Refund Calculator
Figure your refund after a restocking fee plus return shipping from the item price.
What it does
Returns rarely refund the full sticker price. Many sellers charge a restocking percent for opened goods plus return shipping, so an $80 item can return barely $60 once both cuts land.
The tool above takes item price, restocking percent, and return shipping. It returns the refund amount, fees kept, and refund percent, so keep or return reads as one comparison.
This math fits flat restocking fees with one shipping charge. It does not fit tiered fees by condition, partial refunds for missing parts, or exchanges where credit replaces cash.
Consumer guidance frames the same parts: know the total charge, the cancellation path, and which fees stay with the seller before agreeing. Return windows and fee tables decide the rest.
Check the policy before opening the box. A 15% fee plus $6.99 shipping turns buyers remorse into an $18.99 lesson on an $80 item.
How to use
- Enter the item price paid before tax.
- Enter the restocking fee percent, or zero if none.
- Enter return shipping you pay, or zero for free returns.
- Read refund amount first for cash back.
- Read fees kept to see the cost of returning.
- Read refund percent to compare across items.
Formula
- price
- Amount paid for the item before tax.
- pct
- Restocking percent kept by the seller.
- shipping
- Return shipping charged to you.
Refund floors at zero when fees top the price. Zero fee and zero shipping return the full price. Tax refunds follow seller and state rules outside this item math.
Worked example
Example: $80 item, 15% fee, $6.99 shipping
Price 80, restocking 15%, return shipping 6.99.
- Kept fee: 80 x 0.15 = $12.00.
- Refund: 80 - 12 - 6.99 = $61.01.
- Taken: 80 - 61.01 = $18.99 in fees.
- Percent: 61.01 / 80 x 100 = 76.26 %.
- Tool shows refund $61.01, kept $18.99, percent 76.26 %.
Reference table
| Fee | Refund | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | $73.01 | 91.26 % |
| 10% | $65.01 | 81.26 % |
| 15% | $61.01 | 76.26 % |
Limits
- One item per run. Multi item orders need summed lines.
- Ignores sales tax handling, which varies by seller and state.
- Ignores original outbound shipping unless added to price.
- Exchanges and store credit follow different rules.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting return shipping on top of the restocking fee.
- Applying the fee to price plus tax instead of price.
- Assuming free returns when the policy charges freight.
- Missing the return window so no refund applies.
- Reading fees kept as extra profit instead of price minus refund.
Try it yourself
Quick checks. Answers sit tucked under each question.
$50 price, no fee, no shipping?
Refund $50.00, kept $0.00, percent 100.00 %.
$120 price, 20% fee, $5 shipping?
Refund $91.00, kept $29.00, percent 75.83 %.
$200 price, 10% fee, $12 shipping?
Refund $168.00, kept $32.00, percent 84.00 %.
Questions
How is a refund figured?
Price minus restocking fee minus return shipping, floored at zero.
What is a restocking fee?
A percent of price kept by the seller on returns, often 10 to 20% for opened goods.
Does return shipping come off too?
Usually yes unless the seller prepaid it. Enter what you pay for the label.
What if fees top the price?
Refund floors at zero. You owe nothing more, but get nothing back.
Is tax refunded?
Often with the item portion, but rules vary by seller and state.
How do I compare two sellers?
Run both fee tables here. The higher refund percent wins for likely returns.