A marketplace proposes a discount. The seller's question is not only whether orders might grow, but which price still leaves the intended profit on one buyout. Separate costs by how they are calculated and write down the assumptions before approving the campaign.
1. Assemble per-buyout costs
Record purchase cost, packaging, delivery and other fixed costs per unit. Separate fees that really vary with the sale price in your model. Advertising cost per buyout and a return allowance may be estimates, but record how they were derived. A missing value is not zero.
Check the current terms for the specific marketplace, fulfillment model and category. Do not reuse a fee from another item or period. Tax treatment, marketplace-funded discounts and costs calculated on a different base require separate treatment under your accounting rules.
2. Calculate a threshold for the stated model
Suppose percentage charges equal a share f of your sale price P; fixed costs per buyout equal C + L + A + R; and your target profit in currency is M. Then:
Pmin = (C + L + A + R + M) / (1 − f)
C is purchase cost, L is logistics and packaging, A is advertising per buyout, and R is a return allowance. This formula applies only to that percentage base and cost set. If fees use another base or a cost varies with price, rebuild the model.
Teaching example: C = 500 RUB, L = 90 RUB, A = 60 RUB, R = 30 RUB, M = 120 RUB, f = 18%. The threshold is 800 / 0.82 ≈ 976 RUB. These figures are not a marketplace tariff or customer result. At 950 RUB, this model misses the target profit.
3. Test the actual promotion price
Compare the threshold with the amount that will actually form the calculation base after the seller-funded discount. Establish who funds the promotion and how it appears in source reports. Use separate scenarios for fulfillment methods and marketplaces when logistics or charges differ. Our FBS versus Wildberries warehouse comparison shows why one universal threshold can mislead.
4. Save the calculation version
Before launch, keep the price, date, SKU, purchase-cost source, marketplace terms and advertising assumption. After the first buyouts, compare the scenario with actual fees and returns. A threshold supports a pre-campaign choice; it does not replace reconciliation with primary reports.
ProfitVena helps analyze available marketplace data, configured costs and supported Excel/CSV imports at SKU level. Completeness depends on connected sources, product mapping and your accounting rules; verify disputed amounts against source documents. The technical side has been updated in ProfitVena, part of the Wicsora ecosystem.
A useful decision: the proposed promotion price has a transparent calculation, a target profit and a list of assumptions to check after sales begin.
