How Shopify fees work in Australia
Selling on Shopify in Australia means three separate costs eat into every order, and it is easy to under-count them. This calculator brings them together so you see real profit per unit, not just the headline margin on your product.
- Subscription: a fixed monthly plan fee, spread across the orders you actually take.
- Payment processing: a percentage of each sale plus a small fixed fee, charged by Shopify Payments or your gateway.
- Third-party transaction fee: an extra Shopify charge that only applies if you don’t use Shopify Payments.
On top of those sit your product cost, shipping and advertising; the calculator subtracts all of them to give net profit, margin, break-even price and the maximum you can spend on ads per order before you lose money.
Shopify plan pricing in Australia (AUD)
Rates last verified 2026-08-05. Shopify occasionally adjusts pricing, so always confirm against the official Australia pricing page before committing.
Australian payment methods
Shopify Payments in Australia supports the local methods Australian shoppers expect. Each is selectable in the calculator’s advanced options:
- Standard card (Visa / Mastercard)
- American Express: Amex runs at 2.9% on Basic, 2.8% on Grow and 2.7% on Advanced, plus 30¢.
- International card: Published absolute rates: 3.5% on Basic down to 3.3% on Advanced, roughly double the domestic rate.
Australia has some of Shopify’s lowest domestic card rates (1.75% on Basic down to 1.4% on Advanced) but comparatively steep international rates, published as absolute figures of 3.5% to 3.3% rather than a surcharge. If a real share of your orders comes from overseas cards, model both and blend. Apple Pay, Google Pay and Shop Pay process at your plan’s card rate.
Third-party gateway fees
If you use an external payment provider instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify adds a transaction fee on top of whatever your gateway charges: 2% on Basic, falling to 0.2% on Plus. Switch the calculator’s payment method to “Third-party provider” to enter your gateway’s own rate and see the combined cost.
For most Australian merchants, using Shopify Payments removes this fee entirely and is the cheaper route unless a specific gateway gives you a materially better processing rate.
GST considerations
Prices and profit here exclude GST, which is a flat 10%. Australian consumer law requires displayed prices to include GST, so if you are copying prices from your storefront, divide by 1.1 to get the net figure before entering it. Registration is required once turnover passes AUD 75,000.
This tool works in net (GST-exclusive) terms. If your listed prices include GST at 10%, convert to net before entering them so your margin reflects money you actually keep.
How this calculator works
Every figure is traceable to a formula:
- Processing fee = Price × rate% + fixed fee
- Plan allocation = Monthly plan fee ÷ Monthly order volume
- Break-even price = (fixed costs + fixed fee) ÷ (1 − variable fee rate)
- Max ad spend = profit per order before advertising is deducted
GST is excluded throughout. The price-sensitivity table re-runs the full model at ±10/20/30% of your price so you can see how margin moves before you discount or raise prices.
Frequently asked questions
Basic (AUD $56/month, or $42/month billed annually) carries the highest processing rate at 1.75% + 30¢, against 1.6% on Grow and 1.4% on Advanced. Because Australian domestic rates are already low, the subscription difference dominates until volume gets serious. Spread the plan fee across your real order count in the advanced options to find your crossover.
Shopify publishes Australian international-card rates as absolute figures: 3.5% on Basic, 3.4% on Grow and 3.3% on Advanced, plus 30¢. That is roughly double the domestic rate on every plan. Stores selling heavily overseas should model orders at the international rate to avoid flattering their margins.
No, everything here is net of GST. Since Australian storefront prices legally include the 10% GST, divide a displayed price by 1.1 before entering it. GST collected belongs to the ATO, not your margin.
If you process through an external gateway instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify adds 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus, on top of the gateway’s charges. Given the low domestic Shopify Payments rates in Australia, an external gateway rarely comes out ahead for domestic sales.
Annual billing takes Basic from $56 to an effective $42/month, Grow from $149 to $114 and Advanced from $575 to $431. Processing rates do not change. If the store is proven and staying on Shopify, the annual discount is straightforward money.
Sources
- Shopify Australia pricing
