Calculate how many orders per month would cover your entered operating costs and recover setup spending over your chosen period. The result is a cost target. It predicts neither demand nor profit.
Enable JavaScript to use this browser-local planning tool. The linked guide and workbook also provide a manual method.
How the calculation works
Contribution per order is revenue minus variable costs, the percentage fee and the fixed transaction fee. The monthly target is fixed operating costs plus setup cost divided by the number of recovery months. Divide that target by contribution per order and round up to a whole order.
Worked example
With $40 revenue per order, $18 variable costs, a 3% fee and a $0.30 fixed fee, contribution is $20.50. If monthly fixed costs are $200 and you recover $600 of setup spending over six months, the monthly target is $300. The calculation rounds $300 ÷ $20.50 up to 15 orders. These are illustrative inputs.
What can change the answer?
Use one currency throughout. Include shipping you pay, fulfillment, refunds, advertising and other per-order expenses in the relevant costs without counting them twice. If contribution is zero or negative, more orders cannot cover the fixed-cost target under those assumptions. Compare a cautious scenario as well as your expected case.
Use the result with evidence
The example values are illustrative. Replace them with your own assumptions, keep the exported scenario, and verify the result against your actual operating workflow. No account or email is required.
Open the matching worksheet in the fillable workbook (PDF, page 5). Download and save your own copy; PDF viewers vary in how they preserve form entries.
Read the companion guides
WooCommerce Launch Budget: Plan the Full Cost of Your Store
Owned Store Readiness Checklist: Are You Ready for WooCommerce?
Digital Products, POD or Physical Stock: Choose Your Store Model
POD Cash Flow: Estimate the Gap Between Production Charges and Payouts
Readiness Audit
Plan the build before you pay for it
The Owned Store Readiness Audit reviews your catalog, operations, budget and route to customers. You get written findings, a 45-minute walkthrough and a clear call: build now, start smaller or fix the gaps first. $349 USD.