About this calculator

TikTok Shop US sellers face a stack of variable fees: platform commission, payment fee, creator affiliate, paid ads and returns. This calculator estimates per-unit net profit and break-even ad share so you can size creator commissions and Spark Ads budget without burning margin.

How to use

  1. Pick a preset (beauty / apparel / home) to load realistic defaults.
  2. Enter your category commission and creator affiliate rates from the back office.
  3. Set ad % based on Spark Ads + brand boost combined target.
  4. Watch return rate carefully — apparel and skincare can spike it.

Field reference

Sale Price (USD)
Listed price after promotions, before tax.
Product Cost
Landed product cost in USD.
TikTok Commission
Category commission, typically 5–8%.
Transaction Fee
Payment processing — about 2.5% on TikTok Shop US.
Creator Affiliate
Commission paid to creators in Affiliate plan, often 8–20%.
Fulfillment / Pick-Pack
Per-unit fulfillment cost (FBM or FBT).
Inbound Shipping
Per-unit cost into your US warehouse.
Paid Ads (Spark/PPC)
Spark Ads + brand boost as % of price.
Return Rate
Returns / orders; can hit 10%+ for apparel.
Other Variable Cost
Sample, free units, packaging upgrades.

FAQ

Is creator affiliate optional?

Yes, but the affiliate market is the main organic flywheel on TikTok Shop US — most sellers run it at 10%+.

Do I need both creator affiliate AND paid ads?

Use creators for content discovery and paid ads to amplify the best content. Budget both lines separately.

How is FBT (Fulfillment by TikTok) priced?

FBT charges per-unit pick & pack plus storage. Plug both into Fulfillment and Storage fields.

Why is my safe ACOS so low?

Stack the variable fees: 8% commission + 2.5% payment + 12% affiliate already eats 22.5% before ads. Optimize commission category or affiliate caps.

Should I include the welcome deal subsidy?

If TikTok funds it, no. If you fund it, treat the discount as a price reduction (lower the price field).

Returns vs disputes — same input?

Use Return Rate for both. Track them separately in your back office, but model them together here.

Related calculators