Understanding eCommerce Fees

The doc is here to explain the fees associated with processing ecommerce transactions.

SureCart offers multiple payment processors and each charges different fees. 

Processor Fees

SureCart does not charge these fees, these are incurred from using a payment processor. It’s important to be aware of the processor fees charged by payment services like Stripe, PayPal, Mollie etc. Charging fees is standard across the eCommerce industry and vary depending on the processor.

These fees are charged to cover operational costs like payment processing, security, and fraud prevention. As these fees can change, we recommend checking with the individual processor for the most accurate and current fee structure.

Stripe

When visiting the Stripe pricing page, you will see they have multiple charges that may apply to your transactions.

The standard fee they charge is 2.9% + 30¢ per successful transaction. But there are other fees that may apply to your transaction depending on the payment method used by the buyer. The two that are most common extra fees are 1.5% for international cards and + 1% if currency conversion is required. 

Description	Amount
Product Price	$30.00
Tax (20% VAT)	$6.00
Total	$36.00
Stripe Standard Fee 2.9% + 30¢	$1.17
Net Profit (total – tax – Stripe standard fee)	$28.83

There are also fees that Stripe charges on transactions that you don’t have to pay when using SureCart because SureCart manages them for you. 

Stripe charges an extra 0.5% on all subscription transactions or an extra 0.8% if you also use their “Smart Retries” feature which retries failed payments. Since SureCart manages the subscription for you and has its own retry engine, merchants using SureCart are not charged this extra 0.8% from Stripe. However, when you use an ecommerce software other than SureCart, you will be charged this fee. 

Description	Amount
Subscription/Installment Payment	$30.00
Tax (20% VAT)	$6.00
Total	$36.00
Stripe Standard Fee 2.9% + 30¢	$1.17
Stripe Subscription Fee	$0.24
Net Profit (total – tax – Stripe standard fee – Stripe subscription fee)	$28.59

Description	Amount
Subscription/Installment Payment	$30.00
Tax (20% VAT)	$6.00
Total	$36.00
Stripe Standard Fee 2.9% + 30¢	$1.17
Stripe Subscription Fee	$0.24
Net Profit (total – tax – Stripe standard fee – Stripe subscription fee)	$28.83

PayPal

When visiting the PayPal pricing page, you will see they have multiple charges that may apply to your transactions.

The standard fee they charge is 3.49% + fixed fee per successful transaction. The fixed fee is different per currency. For example, all USD transactions have a 49¢ fixed fee per transaction.

But there are other fees that may apply to your transaction depending on the payment method used by the buyer. The most common extra fee is 1.5% for international cards.

Description	Amount
Product Price	$30.00
Tax (20% VAT)	$6.00
Total	$36.00
PayPal Standard Fee 3.49% + 49¢	$1.54
Net Profit (total – tax – PayPal standard fee)	$28.46

International Payment Processors

You can use Mollie to process payments alongside Stripe and PayPal. Mollie charges a percentage of the transaction plus a fixed fee, similar to the others.

Transaction Fees

For merchants on our Launch plan*, a nominal fee of 1.9% is charged per transaction, supporting the services provided under this plan, which includes many premium capabilities such as subscription payment recovery, order bumps, one-click upsells, digital file delivery, cart abandonment recovery, and customer support. Other WordPress ecommerce products such as Easy Digital Downloads 3%, GiveWP 2%, The Events Calendar 2%, Paid Members Pro 2%, and more, charge higher transaction fees. 

The main difference is that with SureCart you may have the benefit of lower processing fees from your payment processor as explained above, and we also include access to premium features that give you the highest revenue potential for your store. 

Description	Amount
Subscription/Installment Payment	$30.00
Tax (20% VAT)	$6.00
Total	$36.00
Stripe Standard Fee 2.9% + 30¢	$1.17
Transaction Fee 1.9%	$0.57
Stripe Subscription Fee	$0.24
Net Profit (total – tax – Stripe standard fee – transaction fee – Stripe subscription fee)	$28.26

Description	Amount
Subscription/Installment Payment	$30.00
Tax (20% VAT)	$6.00
Total	$36.00
Stripe Standard Fee 2.9% + 30¢	$1.17
Transaction Fee 3%	$0.90
Stripe Subscription Fee	$0.24
Net Profit (total – tax – Stripe standard fee – transaction fee – Stripe subscription fee)	$27.69

Upgrading to a paid plan eliminates this transaction fee. Our paid plans are distinct in that they do not have transaction fees, a clear advantage over many other platforms that often have hidden or complex fee structures. This approach underlines our commitment to simplicity and transparency, allowing you to focus on growing your business without concerns about unexpected costs.

Platform Fees

In order to provide access to most premium ​​features that are reserved for our Scale plan, we charge a nominal platform fee of 0.5% on transactions using certain features. This allows all SureCart merchants to benefit from these features should they choose to use them. This fee only applies to the Launch and Grow plan when transactions are using the Affiliate feature or the Licensing feature.

Description	Amount
Subscription/Installment Payment	$30.00
Tax (20% VAT)	$6.00
Total	$36.00
Stripe Standard Fee 2.9% + 30¢	$1.17
Platform Fee 0.5%	$0.15
Stripe Subscription Fee	$0.24
Net Profit (total – tax – Stripe standard fee – platform fee – Stripe subscription fee)	$28.68

Upgrading to the scale plan eliminates this platform fee because the plan includes the Affiliate feature and Licensing feature. Our paid plans are distinct in that they do not have transaction fees, a clear advantage over many other platforms that often have hidden or complex fee structures. This approach underlines our commitment to simplicity and transparency, allowing you to focus on growing your business without concerns about unexpected costs.

Wrap Up

Fees related to ecommerce transactions do change from time to time. We will work to keep this doc updated, but for the most up-to-date fee schedules can be found on your payment processor’s website.