What Does Shopify Actually Charge Per Sale?

On Shopify Payments, you pay the card processing rate for your plan (a percentage plus a fixed amount per transaction, lower on higher plans) and nothing else per sale. Using a third-party gateway adds a separate Shopify transaction fee on top of your gateway's own processing fees. There is no commission or revenue share beyond these.

The card processing rate

This is the standard Stripe-style fee: a percentage of the order plus a small fixed amount, charged on the full order total including shipping and tax. Higher Shopify plans get lower rates, which is the main math behind upgrading plans as volume grows.

The third-party transaction fee

If you use an external gateway instead of Shopify Payments (because your country or product type requires it), Shopify adds its own per-transaction percentage on every sale. That fee disappears entirely when Shopify Payments is active, which is why it is the default recommendation wherever available.

What is not charged per sale

Shopify takes no cut of your margin, no listing fees, and no commission. Subscription apps, themes, and your plan are fixed costs. The per-sale cost is purely payment processing plus, when applicable, the third-party gateway fee.

The upgrade math

Compare plan rates against your monthly volume. When the percentage-point savings on card fees exceed the plan price difference, upgrading the plan pays for itself. Stores usually hit this point earlier than they expect, so run the numbers every few months.

Frequently asked questions

Are Shop Pay transactions charged differently?

No, Shop Pay runs through Shopify Payments at the same rates and costs nothing extra.

Do refunds return the processing fee?

Card processing fees are generally not returned on refunds, so refunds cost you the original fee.

Where do I see exact current rates?

The pricing page in your admin under Settings then Plan shows the rates for your plan and region.