How to Calculate Real Profit for Your eCommerce Store in Tunisia

Did you make 10,000 DT in sales this month? Congratulations! 🎉

But how much did you actually take home?

Between product purchase costs, advertising, shipping, packaging, returned orders, and other business expenses, the amount left in your pocket can look very different from your gross revenue.

This is one of the most common mistakes in eCommerce: confusing total sales volume with actual net profit.

In this guide, we will break down how to calculate your store's profitability using a concrete example tailored to the Tunisian market and Cash on Delivery (COD).

1. Revenue vs. Profit: What's the Difference?

Revenue represents the total money generated by your sales. However, it doesn't account for all the expenses required to make those sales happen.

Let's take a simple example:

You buy a product for 30 DT and sell it for 80 DT.

Your initial calculation might be:

80 DT − 30 DT = 50 DT of profit.

In reality, you still need to deduct other operating expenses:

• Advertising used to acquire the customer.

• Packaging and order fulfillment.

• Shipping fees.

• Potential return fees.

• Other general business overhead expenses.

Your actual profit is therefore significantly lower than 50 DT.

It is important to distinguish between three key metrics:

2. Costs to Track for Every Order

To understand the true profitability of a product, you must identify all the costs needed to sell and deliver it.

Here are the key elements to monitor.

Product Cost

This is the price you pay your supplier to acquire the item. If you buy a product for 32 DT, this amount must be factored into your calculation.

Advertising Cost

Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok ad campaigns often represent a major portion of customer acquisition costs.

For example, if you spend 900 DT on ads to generate 100 orders, your average acquisition cost is 9 DT per generated order.

Fulfillment Cost

Packaging, boxes, tape, labels, and other supplies used to prepare parcels.

Shipping Cost

The amount paid to the courier or logistics provider to deliver orders to customers.

Return Costs

This is especially critical in Cash on Delivery (COD) markets.

A refused or canceled order can incur advertising fees, preparation costs, and round-trip shipping fees without generating any revenue.

General and Recurring Expenses

You must also account for expenses not directly tied to a single order:

• Software and platform subscriptions.

• Salaries and commissions.

• Phone and internet bills.

• Office or warehouse rent and utilities.

• Other operational overheads.

3. Practical Example: An eCommerce Store in Tunisia

Let's take a store selling a product for 89 DT, with shipping included in the price.

Over a one-month period, they achieve the following results:

• 100 confirmed orders.

• 75 delivered orders.

• 25 refused orders.

• 900 DT spent on ads.

Here are the estimated operational costs configured by the merchant for each status:

These amounts are examples and should be adjusted to match each store's actual expenses.

Let's calculate the monthly results.

A. Total Revenue

Only successfully delivered orders generate collected revenue here.

75 × 89 DT = 6,675 DT

B. Product Purchase Cost

Assuming each product costs 32 DT to buy from the supplier.

75 × 32 DT = 2,400 DT

C. Operational Costs

Estimated costs are accumulated based on the final status of each order:

• 75 delivered orders × 19 DT = 1,425 DT.

• 25 returned orders × 15 DT = 375 DT.

Total operational costs: 1,800 DT.

Notice that refused orders also generated costs, even though they produced zero revenue.

D. Other Expenses

Suppose the store also recorded 500 DT in general overhead expenses over the period: subscriptions, phone bills, and other fees.

Note: Advertising is already included in the operational costs of this example, so it must not be deducted a second time.

What is the Estimated Profit?

Result

The store generated 6,675 DT in sales, but its estimated net profit after accounting for all expenses is 1,975 DT.

This represents approximately 29.6% of total revenue.

If the merchant had simply calculated 89 DT − 32 DT, they would have massively overestimated their profitability.

This example is simplified and illustrative. It does not constitute official accounting or tax advice: taxes, inventory shrinkage, stock losses, and untracked charges must be factored in based on each business's unique situation.

4. How to Automatically Track These Costs with IG60

Performing these calculations manually for every order and period can quickly become overwhelming.

That is why IG60 provides built-in features to help merchants effortlessly track their costs and profitability.

⚙️ Estimate Operational Costs by Status

From Orders → Status Management, you can define an estimated operational cost for each fulfillment status.

For example:

• Pending: 9 DT covering ad acquisition.

• Confirmed: 10 DT including confirmation call handling.

• Processing: 11 DT including packaging and prep.

• Delivered: 19 DT including shipping fees.

• Returned: 15 DT including return shipping and handling.

IG60 automatically factors in the cumulative cost associated with the final status reached by each order.

This gives you a clear estimation of operational expenses without manually logging every minor expense per order.

🧾 Record Your Expenses

From the Expenses menu, you can record business-related costs and organize them by category:

• Product purchases.

• Fuel and logistics.

• Packaging supplies.

• Advertising campaigns.

• Salaries.

• Taxes.

• Other miscellaneous costs.

You can also configure recurring expenses: daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly.

The goal is to maintain a clear expense history and understand exactly where your money is going.

📦 Input Your Product Cost Price

Selling price alone is never enough to know if a product is profitable.

By entering the purchase cost of your items, you allow IG60 to integrate this data directly into your profitability analytics.

This lets you look past top-line revenue and truly understand what your sales yield.

📊 View Your Profitability Metrics

Once your costs are configured, the Analytics page lets you track several key indicators:

• Total Estimated Order Costs: The total estimated operational costs for the selected period, along with the average cost per order.

  • Cost Per Order: A comprehensive view integrating product costs, recorded expenses, and estimated operational costs.

  • Net Profit: An estimate of what remains after deducting all tracked expenses.

  • Net Profit Per Order: The average estimated profit for each order, crucial for evaluating your margins and ad spend limits.

  • 5. Estimated Costs vs. Recorded Expenses: Which Method to Choose?
  
  

  These two features serve complementary purposes.

  Recorded expenses allow you to track actual money paid out and maintain a detailed financial ledger.

  Status-based estimated costs provide a simpler, automated approximation of fulfillment expenses, even when you don't enter every individual minor expense manually.

  Both approaches work best together.

  However, be careful not to count the same expense twice.

  For example, if your ad spend is already factored into your status-based operational costs, do not deduct it again under recorded expenses for the same calculation.

  To ensure accurate results, always double-check your configured cost rules and tracked expenses.

  6. Why Tracking Profit Per Order Matters

  Knowing your store's overall profit is useful, but understanding the profitability of individual products helps you make better strategic decisions.

  Imagine two products:

  	Product A	Product B
  Selling Price	89 DT	89 DT
  Purchase Cost	32 DT	25 DT
  Estimated Operational Costs	19 DT	35 DT
  Profit Before Other Expenses	38 DT	29 DT

  Product B is cheaper to buy from the supplier, but its fulfillment and operational costs are higher.

  Product A ultimately generates a higher net profit in this scenario.

  This kind of comparison helps you identify your truly profitable items, rather than just chasing high-volume sellers.

  You can also use these insights to:

  • Identify products with unviable profit margins.

  • Re-evaluate and adjust your retail pricing.

  • Compare product offers side-by-side.

  • Pinpoint cost centers that need optimization.

  • Determine maximum safe customer acquisition cost thresholds.

  • Conclusion: Selling More Doesn't Always Mean Earning More
  
  

  A store can easily increase its top-line revenue while watching its actual profitability shrink.

  Rising ad costs, a high rate of refused orders, or unmanaged operational expenses can quickly devour your profits.

  The right approach is to track not just sales volume, but the real costs required to fulfill them.

  With IG60, you can combine expense tracking, status-based operational costs, and product purchase pricing to gain complete clarity over your store's financial health.

  Your goal shouldn't just be to sell more—it should be to keep more on every sale. 💰

  
  

  FAQ

  How do you calculate profit for an eCommerce store?

  Subtract your product purchase costs, operational fulfillment expenses, advertising spend, and general business overhead from your total revenue. The final result depends on all the costs you factor into the equation.

  Should refused or canceled orders be accounted for?

  Yes. Even though they do not generate revenue, they still incur ad spend, packaging supplies, and courier fees. Factoring them in is essential for realistic profit calculations.

  What is the difference between margin and net profit?

  Margin measures what remains after deducting specific product or sales-related costs. Net profit accounts for all tracked business expenses over a given period.

  How do you calculate ad cost per delivered order?

  Divide your total advertising budget by the number of successfully delivered orders to find out the average ad cost supported by each successful sale. For example, 900 DT in ads for 75 delivered orders equals 12 DT per delivered order.

  How does IG60 help track profitability?

  IG60 allows you to input product purchase costs, log general business expenses, and configure estimated operational costs based on order fulfillment statuses. This data feeds directly into your built-in analytics dashboards.