − $8.00 − $17.92 − $18.87 = $59.21, a 26.4% margin
• Break-even: ($128.00 + 2.9% × $80.00 + $9.60) ÷ (32 × 0.88897) = $139.92 ÷ 28.447 = $4.92 a spot

Example 2: a 12-box case, 32 random team spots

• Example inputs: a $1,440 case, $25 of supplies, 32 spots at an average of $65.00, and 24 buyers paying $5.00 shipping ($120 total).
• Spot sales: 32 × $65.00 = $2,080.00
• Tax buyers pay: 7% × $2,080.00 = $145.60, so the order total is $2,345.60
• Commission: 8% × $2,080.00 = $166.40
• Processing: 2.9% × $2,345.60 = $68.02, plus $9.60, for $77.62
• Net profit: $2,080.00 − $1,440.00 − $25.00 − $166.40 − $77.62 = $370.98, a 17.8% margin
• Break-even: ($1,465.00 + $3.48 + $9.60) ÷ 28.447 = $51.96 a spot

Fees take 11.7% of the case's spot sales against 16.4% for the hobby box, because the fixed $0.30 per order weighs less on bigger spots.

Example 3: Example 1 with free shipping

• Example inputs: the same box, supplies, and spots, but you cover all 16 labels at $5.00 ($80) as a promotion, so buyers pay no shipping.
• Order total: $224.00 + $15.68 tax = $239.68
• Processing: 2.9% × $239.68 = $6.95, plus $9.60, for $16.55
• Net profit: $224.00 − $120.00 − $8.00 − $80.00 − $17.92 − $16.55 = −$18.47, a loss
• Break-even rises to ($208.00 + $9.60) ÷ 28.447 = $7.65 a spot

Free shipping on cheap spots can erase a break's profit. If a holiday promotion calls for it, raise the spot price or save it for a bigger product. Whatnot figures fees order by order, so real payouts can differ from these totals by a few cents.

Common mistakes.

• Pricing off the 8% headline. On $7 spots, the $0.30 per order and processing on shipping and tax push fees past 16% of spot sales.
• Leaving shipping and tax out of processing. The 2.9% applies to everything the buyer pays.
• Counting buyer-paid shipping as revenue. It pays for the label and never reaches your profit.
• Dividing total cost by spots for break-even. Fees fall as the price falls, so solve for the zero-profit price, as the calculator does.
• Forgetting the costs you carry: supplies, any shipping you cover, and refunds when a break does not fill.
• Using the wrong tier. Your rate for this four-week period is set by last period's sales. Check it in Seller Hub.

Break profit questions.

For a single sale with your exact tier, use the Whatnot fee calculator. More worked breaks are in the break math guide, and the full fee picture is in Whatnot fees explained.