Reselling profit tracker UK: track stock, fees and profit
A reselling profit tracker is one record per item: what you paid, where you sold it, what you sold it for, the platform fee, postage and packaging. Profit is the sale price minus all of those. A spreadsheet does the job for free, and an inventory app does the same job from your phone.
TLDR: log every item the day you buy it, fill in the sale side the day it sells, and work out the fee per platform rather than guessing. That one habit shows your real profit, the stock that is not moving, and the records HMRC asks for.
What should a reselling profit tracker record?
A tracker needs ten columns, and the first five go in the day you buy:
| Column | When you fill it in | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Item and size | On purchase | Two pairs of the same shoe in different sizes sell at different prices |
| Where you bought it | On purchase | Shows which shops and sources make you money |
| Date bought | On purchase | Tells you how long stock has sat unsold |
| What you paid | On purchase | Include delivery you paid to get it |
| Receipt or order number | On purchase | Proof of cost if HMRC or a buyer asks |
| Where you sold it | On sale | eBay, Vinted, Depop, StockX or Laced each take a different cut |
| Sale price | On sale | The price the buyer paid for the item |
| Platform fee | On sale | Different on every platform, see below |
| Postage and packaging | On sale | The cost most sellers forget |
| Profit | Worked out | Sale price minus every cost above |
Keep one row per item, not one row per order. A bundle of three items bought together gets three rows, with the cost split across them.
How do you work out profit on one sale?
Profit is the sale price minus the platform fee, your postage, your packaging and what you paid. Here is one trainer sale worked through, using the rates in our eBay fee calculator for a business seller:
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sold on eBay for (free postage) | £185.00 |
| eBay fees (12.9% + 0.35% + 40p, plus 20% VAT) | -£29.90 |
| Postage | -£3.29 |
| Packaging | -£0.50 |
| What you paid | -£90.00 |
| Profit | £61.31 |
The fee line is the one people get wrong. £185 minus £90 looks like £95, but after fees, postage and the box it is £61.31. A tracker that skips the fee column shows a profit you never had.
Which fees go in the tracker?
Each platform charges the seller differently, so the fee column needs the right rate for where the item sold:
- eBay, private seller: no seller fees in the UK. The buyer pays a buyer protection fee on top.
- eBay, business seller: a category rate on the total including postage, plus a 0.35% regulatory fee and a 30p or 40p order charge, all plus VAT. The eBay fee calculator works it out per category.
- Vinted: nothing from the seller. The buyer pays the Vinted fee. See the Vinted fee calculator.
- Depop: no selling fee for UK sellers, but 2.9% plus 30p payment processing. See the Depop fee calculator.
- StockX: 9% commission at level 1, falling to 7% at level 5, plus 3% payment processing. See the StockX fee calculator.
- Laced: a 12% seller fee plus 3% payment processing. See the Laced fee calculator.
To compare one item across all of them before you list, use the profit calculator.
Spreadsheet or app?
Both work, and the right one is the one you will keep updated.
A spreadsheet is free and flexible. Google Sheets or Excel with the ten columns above, one formula for profit, and a filter on "date bought" to find old stock. The weak point is that you have to be at a computer, so purchases made in a shop get logged later or not at all.
An app lets you log the item in the queue or the car park, the moment you buy it. The Paragn iPhone app includes free manual inventory tracking: you log what you buy, and the app keeps your stock and the fee maths in one place. Network members also get restock alerts and release guides in the same app. See the Paragn app.
Whichever you choose, export or back it up once a month. A year of records lost to a broken phone or a deleted file is a year you have to rebuild from bank statements.
How often should you update it?
Update the tracker twice per item: once on the day you buy and once on the day it sells. Then do one check a month:
- Sort unsold stock by date bought. Anything older than three months is tying up money. Decide whether to drop the price or move it to another platform.
- Compare platforms. If one platform's fees take a much bigger share of your profit, list there only when the price makes up for it.
- Check the totals. Total sales and total profit for the month tell you whether the hobby is paying its way.
What the tracker does for tax
The same records answer HMRC. If you are trading rather than clearing out your own things, the £1,000 trading allowance applies to your income from it, and platforms such as eBay and Vinted now report seller data to HMRC. Our guide to tax on reselling in the UK covers where the lines sit, and gov.uk has the official rules. This is general information, not tax advice.
Common questions
What is the best way to track reselling profit?
Keep one row per item with what you paid, where you sold it, the sale price, the platform fee, postage and packaging. Profit is the sale price minus all of those. A spreadsheet does this for free, and an inventory app lets you log items from your phone the moment you buy them.
Is there a free reselling profit tracker app?
Yes. The Paragn iPhone app includes free manual inventory tracking, and a spreadsheet in Google Sheets or Excel costs nothing. Both work if you update them on the day you buy and the day you sell.
How do I work out profit after eBay fees?
Take the sale price, subtract the eBay fee, your postage, your packaging and what you paid. Private sellers in the UK pay no eBay seller fees. Business sellers pay a category rate plus a 0.35% regulatory fee and an order charge, all plus VAT. The eBay fee calculator works it out for you.
What columns should a reselling spreadsheet have?
Item and size, where you bought it, date bought, what you paid, receipt or order number, where you sold it, sale price, platform fee, postage and packaging, and profit. Fill in the first five on the day you buy.
Do I need to track profit for tax?
If you are trading rather than selling your own used things, yes. Your records show HMRC your income and costs, and the £1,000 trading allowance applies to income from trading. This is general information, not tax advice.
Where this fits
Start with the beginner's guide to reselling in the UK, then set up the tracker before your first purchase. The tools guide covers the rest of the kit.