“I made £50 profit!” - Did you really?
Sarah sold a vintage Zara blazer on Depop for £35. She bought it for £5 at a charity shop. “£30 profit!” she thought. But after platform fees (£3.50), payment processing (£1.32), packaging (£2), petrol to the charity shop (£3), and an hour of her time (£10), her real profit was just £5.18.
This happens to thousands of UK resellers every day.
Why UK Resellers Get Profit Calculations Wrong
The UK reselling market is booming. With platforms like Depop, Vinted, and TikTok Shop, millions are turning their wardrobes into businesses. But there's a hidden problem: most resellers have no idea if they're actually making money.
Common UK Reseller Mistakes:
- Only counting purchase price vs sale price
- Forgetting platform fees (Depop 10%, eBay 12.8%)
- Ignoring payment processing charges
- Not tracking petrol and mileage costs
- Undervaluing their time
- Missing packaging and shipping expenses
- Forgetting HMRC compliance costs
The Complete UK Reseller Profit Formula
True Profit = Sale Price - All Costs
Complete Cost Breakdown:
Real UK Reseller Examples (2025)
Example 1: Depop Sale Gone Wrong
The Sale:
- • Item: Vintage Nike hoodie
- • Sale price: £45
- • Purchase price: £8 (charity shop)
- • “Profit”: £37? WRONG!
Hidden Costs:
- • Depop fees (10%): -£4.50
- • Payment processing: -£1.61
- • Packaging: -£2.50
- • Postage: -£3.20
- • Petrol to charity shop: -£4.50
- • Time (1.5 hours): -£15
That's £3.79 per hour - below minimum wage!
Example 2: Vinted Success Story
The Sale:
- • Item: Ganni dress
- • Sale price: £85
- • Purchase price: £25 (sample sale)
- • “Profit”: £60? Let's check...
Total Costs:
- • Vinted fees: £0 ✓
- • Payment processing: £0 (buyer pays) ✓
- • Packaging: -£2
- • Postage: £0 (buyer pays) ✓
- • Train to sample sale: -£12
- • Time (45 mins): -£7.50
That's £51.33 per hour - much better!
Platform-Specific Profit Calculations
Depop
- • Platform fee: 10%
- • Payment processing: 2.9% + 30p
- • Shipping: Seller pays
- • Total fees: ~13% + £2-5 shipping
Vinted
- • Platform fee: £0 ✓
- • Payment processing: £0 ✓
- • Shipping: Buyer pays ✓
- • Total fees: £0 (best margins)
eBay
- • Final value fee: 12.8%
- • Payment processing: 2.9% + 30p
- • Shipping: Variable
- • Total fees: ~16% + shipping
Don't Forget: UK Tax Implications
HMRC Requirements for UK Resellers:
- £1,000 trading allowance (tax-free)
- Must register as sole trader if earning over £1,000/year
- Keep records of ALL business expenses
- Claim 45p per mile for business travel
- File Self Assessment if required
- Pay National Insurance and Income Tax on profits
Proper profit tracking isn't just good business - it's legally required for tax compliance.
Why Spreadsheets Don't Work for UK Resellers
Many UK resellers start with Excel or Google Sheets. Here's why that stops working:
Time Consuming
Manually entering every sale, expense, and mileage trip takes hours per week.
Error Prone
One wrong formula or missed expense can throw off your entire profit calculation.
No Real-Time Insights
You can't see which platforms, brands, or strategies are actually profitable until weeks later.
HMRC Compliance Nightmare
Tax season becomes a scramble to find receipts and calculate business expenses properly.
How KamDar Solves UK Reseller Profit Tracking
Finally Know Your Real Profit from ANY Platform
KamDar automatically tracks ALL your costs across Depop, Vinted, eBay, TikTok Shop, and more.
- ✓ Universal platform tracking (any selling channel)
- ✓ Automatic fee calculations for each platform
- ✓ HMRC-compliant mileage tracking (45p/mile)
- ✓ Real-time profit calculations
- ✓ Tax-ready CSV exports for accountants
- ✓ Cross-platform analytics and insights
- ✓ Smart recommendations for better profits
- ✓ Expense categorization and receipt storage
Step-by-Step: Manual Profit Calculation
While KamDar automates this, here's how to calculate profit manually for any sale:
Profit Calculation Worksheet:
Red Flags: When You're Losing Money
Warning Signs You're Not Profitable:
- You're earning less than £10/hour when you factor in time
- Platform fees eat up more than 20% of your sale price
- You're spending more on petrol than profit per item
- Items take more than 30 days to sell
- You can't afford to put money aside for tax
- You're constantly “busy” but not seeing bank account growth
Quick Wins: Boost Your Profit Margins
Smart Sourcing
- • Focus on affluent area charity shops
- • Buy multiple items per trip to spread mileage costs
- • Target brands that sell for 3x+ purchase price
- • Avoid items under £15 sale price (margins too thin)
Platform Strategy
- • Use Vinted for maximum profit margins (zero fees)
- • Reserve Depop for trending/branded items only
- • Bundle items to increase average order value
- • Cross-list on multiple platforms
The Bottom Line: Track Everything or Fail
UK reselling is competitive. The sellers who succeed are those who know their numbers inside and out. They can tell you exactly which platforms, brands, and sourcing strategies actually make money.
You can either spend hours every week manually tracking your costs in spreadsheets, or you can automate the entire process with KamDar and focus on what actually makes money: sourcing great items and growing your business.
Ready to Know Your Real Profit?
KamDar tracks your true profit automatically across ALL platforms. HMRC-compliant, tax-ready exports, and real-time insights.
Platform fees and regulations change. This guide reflects UK market data from August 2025. Always verify current platform fee structures and HMRC requirements before making business decisions.