Helm › Helm University › Track 0 › Lesson 0.3
Lesson 0.3What it costs to sell on Helm, in one page
Every number, on one page, before you commit to anything. Track 5 goes deeper. This is the version you can hold in your head.
Prefer to listen? This is the same lesson, word for word. The text below is the transcript.
This lesson prepares you to: State Helm's commission, processing fee and payout timing from memory, and calculate your take on a sample order.
Two deductions, and nothing else
No listing fee. No monthly fee. No charge for having a storefront. No fee on sales tax. Two amounts come out of an order and that is the entire cost of selling here.
| What | Rate | Charged on |
|---|---|---|
| Commission | 6% | The item subtotal only, not the shipping |
| Card processing | 2.9% plus 30 cents | Subtotal plus shipping, at cost |
| Minimum commission | 0.4% | A floor you will almost never meet |
Do the maths once, now
A 40 dollar item with 6 dollars of shipping, sold to a buyer in a 7% tax state.
- The buyer's card is charged 49 dollars 22, tax included.
- Commission: 6% of 40 dollars, so 2 dollars 40.
- Processing: 2.9% of 46 dollars plus 30 cents, so 1 dollar 63.
- You receive 41 dollars 97.
An effective rate of 8.76% on a 46 dollar order, of which 3.5% is the card and 5.2% is Helm.
On a 200 dollar order the same maths gives you 184 dollars 22, an effective rate of 7.89%, because the 30 cent flat fee stops mattering.
The sales tax is not your problem here
Helm is the merchant of record. Tax is calculated at checkout, collected from the buyer and remitted by Helm. It never enters your net and never appears in your payout. That is track 5 lesson 3 if you want the detail, and it is not tax advice about your own affairs.
When the money reaches you
| Tier | Hold after delivery | How you get there |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory | 14 days | Where every new shop starts |
| Standard | 7 days | 5 completed payouts |
| Express | 2 days | 25 completed payouts |
The clock starts at the carrier's delivery timestamp, not at a button somebody presses. A refund rate above 5% puts you back on introductory whatever your volume.
What can cost you money beyond the two deductions
Being complete rather than flattering. These are not fees, but they are real costs:
- Return shipping when the order was wrong. Wrong item, not as described, faulty, or damaged in transit, all land on you. Buyer remorse does not.
- The card fee on a refunded order. Stripe does not return it, so neither does Helm. On our 46 dollar example that is 1 dollar 63.
- A refund admin fee. 20% of the commission, capped at 5 dollars, charged once per order on the first refund only.
Why we publish this before you sign up
Because you are going to find it out anyway, and the only question is whether you find it out from us or from your first payout. Nobody at Helm will be offended if you read this and decide the numbers do not work for you.
Next: list natively or connect the Shopify store you already have.