The checkout charge is not the supplier quote
A shirt and a mug can reach the same customer in different parcels. A lower additional-item shipping rate is useful only when the specific items qualify for it. Printify documents Etsy undercharges when different providers or product types generate separate first-item charges. Check the actual basket instead of copying the cheapest single-shirt rate into every listing. Printify's explanation of Etsy shipping differences
Shopify can combine rates across shipping profiles and locations, with exceptions such as flat rates within the same location group. This tool deliberately asks for your observed checkout charge; it does not pretend to reproduce every store's configuration. Shopify's combined-rate guidance
A worked example—not a supplier rate card
Imagine two shirts in one confirmed shipping group: CAD8 for the first and CAD2 for the second. A separate mug costs CAD9 to ship. Your supplier shipping total is CAD19. The buyer pays CAD12 shipping; a hypothetical 10% fee leaves CAD10.80. The shipping shortfall is CAD8.20.
A gross shipping charge of CAD21.12 covers that CAD19 bill under the same percentage assumption. That is a model boundary, not a recommended customer price. You could instead fund part of shipping through product pricing, change the basket, or reassess the supplier route. Compare the full customer price and margin before choosing.
- Each group
- First-item rate + (quantity − 1) × additional-item rate
- Supplier total
- Sum of all separate group shipping costs
- Net shipping collected
- Buyer shipping charge − modeled percentage fee
- Covering charge
- Supplier total ÷ (1 − fee rate), rounded up to a cent
Rates are rounded to CAD cents before multiplication. The optional fee is rounded once on total shipping collected. Real platforms can round multiple fees separately, so allow for differences and verify an actual invoice.
Check three baskets before publishing a bundle
- A single item: confirm shipping origin, destination, currency and service.
- Two matching items: verify whether the reduced additional-item rule actually applies.
- A mixed basket: test another product type or provider, then compare the checkout charge with all supplier shipping groups.
Canadian Etsy sellers: Printify says shipping profile values are transmitted as numerical USD amounts without automatic conversion for non-USD shops. Confirm your CAD rates manually. Changing shop currency has wider consequences; it is not something this calculator recommends automatically.
Use comparable amounts, excluding collected sales tax. Supplier tax, duties and brokerage need separate treatment; a shipping-only surplus is not profit. Record the quote date and destination with your exported scenario, then revisit the assumptions when products, providers or rates change.
Keep planning with the same basket
Mixed-cart shipping questions
Why can a two-product POD order cost more to ship than my customer pays?
The store's checkout rate and the supplier's bill are separate calculations. Products from different providers or shipping groups can incur separate first-item charges, even when checkout charges one first-item rate and a lower additional-item rate. Use your actual basket and supplier quotes to check the difference.
Does using one supplier guarantee combined shipping?
No. Product type, provider, fulfillment location and shipping method can affect grouping. Only combine items in this calculator when the supplier confirms the rate rule for that exact basket. Otherwise enter separate groups or use the complete quoted shipping amount as a quantity-one group.
Can I check free shipping?
Yes. Enter 0 as the buyer's shipping charge. The tool shows how much supplier shipping must be funded from product revenue or another allowance. This is a shipping-only calculation, not proof that the order loses money overall.
Does this automatically convert Printify shipping profiles to CAD?
No. Enter all values in Canadian dollars using your payment and exchange assumptions. Printify warns that its Etsy shipping profile values are sent as USD numbers without automatic conversion for non-USD shops. Verify and maintain your own CAD profile rates rather than assuming the displayed number was converted.
Are taxes, live rates and marketplace fees included?
There are no live rates or automatic tax calculations. You enter shipping costs and an optional combined percentage fee on the buyer's shipping payment. Collected sales tax, fixed order fees, product costs, returns and separate import charges are outside this model. Use a full order-margin calculation as the next check.