UK VAT basics for online sellers (plain English)
This is not tax advice — talk to an accountant — but the calculator toggles exist for a reason. VAT on platform fees is common for UK VAT-registered…
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Selling online, with clearer numbers
Fees, returns, ads, ops, and Fee Watch notes for UK marketplace sellers.
Packaging and postage: the silent profit leak
You charged £3.99 postage and spent £4.40. That is a fee you invented for yourself. Weigh a finished pack, buy labels in batches, and enter real shipping cost…
Read guideProduct photos that sell without eating your margin
Bad photos raise returns and lower conversion. Both destroy contribution. Natural light, honest colour, size references, and a clean background beat most paid presets. Budget time, not gear…
Read guideMulti-channel pricing without selling yourself into a loss
One SKU, three platforms, three fee stacks. If you copy-paste the same price everywhere, someone is subsidising someone else. Set a minimum viable price per channel with break-even,…
Read guideTikTok Shop fees: viral volume with a sober margin
Commission is only the start — creator cuts, live discounts and returns decide whether volume is profitable. Model a mid-range commission in the calculator, add ads/creator costs as…
Read guideAmazon FBM vs FBA: don’t send a pallet on vibes
FBA is a fulfilment product, not a personality trait. Paste the quote, model returns, then decide. Use break-even in the calculator so slow movers do not strand cash…
Read guideDepop vs Vinted: pick the fee stack that matches your returns
Private Vinted can look free. Depop processing looks tiny — until returns and boosts show up. Compare both with the fashion preset and an honest return rate. Then…
Read guideeBay vs Etsy for UK makers: fees are only half the story
Makers often default to Etsy and ignore eBay — or the reverse. Listing fees, audience fit, and ads change the winner. Run the handmade preset in the calculator,…
Read guideFBA maths: are you paying for speed or guessing?
Paste Amazon’s fulfilment quote into the FBA field before you send inventory. Default estimates in any calculator are placeholders. Compare FBA against FBM and eBay with returns on,…
Read guideHow promoted listings quietly wipe your margin
If your margin before ads is thin, promoted listings can buy unprofitable volume. Stress-test ads % in the marketplace calculator, then try a higher price + ads in…
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