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Back to the home page and map, from TryOwning · Online store · Lesson 6
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Online store · 14 min

What you can pay for an order

Every ad platform will happily take your money. Before you give it any, work out the most one order is worth paying for, then test whether you can win orders for less.

EACH SALENEW ORDER
Ticket 01 · The guess

Where do your ads start losing money?

Each $40example (example number: Simplified example: one printed T-shirt plus the shipping the customer pays (the first online store lesson's example order).) order leaves you $19.90example (example number: Worked out from the example: what the order leaves on your own website after every cost but the ad, in the first online store lesson (what's left after everything, plus the ad).) before you pay for the ad. Ad platforms show ROAS, short for return on ad spend: your sales divided by what the ads cost. Below what ROAS does each order the ads bring lose money?

1
06
Words to know

Spot something wrong?

Tell us what looks off. No name or email needed.

What kind of problem?

0 / 1000

We'll also send this page, the lesson, ticket 1, so we can find it. Nothing else. Privacy

·
Sources and every number (1)

Sources

  • About Target ROAS bidding (target return on ad spend; conversions recommended before using it) · Google Ads Help, 2026

Every number

  • $40example (example number: Simplified example: one printed T-shirt plus the shipping the customer pays (the first online store lesson's example order).) · Simplified example: one printed T-shirt plus the shipping the customer pays (the first online store lesson's example order).
  • $19.90example (example number: Worked out from the example: what the order leaves on your own website after every cost but the ad, in the first online store lesson (what's left after everything, plus the ad).) · Worked out from the example: what the order leaves on your own website after every cost but the ad, in the first online store lesson (what's left after everything, plus the ad).
  • $17.50example (example number: Worked out from the example: what the order leaves in an Etsy shop after every cost but Etsy Ads, in the first online store lesson.) · Worked out from the example: what the order leaves in an Etsy shop after every cost but Etsy Ads, in the first online store lesson.
  • $19.78example (example number: Worked out from the example: what the order leaves in a print-on-demand shop after every cost but the ad, in the first online store lesson.) · Worked out from the example: what the order leaves in a print-on-demand shop after every cost but the ad, in the first online store lesson.
  • 2.01example (example number: Worked out from the example: the order divided by what it leaves before the ad.) · Worked out from the example: the order divided by what it leaves before the ad.
  • 2.29example (example number: Worked out from the example: the order divided by what the Etsy order leaves before the ad.) · Worked out from the example: the order divided by what the Etsy order leaves before the ad.
  • 2.02example (example number: Worked out from the example: the order divided by what the print-on-demand order leaves before the ad.) · Worked out from the example: the order divided by what the print-on-demand order leaves before the ad.
  • 500%google.com ·2026 · Google's own example of a target ROAS: an online shoe store that wants five dollars in sales for every dollar of ads.
  1. Lessons›
  2. Industries›
  3. Online store
  • ·Before this: Sourcing and landed cost
  • ·Free guide: How online stores make money
Skip to the lesson
Back to the home page and map, from TryOwning · Online store · Lesson 6
Part 1 of 3Part 1 of 3, 0 done

Online store · 14 min

What you can pay for an order

Every ad platform will happily take your money. Before you give it any, work out the most one order is worth paying for, then test whether you can win orders for less.

EACH SALENEW ORDER
Ticket 01 · The guess

Where do your ads start losing money?

Each $40example (example number: Simplified example: one printed T-shirt plus the shipping the customer pays (the first online store lesson's example order).) order leaves you $19.90example (example number: Worked out from the example: what the order leaves on your own website after every cost but the ad, in the first online store lesson (what's left after everything, plus the ad).) before you pay for the ad. Ad platforms show ROAS, short for return on ad spend: your sales divided by what the ads cost. Below what ROAS does each order the ads bring lose money?

1
06
Words to know

Spot something wrong?

Tell us what looks off. No name or email needed.

What kind of problem?

0 / 1000

We'll also send this page, the lesson, ticket 1, so we can find it. Nothing else. Privacy

·
Sources and every number (1)

Sources

  • About Target ROAS bidding (target return on ad spend; conversions recommended before using it) · Google Ads Help, 2026

Every number

  • $40example (example number: Simplified example: one printed T-shirt plus the shipping the customer pays (the first online store lesson's example order).) · Simplified example: one printed T-shirt plus the shipping the customer pays (the first online store lesson's example order).
  • $19.90example (example number: Worked out from the example: what the order leaves on your own website after every cost but the ad, in the first online store lesson (what's left after everything, plus the ad).) · Worked out from the example: what the order leaves on your own website after every cost but the ad, in the first online store lesson (what's left after everything, plus the ad).
  • $17.50example (example number: Worked out from the example: what the order leaves in an Etsy shop after every cost but Etsy Ads, in the first online store lesson.) · Worked out from the example: what the order leaves in an Etsy shop after every cost but Etsy Ads, in the first online store lesson.
  • $19.78example (example number: Worked out from the example: what the order leaves in a print-on-demand shop after every cost but the ad, in the first online store lesson.) · Worked out from the example: what the order leaves in a print-on-demand shop after every cost but the ad, in the first online store lesson.
  • 2.01example (example number: Worked out from the example: the order divided by what it leaves before the ad.) · Worked out from the example: the order divided by what it leaves before the ad.
  • 2.29example (example number: Worked out from the example: the order divided by what the Etsy order leaves before the ad.) · Worked out from the example: the order divided by what the Etsy order leaves before the ad.
  • 2.02example (example number: Worked out from the example: the order divided by what the print-on-demand order leaves before the ad.) · Worked out from the example: the order divided by what the print-on-demand order leaves before the ad.
  • 500%google.com ·2026 · Google's own example of a target ROAS: an online shoe store that wants five dollars in sales for every dollar of ads.
  1. Lessons›
  2. Industries›
  3. Online store
  • ·Before this: Sourcing and landed cost
  • ·Free guide: How online stores make money