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Profit Margin Explained in Plain English

Profit margin tells you what percentage of the sale money was left as profit.

Beginner friendlyPlain EnglishUpdated September 2026
Simple answer

A £10 profit on a £20 sale is a 50% margin. A £10 profit on a £100 sale is only a 10% margin. Margin helps compare sales of different sizes.

What to do

1. Work out the true profit

Keep this step simple and use the real numbers or evidence you have.

2. Divide profit by the sales money

Keep this step simple and use the real numbers or evidence you have.

3. Multiply by 100

Keep this step simple and use the real numbers or evidence you have.

4. Compare similar types of stock over time

Keep this step simple and use the real numbers or evidence you have.

Simple example

Two items can both make £15 profit, but the one that needed £80 of sales money to make it is less efficient than the one that needed £30.

Common mistake

Margin and markup are different calculations. Use margin when you want to know how much of the sale price you kept.

Use MyCost when the numbers start getting messy

MyCost can keep the item cost, storage location, sale and real profit together so you do not have to remember it all.