Printful profit calculator for UK Etsy sellers
Printful quality costs more per item. See exactly what is left after Etsy's UK fees, VAT and Printful's bill, and the price that makes it worth it.
Calculate Printful profitHow much profit do you make with Printful on Etsy UK?
On a tee sold at £21 with free shipping, with a typical Printful cost of about £14 all-in, Etsy fees plus VAT of £3.16 leave you roughly £3.78, an 18% margin. The same shirt through Printify keeps about £2.80 more, so Printful only wins when your price carries the premium.
| Listing fee | – |
| Transaction fee (6.5%) | – |
| Payment processing | – |
| Regulatory operating fee (0.32%) | – |
| Offsite Ads fee (0%) | – |
| VAT on Etsy fees (20%) | – |
| POD base + shipping cost | – |
| Total taken from the sale | – |
Price it right the first time
To hit your 40% target margin, charge:
What does a Printful order really pay on Etsy UK?
Same £21 sale, two different providers. The Etsy side is identical; only the provider line moves. That single line decides whether the order was worth taking.
| Line | Amount | Who takes it |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer pays | £21.00 | Etsy checkout |
| Etsy fees incl. VAT | − £3.16 | Etsy |
| Etsy payout to you | £17.84 | Your bank |
| Provider base + shipping | − £14.06 | Printful |
| Your true profit | £3.78 (18.0%) | You |
Printful's higher cost is not automatically a reason to switch. If your shop sells on brand, packaging, and print consistency, charge the difference. Use your real product costs from the Printful dashboard; averages only get you so far.
When should you pay Printful's premium?
Pay it when the buyer notices. Brand-led shops, gift buyers, and repeat customers feel print quality, inside labels, and packaging. Those extras support a price premium larger than their cost.
Skip it when the buyer compares. In design-commodity niches where buyers scan five listings and pick the cheapest good one, Printify's per-item advantage goes straight to your margin or your ad budget.
Or run both. Many shops fulfil best sellers through the cheaper provider and brand-critical lines through Printful. The calculator makes that a two-minute comparison per product instead of a spreadsheet afternoon.