# What Payment Processing Costs Online Stores

URL: https://www.paydude.io/resources/tools/payment-processing-for-ecommerce
Type: Free interactive calculator
Summary: Card processing costs for online stores, starting from a $65 average transaction and a realistic card mix. See your effective rate, not a headline rate.

Order values vary enormously in ecommerce, and the fixed fee behaves very differently across that range — which is why a single headline rate tells you almost nothing.

## Summary

A typical online store transaction is around $65. Below roughly a $35 order, the fixed fee does more damage than the percentage. At that ticket size, a 2.9% + 30¢ rate really costs 3.36%. Compare on effective rate at your own ticket size, not on headline percentages.

## What a online store transaction really costs

Physical goods also carry higher dispute rates and thinner margins than software, so each chargeback costs more relative to profit.

**One $65 transaction, on published domestic rates**

|  | Fee | Effective rate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Stripe 2.9% + 30¢ | $2.19 | 3.36% |
| Paydude 2.6% + 25¢ | $1.94 | 2.98% |

Those figures exclude card-mix surcharges, which the calculator above does model. Set your own volume, ticket size and card mix and the link updates, so you can share the result.

> **If you are on Shopify:** Shopify charges an additional transaction fee for using any gateway other than Shopify Payments. Compare against their rate plus that surcharge, not against their rate alone.

## What to check on your own statement

1. **Your real average transaction.** Total volume divided by transaction count, not your list price.
2. **Your Amex and corporate card share.** Paydude surcharges these at +0.3%; most flat-rate providers fold them into a higher base rate everyone pays.
3. **Your international share.** Most providers add 1–1.5% for cards issued abroad, plus around 1% for currency conversion. Paydude does not.
4. **Monthly and gateway fees**, divided by your volume — a fixed fee only looks small at scale.

Dispute costs matter more here than in software — see the [chargeback cost calculator](https://www.paydude.io/resources/tools/chargeback-cost-calculator).

**See the full rate card** Every tier and every situational fee, published up front. — [View pricing](https://www.paydude.io/pricing)

## Frequently asked questions

### What does payment processing cost for online stores?

At a typical $65 average transaction, a standard 2.9% + 30¢ rate works out at 3.36% once the fixed fee is included. Paydude publishes 2.6% + 25¢, which at the same ticket is 2.98%. Your real figure depends on card mix, which the calculator above models.

### What is the best payment processor for online stores?

If your store is on Shopify, Shopify Payments usually wins regardless of rate because of the third-party gateway fee. For a custom-built store, compare on effective rate at your real average order value.

### Why is my effective rate higher than the rate I was quoted?

The fixed per-transaction fee. A quoted percentage describes only one component; the flat fee on top is a larger share of a small sale than a large one. Divide total fees by total volume on a real statement to see the true figure.

### Does card mix really change the answer?

More than the headline rate does. Amex, corporate and premium cards cost more to accept everywhere; some providers surcharge them explicitly and others fold the cost into a higher base rate. International cards add 1–1.5% at most providers. Enter your own shares above rather than accepting the defaults.