Most small sellers on bol.com know their selling price and their product cost. Fewer know what they actually keep per order. The gap is VAT, commission, shipping and returns, and it is often bigger than expected. This guide shows the calculation step by step, with a worked example, so you can price every product on purpose.
We run bol.com listings and advertising for small brands, so we see this calculation go wrong often. It is general information, not tax advice. What bol charges comes from bol's own commission page. The cost, shipping and return figures in the example are invented, to show the method.
Checked on 4 November 2026. Bol can change its commission, so use the numbers from your own seller account.
Quick answer
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Take the selling price on bol (it includes VAT) and remove the VAT on the sale. That is your revenue |
| 2 | Work out the commission: a percentage of the price including VAT, plus a fixed amount |
| 3 | Subtract product cost, shipping or LVB fees, and the expected cost of returns |
| 4 | What is left is your profit per order. Divide by revenue for your margin |
| 5 | Check the break-even price (profit zero) and the price for your target margin |
If you would rather not do this by hand, our free bol.com margin calculator does all five steps. The sections below explain what it does.
Step 1: Remove VAT from the selling price
Prices on bol are shown including VAT. For a product with 21% VAT, the revenue you keep is the price divided by 1.21. A price of €206.50 gives €170.66 of revenue. The rest goes to the tax office. This is the first place sellers go wrong: they compare their cost with the price including VAT and think the margin is bigger than it is.
Step 2: Work out the commission
Bol says you only pay when you sell something, and that the commission has two parts:
- A fixed amount per item, depending on the type of item and the selling price including VAT.
- A percentage of the selling price including VAT, depending on the type of item and in some cases the selling price.
The total is the percentage part plus the fixed part, and bol shows it excluding VAT. Bol's own example on its commission page is a pasta machine in the kitchen category sold at €206.50, with 12.4% and a fixed €0.95. The commission is €25.60 plus €0.95, which bol shows as €26.55 excluding VAT. (Our calculator gives €26.56, a rounding difference.)
Two things to know. Bol says the rates it publishes are estimates, and the exact commission for your product is in your seller account under Articles. Bol can also lower the commission temporarily for selected items. Always use the number from your account, not a general table. For Dutch companies bol adds 21% VAT on the commission, shown on the sales invoice.
Step 3: Subtract your other costs per order
Add up what each order costs you beyond the commission:
- Product cost (what you paid for the item, excluding VAT)
- Shipping, packaging or LVB fees. If you use Logistics via bol, the fees come from bol's tariff pages and depend on size and weight. If you ship yourself, use your real cost per parcel
- Returns. Multiply the share of orders that come back by what one return costs you (return shipping, handling, a product you cannot resell). A 10% return rate with a €6 cost per return is €0.60 per order
A worked example
We use bol's pasta machine numbers for the commission, and invented numbers for cost and shipping: a product cost of €100 and shipping of €5 per order, with 21% VAT.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Selling price (incl. VAT) | €206.50 |
| Revenue after 21% VAT | €170.66 |
| Product cost | − €100.00 |
| Commission (12.4% of €206.50 + €0.95) | − €26.56 |
| Shipping | − €5.00 |
| Profit per order | €39.11 |
| Margin on revenue | 22.9% |
The margin is profit divided by revenue, not by the selling price including VAT and not by your cost. If you divide by cost you get a markup, which looks bigger and is not the same thing.
Break-even price and target price
Two numbers make pricing easier:
- Break-even price: the price at which profit is exactly zero. In the example it is €150.83. Below that you lose money on every order.
- Target price: the price that gives the margin you want. For a 20% margin it is €197.24.
Both depend on the commission percentage, because the commission grows with the price. That is why you cannot simply add your target margin to your cost.
What moves the result
Using the same example:
| Change | Profit per order | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | €39.11 | 22.9% |
| 10% of orders returned, €6 per return | €38.51 | 22.6% |
| Shipping rises from €5 to €9 | €35.11 | 20.6% |
| Both of the above | €34.51 | 20.2% |
| Promotional price of €179 | €19.79 | 13.4% |
| Price cut to €149 | − €1.29 | − 1.0% |
A price cut hurts far more than a rise in shipping. A promotion of about 13% takes this product from a 22.9% margin to 13.4%, and a further cut puts it below break-even. Before you join a price promotion or lower your price to win the Buy Box, check the break-even price first.
Common mistakes
- Comparing cost with the price including VAT. Remove VAT first.
- Using a general commission table. Use the figure under Articles in your seller account.
- Calling a markup a margin. Margin is profit divided by revenue.
- Ignoring returns and shipping. Small per-order costs add up across hundreds of orders.
- Forgetting advertising. Sponsored Products costs are not in the numbers above. See Sponsored Products for beginners.
- Not rechecking after a commission change. Bol can change commission by category, so recalculate.
Frequently asked questions
Is the commission calculated on the price with or without VAT?
Bol says the variable part is a percentage of the selling price including VAT, and the fixed part is a set amount. The total is shown excluding VAT.
Do I pay VAT on the commission?
Bol says that Dutch companies are charged 21% VAT on the commission, shown on the sales invoice. For companies in other countries the rules differ, see bol's commission page.
What margin should I aim for?
It depends on your costs, advertising and goals, so there is no single right number. Decide your target margin first, then use the target price to see whether the product is worth selling.
How do I find my exact commission?
In your bol seller account, open Articles, enter the item and your price, and bol shows the commission.
Try it with your own numbers
Open the bol.com margin calculator, replace the example with your own price, cost and commission, and see your profit, margin, break-even price and target price. Nothing is sent anywhere. If you are still setting up, read How to sell on bol.com in 2026, and to improve what customers see, how to optimise a bol.com listing. If you want help with pricing, listings or advertising on bol, see our marketplace operations.
Sources (read on 4 November 2026)
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