The deal’s real margin, before you bid.
Enter your acquisition costs and expected resale. The calculator pulls in every fee on both sides — hammer, premium, tax, inbound shipping, platform commission, outbound shipping — and tells you the profit you actually walk away with.
Why most auction resellers lose money.
Resellers new to auctions usually track hammer price and sale price — and ignore everything in between. The reality: a $100 hammer with a 25% buyer’s premium, 7% tax, $20 pickup, and 13% resale platform fees on a $200 resale leaves you with a $17 profit on $100 of risk. That’s 17% ROI before any returns, damage, or storage cost. Most flippers think they made $100.
The calculator above captures every fee in one view so you know your real break-even before you raise your paddle.
Questions, answered.
How do you calculate profit from an auction purchase?
Profit = (Sale price − platform fees − outbound shipping) − (hammer price + buyer's premium + tax + inbound shipping). Leaving any of these out — especially the buyer's premium and resale platform fees — is the single biggest mistake new resellers make.
What is landed cost at auction?
Landed cost is the total you actually pay to acquire the item: hammer price, buyer's premium, sales tax on the subtotal, and shipping or pickup costs. It's what you should compare against your resale price to know your true margin.
What platform fees do resellers pay?
Resale platform fees typically range from 5–15% of the sale price, plus payment processing (usually 2–3%). Rates vary by platform and category. Always verify current rates directly with whichever marketplace you plan to sell on.
What profit margin should I target on auction resales?
Experienced resellers target at least 30% ROI after all fees — meaning $100 landed cost should return $130+ net. Margins below 20% rarely survive a returned item, a shipping damage claim, or a slow-selling piece of inventory. Use this calculator to screen deals before you bid.
Does this calculator account for marketplace fees and shipping?
Yes. The "Platform fees (%)" field covers any resale marketplace fee — enter whichever percentage applies to where you plan to sell, or check the fees directory for current rates across 99+ resale platforms. "Outbound shipping" is what you pay to ship to the buyer. Inbound shipping (auction pickup or freight) goes in the acquisition section.
Real comp data, on every lot you watch.
AuctionIQ pulls live sold comp data from auction records and resale marketplaces so you can value items before you bid — not after you’ve overpaid.
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