Etsy Order Margin Review · example deliverable
Twenty consecutive fictional orders, with direct costs, time and a visible share of advertising cost. A contribution review—not a whole-shop net profit statement.
Illustrative cutoff: September 30, 2026 · USD · physical products only
| Sample component | USD | Input trail |
|---|---|---|
| Gross booked revenueItem revenue + shipping charged | $722.00 | D + E · all 20 fictional rows |
| RefundsIncludes full, partial and canceled orders | −$88.00 | F · refunded amounts |
| Net revenueAfter refunds; pass-through tax excluded | $634.00 | Calculated: D + E − F |
| Net platform feesAfter fee credits; Offsite Ads if present; excludes Etsy Ads | −$68.10 | G · net_platform_fees |
| Materials / productionDirect materials or production costs | −$150.90 | H · materials_production |
| PackagingSeparate from materials and postage | −$18.20 | I · packaging |
| Actual postageSeller cost, not shipping charged to the buyer | −$88.90 | J · postage |
| Labor at $18.00/hour452 minutes of making, packing and order support | −$135.60 | K ÷ 60 × hourly rate |
| Contribution before Etsy AdsLabor included; fixed overhead and income tax excluded | $172.30 | Calculated from the rows above |
| Modeled Etsy Ads allocation$300.00 × $722.00 ÷ $6,000.00 | −$36.10 | Period cost allocation; not order attribution |
| Contribution after modeled allocationFor these 20 fictional orders only | $136.20 | Calculated: pre-Ads contribution − allocation |
Input letters match the workbook and data dictionary. Each order has a fictional source_ref in sample-orders.csv. No real fee schedule is implied.
For this example, each order receives the same-period ad-cost share of its gross booked revenue, before refunds:
The sample is 12.03% of period gross. It does not receive the entire $300.00 ad bill. Even a canceled order can carry modeled allocation under this method. This is neither click-level attribution nor incremental advertising profit, and it does not establish a break-even ROAS. Offsite Ads charges, if present, belong in net platform fees and must not be counted again.
These are separate, computable what-ifs from the same model. Both keep the 20 orders, their revenue, refunds and whole-shop gross unchanged. They are not predictions of buyer behavior.
Cost sensitivity 1
The same 452 minutes now cost $180.80. This changes how fully the owner’s time is valued.
$45.20 less than the base example, entirely from the higher labor valuation.
Cost sensitivity 2
The same 20 orders and $6,000 whole-shop gross stay fixed. The modeled allocation becomes $28.88.
$7.22 more in this arithmetic model. Not a recommendation to reduce spend or a forecast: changing ads can change orders and revenue.
Possible next step: measure actual time on the next few orders, or compare one shipping/cost option using verified inputs. Agree one action, an observation window and the conditions that would change the decision. No action is justified by this fictional example alone.
A real pilot includes an editable workbook, findings, two scenarios and this 15-minute call. Delivery: three business days after complete inputs and payment (Monday–Friday, UTC); seven calendar days for clarification questions about the delivered work. Online payment is not open yet.
Refunded and canceled entries remain in sequence. A zero-net-revenue row shows n.a. for margin; no division by zero is performed. Currency is rounded for display only.
| Order / product | Net revenue | Labor | Allocated Ads | Contribution | Margin | Fictional ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIM-001Art print | $37.00 | $5.40 | $1.85 | $11.05 | 29.9% | FICTIONAL-001 |
| SIM-002Sticker set | $16.00 | $2.40 | $0.80 | $3.30 | 20.6% | FICTIONAL-002 |
| SIM-003Mini print (local pickup) | $15.00 | $1.50 | $0.75 | $9.85 | 65.7% | FICTIONAL-003 |
| SIM-004Wire jewellery | $53.00 | $15.00 | $2.65 | $10.80 | 20.4% | FICTIONAL-004 |
| SIM-005Art print | $36.00 | $6.00 | $1.80 | $8.00 | 22.2% | FICTIONAL-005 |
| SIM-006Sticker set | $12.00 | $3.00 | $0.60 | $-0.50 | -4.2% | FICTIONAL-006 |
| SIM-007Wire jewellery | $71.00 | $19.50 | $3.55 | $15.45 | 21.8% | FICTIONAL-007 |
| SIM-008Art print | $0.00 | $6.00 | $1.50 | $-22.25 | n.a. | FICTIONAL-008 |
| SIM-009Mini print (local pickup) | $22.00 | $1.50 | $1.10 | $15.85 | 72.0% | FICTIONAL-009 |
| SIM-010Sticker set | $23.00 | $3.60 | $1.15 | $5.55 | 24.1% | FICTIONAL-010 |
| SIM-011Art print | $46.00 | $7.50 | $2.30 | $11.60 | 25.2% | FICTIONAL-011 |
| SIM-012Wire jewellery | $42.00 | $10.50 | $2.60 | $-0.60 | -1.4% | FICTIONAL-012 |
| SIM-013Mini print (local pickup) | $18.00 | $1.50 | $0.90 | $12.35 | 68.6% | FICTIONAL-013 |
| SIM-014Art print | $62.00 | $9.00 | $3.10 | $18.70 | 30.2% | FICTIONAL-014 |
| SIM-015Sticker set | $10.00 | $3.60 | $0.50 | $-3.90 | -39.0% | FICTIONAL-015 |
| SIM-016Wire jewellery | $0.00 | $0.00 | $1.00 | $-1.00 | n.a. | FICTIONAL-016 |
| SIM-017Wire jewellery | $84.00 | $22.50 | $4.20 | $19.00 | 22.6% | FICTIONAL-017 |
| SIM-018Art print | $0.00 | $3.00 | $1.20 | $-13.55 | n.a. | FICTIONAL-018 |
| SIM-019Mini print (local pickup) | $24.00 | $1.50 | $1.40 | $17.05 | 71.0% | FICTIONAL-019 |
| SIM-020Wire jewellery | $63.00 | $12.60 | $3.15 | $19.45 | 30.9% | FICTIONAL-020 |
Limits of the example. A 20-order sample cannot be extrapolated to monthly profit. Deposits are cash movements, not order revenue. An estimated owner labor value is a decision input, not a claim about paid wages or a tax deduction. Changing costs, prices or advertising can change demand; these scenarios do not prove a causal sales or profit effect.
The 20-order appendix is available in the HTML and linked CSV. Print layout omits the detailed table to keep the review readable; page count depends on the printer settings.
Check fit for the $79 review → Manual confirmation before payment.