What Percent Does Shopify Take Per Sale in 2025?

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Core Components of a Shopify Sale
3. What Percent Does Shopify Take Per Sale by Plan Tier?
4. The "Hidden" Fees That Influence Your Percentage
5. How to Calculate Your Real Break-Even Point
6. Maximizing Margins with Digital Products and Tevello
7. Practical Scenarios: Fee Impact on Different Business Models
8. Strategies to Lower the Percent Shopify Takes
9. The Tevello Advantage: Why Native Integration Matters
10. Setting Realistic Expectations for Your Store
11. Conclusion: Take Control of Your E-Commerce Margins
12. FAQ

Introduction

Did you know that while the average e-commerce store owner obsesses over marketing spend and inventory costs, a silent "revenue leak" often happens right at the point of sale? For many merchants, the realization that they aren’t keeping 100% of their revenue—or even 95%—can be a jarring wake-up call. In a world where margins are increasingly thin, understanding the exact percentage that platforms and payment processors subtract from your bottom line isn't just a matter of accounting; it is a matter of survival. Every percentage point lost to a transaction fee is a dollar that could have been reinvested into product development, customer acquisition, or brand building.

The purpose of this blog post is to demystify the complex web of Shopify fees, explaining precisely what percent Shopify takes per sale and how these costs fluctuate based on your plan, payment gateway, and customer location. We will explore the tiered pricing structures, the hidden costs of third-party processors, and the critical distinction between platform fees and payment processing rates. Furthermore, we will discuss how pivoting into digital learning products can help you reclaim your margins. At Tevello, our mission is to turn any Shopify store into a digital learning powerhouse, allowing you to maximize your Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) without the heavy overhead of physical logistics. This article will provide you with a comprehensive roadmap to navigating Shopify’s fee structure while positioning your business for long-term, high-margin growth.

The Core Components of a Shopify Sale

When you look at your Shopify dashboard and see a sale for $100, the amount that actually lands in your bank account is always less. To understand what percent Shopify takes per sale, we must first break down the three distinct layers of costs that apply to almost every transaction on the platform.

1. The Subscription Fee

The first layer is the fixed monthly cost. While this is not a "per sale" fee in the literal sense, it dictates the percentages you will pay later. Shopify offers several tiers, from the Basic plan to the enterprise-level Shopify Plus. Generally, the more you pay for your monthly subscription, the lower your per-sale percentage becomes. This creates a "break-even" point where moving to a more expensive plan actually saves you money by reducing your transaction-based expenses.

2. Credit Card Processing Fees

This is the fee charged by the financial institutions to process a customer's payment. Whether a customer uses a Visa, Mastercard, or American Express, there is a cost for moving that money securely. If you use Shopify Payments, these rates are predetermined based on your plan. If you use a third-party gateway, these rates are set by that provider (like PayPal or Stripe).

3. Shopify’s Platform Transaction Fees

This is perhaps the most misunderstood cost. Shopify charges an additional percentage on every sale if and only if you choose not to use Shopify Payments. This is often referred to as a "success fee" or a third-party transaction fee. It ranges from 0.5% to 2% depending on your subscription level. If you use Shopify's native payment system, this fee is waived entirely.

What Percent Does Shopify Take Per Sale by Plan Tier?

The percentage Shopify takes is highly dependent on the plan you choose. Each tier is designed to cater to a different stage of business growth, and the fee structure reflects that.

The Basic Plan: For New Entrepreneurs

The Basic plan is the starting point for most new merchants. While the monthly overhead is lower, the per-sale percentages are the highest in the ecosystem.

• Online Credit Card Rate: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
• In-Person (POS) Rate: 2.6% + $0.10.
• Third-Party Transaction Fee: 2.0% (if not using Shopify Payments).

For a merchant selling a $50 item on the Basic plan using Shopify Payments, the fee would be $1.45 (2.9%) plus $0.30, totaling $1.75. This means Shopify/Processors take approximately 3.5% of that specific sale.

The Shopify Plan: For Growing Businesses

Once a store reaches a certain volume of sales, it makes sense to move to the mid-tier plan. Here, the percentages drop slightly, which can lead to significant savings over hundreds of orders.

• Online Credit Card Rate: 2.6% + $0.30 per transaction.
• In-Person (POS) Rate: 2.5% + $0.10.
• Third-Party Transaction Fee: 1.0% (if not using Shopify Payments).

The Advanced Plan: For High-Volume Scaling

Established brands with high monthly turnover benefit from the lowest standard rates. This plan is built for those who prioritize margin optimization.

• Online Credit Card Rate: 2.4% + $0.30 per transaction.
• In-Person (POS) Rate: 2.4% + $0.10.
• Third-Party Transaction Fee: 0.6% (if not using Shopify Payments).

The "Hidden" Fees That Influence Your Percentage

While the standard rates are easy to find on a pricing page, several variable factors can increase the percentage Shopify takes per sale. Merchants who ignore these variables often find their net profit lower than expected.

International and Currency Conversion Fees

If you are selling to customers outside of your home country, Shopify adds a cross-border fee. For U.S. merchants, this is typically an additional 1% to 1.5%. If the customer pays in a different currency, there is also a currency conversion fee (usually around 1.5% to 2%). This means an international sale on the Basic plan could easily cost you over 5% in total transaction fees.

Premium Card Fees

Not all credit cards are created equal. High-reward cards, such as certain American Express or premium commercial cards, often carry higher processing costs. While Shopify Payments attempts to keep these rates consistent, certain regional regulations or third-party processors may pass these higher costs onto the merchant.

The Cost of Chargebacks

While not a "fee" in the traditional sense, chargebacks are a reality of e-commerce. If a customer disputes a charge, Shopify (or your payment provider) will typically hold the funds and charge a dispute fee (often around $15). Even if you win the dispute, that fee is sometimes non-refundable, effectively increasing the "cost" of your sales operations.

How to Calculate Your Real Break-Even Point

Many merchants stay on the Basic plan for too long because they are afraid of the higher monthly subscription cost. However, a simple calculation can reveal when it is time to upgrade.

Imagine you are on the Basic plan paying 2.9% per sale. If you upgrade to the Shopify plan, your rate drops to 2.6%. That 0.3% difference seems small, but if you are doing $20,000 in monthly sales, that 0.3% represents $60 in savings. If the difference in the monthly subscription cost between the two plans is $50, you are actually losing money by staying on the cheaper plan.

Professional merchants audit their "Effective Take Rate" every quarter. To find yours, take your total fees (subscription + processing + transaction fees) and divide them by your total gross sales. This number gives you the true answer to what percent Shopify takes per sale from your specific business.

Maximizing Margins with Digital Products and Tevello

One of the most effective ways to offset the unavoidable fees of the Shopify platform is to diversify your product catalog. Physical products come with manufacturing costs, shipping fees, storage overhead, and the constant risk of returns. Digital products, however, offer a high-margin alternative that requires no physical logistics.

At Tevello, we believe merchants should own their customer data and brand experience. This is why our platform is built as a Native Shopify Integration. When you sell a course or a membership through our app, the customer never leaves your store. They stay on your URL, and the checkout happens through the same payment gateways you already trust. This ensures a seamless experience and allows you to keep the same processing rates you’ve already negotiated.

By introducing digital products, you can significantly increase your Average Order Value (AOV) without increasing your shipping costs. Consider a merchant selling high-end coffee beans. The margins on physical beans are capped by the cost of sourcing and shipping. However, by adding a "Mastering the Pour-Over" video course, the merchant creates a high-margin digital asset. Because we charge 0% transaction fees on your Tevello sales, you keep 100% of the revenue from that digital product (minus the standard Shopify credit card processing fee).

If unifying your stack is a priority, start by a simple, all-in-one price for unlimited courses.

Practical Scenarios: Fee Impact on Different Business Models

To truly understand how these percentages affect your daily operations, let's look at three practical scenarios.

Scenario A: The Craft Supply Shop

A merchant sells crochet kits for $40. On the Basic plan, the processing fee is $1.46. However, they also pay for shipping, packaging, and the cost of the yarn. After all physical costs and Shopify's cut, their net profit might only be $12.

To improve this, the merchant uses Tevello to offer a "Crochet Masterclass" for $25 alongside the kit. We have seen how one brand sold $112K+ by bundling courses alongside their physical products. Since the digital course has no COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) and no shipping fee, the only deduction is the Shopify processing fee. This drastically lowers the overall percentage the platform takes relative to the total profit of the order.

Scenario B: The Fitness Equipment Brand

A store sells yoga mats and weights. These are heavy and expensive to ship. By using Tevello to create a "30-Day Home Yoga Challenge," they can build a community directly on their Shopify store. Using all the key features for courses and communities, they can keep members engaged long after the physical product arrives.

In this case, the recurring revenue from a membership model provides stability that physical sales cannot. Because Tevello offers a flat-rate plan that supports unlimited members, the merchant doesn't have to worry about their costs ballooning as their community grows.

Scenario C: The Expert Consultant

A gardener selling seeds decides to offer professional landscape design tutorials. By migrating over 14,000 members and reducing support tickets through a native Shopify solution, they simplify their entire operation. Instead of paying for a separate platform (which would take its own percentage and require a separate login), they keep everything under one roof.

For this merchant, the percentage Shopify takes per sale is a small price to pay for unifying a fragmented system into a single Shopify store. They save hundreds of hours in customer support and technical troubleshooting.

Strategies to Lower the Percent Shopify Takes

While you cannot eliminate fees entirely, you can certainly optimize them. Here are five actionable strategies to keep more of your money.

1. Default to Shopify Payments

As we have established, using a third-party gateway like PayPal as your primary processor is expensive. Shopify adds a "penalty" fee of up to 2% for using outside providers. By enabling Shopify Payments, you immediately drop your per-sale percentage. You can still offer PayPal as an alternative, but encouraging customers to use the native checkout is a major win for your margins.

2. Audit Your Paid Apps Regularly

Many merchants forget that Shopify apps often charge a percentage of sales or high monthly fees. If you have five different apps for loyalty, courses, reviews, and upsells, your effective platform cost is much higher than the subscription price.

We recommend using all-in-one solutions that don't charge "success fees." At Tevello, our Unlimited Plan is a flat $29.99 per month. We never take a cut of your sales because we believe you should keep what you earn. This predictable pricing helps you maintain a stable cost structure as you scale.

3. Incentivize Annual Subscriptions

For digital products or memberships, getting a customer to pay for a year upfront instead of monthly can save you on transaction fees. Every time a card is swiped, there is a fixed $0.30 fee. One transaction of $100 costs you $0.30 in fixed fees. Ten transactions of $10 cost you $3.00. By bundling your content, you can reduce the impact of these fixed costs.

4. Optimize for Domestic Sales

If your analytics show a high volume of international traffic with low conversion rates, it might be due to the currency conversion costs being passed on to the customer or high shipping rates. Focus your marketing spend on regions where your processing fees are lowest until you have the volume to negotiate better international rates.

5. Leverage Digital Upsells

Because digital goods have virtually 100% margins, they are the perfect vehicle for upsells. By using Tevello to offer digital products that live directly alongside physical stock, you can increase your total revenue per transaction. Even if the Shopify fee remains the same percentage-wise, your "Net Profit Percentage" increases because your COGS for that portion of the sale is zero.

The Tevello Advantage: Why Native Integration Matters

Many platforms try to lure merchants away from Shopify by promising lower fees, only to redirect customers to a third-party URL where the merchant loses control of the brand experience. At Tevello, we take a different approach. We turn your Shopify store into a "learning powerhouse" while keeping the "Native Shopify Integration" at the core.

When you use a non-native app, you often deal with "login friction." Customers have to remember one password for Shopify and another for their courses. This leads to a mountain of support tickets. By seeing how the app natively integrates with Shopify, you can provide a unified login experience. This reduces churn and increases the likelihood of repeat purchases.

Furthermore, we focus on strategies for selling over 4,000 digital courses natively by providing tools like drip content scheduling and quizzes. These features are included in our Unlimited Plan for $29.99/month, ensuring that you never have to worry about tiered feature locks or hidden costs.

Setting Realistic Expectations for Your Store

E-commerce is a marathon, not a sprint. While some gurus promise "six figures in a week," the reality of a successful Shopify store is built on consistent margin management. Diversifying your revenue streams through digital products is a proven way to increase Customer Lifetime Value and build recurring revenue stability.

By understanding what percent Shopify takes per sale, you can make informed decisions about your pricing strategy. If you know that 4% of every sale is going to fees, you can bake that into your retail price. If you know that your physical product margins are tight, you can focus on building a community around your brand to drive repeat, high-margin digital sales.

Our predictable pricing without hidden transaction fees is designed to support you as you grow. Whether you have 10 students or 10,000, your Tevello cost remains the same. This allows you to scale your community and your impact without a "success tax" eating into your hard-earned profits.

Conclusion: Take Control of Your E-Commerce Margins

Navigating the various percentages Shopify takes per sale is a fundamental skill for any successful merchant. From the base subscription fees to the nuances of credit card processing and international conversion rates, every detail matters. The goal is not necessarily to find the "cheapest" path, but the one that offers the most value, security, and scalability for your brand.

By leveraging the power of Shopify Payments and diversifying your offerings with digital courses and memberships, you can transform your store from a simple shop into a comprehensive brand ecosystem. Tevello is here to facilitate that transformation with a robust, all-in-one platform that includes unlimited courses, students, and video hosting—all with 0% transaction fees.

Ready to transform your Shopify store? You can install Tevello from the Shopify App Store today and start your 14-day free trial. This gives you the freedom to build your entire curriculum and community before paying a cent.

To build your community without leaving Shopify, start by reviewing the Shopify App Store listing merchants install from.

FAQ

Does Shopify take a percentage of every sale?

Yes, Shopify takes a percentage through credit card processing fees (if using Shopify Payments) or transaction fees (if using a third-party gateway). These rates vary from 2.4% to 2.9% plus a fixed $0.30 fee per transaction, depending on your subscription plan.

How can I avoid Shopify's additional transaction fees?

The only way to avoid the additional 0.5% to 2.0% transaction fee is to use Shopify Payments as your payment gateway. If you use third-party providers like PayPal or Stripe exclusively, Shopify will charge an extra fee on every sale.

Does Tevello charge a transaction fee on my course sales?

No. Unlike many other digital product platforms, Tevello charges 0% transaction fees. You pay a flat monthly rate for the Unlimited Plan ($29.99), and you keep 100% of the revenue from your courses and memberships, minus the standard credit card processing fees from Shopify.

Can I sell both physical products and digital courses on the same Shopify store?

Absolutely. This is one of the primary benefits of using a native integration like Tevello. You can bundle a physical product with a digital course, providing a "hybrid" experience that increases value for your customers and improves your overall profit margins.