Ask ten Facebook sellers how they set their prices and most will say the same thing: "I looked at what others charge and went a little lower." It feels safe. But a price copied from someone else ignores your own costs — your courier charges, your ad spend, your returns — and many shops find out months later that their busiest products were the ones losing money.
This guide shows how to price products for an online shop in Bangladesh, step by step. You will work out the real cost of one delivered order, set a floor price you never go below, check the market, and then use price endings, discounts and bundles on purpose instead of by feel. Every taka amount here is a made-up example for one product — put in your own numbers as you read.
Why pricing is harder online than in a shop
A shop at the market has rent and stock. An online shop has more costs that are easy to forget, because they come later or come in small pieces:
- The courier. Even when the customer pays the delivery charge, you pay for parcels that come back.
- Cash on delivery. Couriers usually take a small COD charge on the money they collect.
- Ads. If you boost posts or run Facebook ads, every order carries a piece of that spend.
- Returns. A refused parcel costs you two trips and a product that may come back damaged.
- Your time and your team. Replying to chats, packing and calling customers is work, even when you do it yourself.
If your price only covers the purchase price plus "something on top", these costs come out of your pocket quietly. So the first job is to see them.
Step 1: Work out the full cost of one delivered order
Take one product. Our example is a cotton three-piece from an imaginary shop, Rangdhanu Fashion. Write down every cost that one delivered order carries:
| Cost | Example | How to find yours |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | ৳850 | Your supplier bill, plus transport to your place |
| Packaging and label | ৳20 | Poly bag, tape, invoice print |
| COD charge | ৳15 | Your courier's COD percentage × the selling price |
| Ad cost per order | ৳150 | Last month's ad spend ÷ delivered orders |
| Returns, spread out | ৳13 | Cost of all returned parcels ÷ delivered orders |
| Share of fixed costs | ৳50 | Monthly fixed costs (rent, salaries, internet) ÷ orders |
| Full cost per delivered order | ৳1,098 |
Two lines need a little arithmetic.
Returns: say 10 of every 100 parcels come back, and each return costs you ৳120 in delivery and return charges. That is ৳1,200 for 90 delivered orders, about ৳13 per delivered order. If your return rate is higher, this line grows fast — which is why lowering returns is also a pricing decision (see how to reduce courier returns).
Fixed costs: if the shop spends ৳30,000 a month on fixed costs and sends about 600 orders, each order carries ৳50.
If you want the full method behind these numbers, read how to calculate profit margin. This guide builds on it and focuses on choosing the price itself.
eCommerce Autopilot has a profit calculator in the ERP: type the purchase price, selling price, marketing cost and delivery charge and it shows what one order leaves you, before you publish the price.
Step 2: Set your floor price
Your floor price (break-even price) is the full cost from Step 1: ৳1,098 in the example. Sell below it and every order loses money; sell at it and you work for free.
Write the floor price next to each product in your notebook or sheet. It is the one number that stops a panic discount on a slow day.
Step 3: Choose a target margin and get your first price
Now decide how much of the selling price you want to keep as profit. Many small shops aim somewhere between 20% and 35% after all costs, depending on the product and how much competition there is — but pick the number that fits your business.
The formula is:
Selling price = full cost ÷ (1 − target margin)
With a 25% target: ৳1,098 ÷ 0.75 = ৳1,464. Round it to a price that looks good — more on that in Step 6 — for example ৳1,490.
At ৳1,490 the shop keeps ৳1,490 − ৳1,098 = ৳392 per delivered order, which is about 26% of the price.
A common mistake is to add 25% on top of the cost instead (৳1,098 + 25% = ৳1,373). That is markup, not margin, and it leaves you with only about 20% of the price as profit.
Step 4: Check the market price
Now look outward. Search for the same kind of product on Facebook pages, marketplaces and other shops' websites, and write down 8–10 prices for something truly similar — same fabric, same quality, same size range.
In our example, similar three-pieces sell between ৳1,350 and ৳1,650. Your ৳1,490 sits in the middle, which is a comfortable place to start.
What if the numbers do not fit?
- The market is far below your floor price. Do not simply follow it. Either your costs are too high (check the supplier, the ad cost per order and the return rate), the others are losing money, or they sell a lower quality. Find out which before you cut.
- The market is far above your price. You may be leaving money on the table. Try a higher price on a few new posts and watch what happens.
Step 5: Adjust for the value you give
Customers do not compare prices alone. They compare what they get. You can charge more than the cheapest page when you give more, for example:
- clear, real photos and a short video of the product being worn or used;
- exact measurements and fabric details, so the customer knows what arrives;
- fast replies and a confirmation call before sending;
- a simple exchange promise for wrong sizes;
- reviews from earlier buyers with photos.
Many sellers find that a slightly higher price with better photos and faster answers sells as well as a lower price without them — and leaves far more profit. If you are the cheapest page, you also attract the most price-sensitive buyers, who are often the first to refuse a parcel.
Step 6: Pick the price ending and show it clearly
Small details change how a price feels:
- Price endings. ৳1,490 often feels like "fourteen hundred and something", while ৳1,500 feels like "fifteen hundred". Many shops use endings like 90 or 50 for everyday products and round numbers for premium items. Choose one style and keep it across the shop.
- Show the price. "Price in inbox" makes many buyers scroll away, and the ones who ask may never reply. Put the price in the post and on the website.
- Show the delivery charge too. A surprise ৳120 delivery charge at the end is a common reason people change their mind. Say it up front: "Inside Dhaka ৳70, outside Dhaka ৳130" (use your own charges).
- "Free delivery" is not free. If you offer it, add the delivery cost to the price (৳1,490 + ৳70 = ৳1,560) or accept a smaller profit. Both are fine, as long as you choose on purpose.
Step 7: Plan your discounts before you need them
A discount looks small to the customer and very big in your profit. Here is the example product with 10% off:
| Normal price | 10% off | |
|---|---|---|
| Selling price | ৳1,490 | ৳1,341 |
| Full cost | ৳1,098 | ৳1,098 |
| Profit per order | ৳392 | ৳243 |
| Orders needed for the same total profit | 100 | about 161 |
A 10% discount cuts this product's profit by 38%. To earn the same total, you need about 61% more orders. Sometimes a sale brings that many — at Eid, for example — but often it does not.
So decide your discount rules in advance:
- Never below the floor price, except to clear old stock you have already decided to lose money on.
- Give a reason: Eid, a launch, a birthday month, slow colours, a size that is left over.
- Give an end date and keep it, so customers trust your future offers.
- Prefer value over cuts: a free gift that costs you ৳40 can feel bigger to the customer than ৳150 off.
On a website, a discount can be set per product (fixed amount or percentage) or as a coupon code with limits. See how to put a discount on products and how to create a coupon code.
Step 8: Use bundles and price tiers to raise each order's value
Many costs come once per order, not once per piece: the ad that brought the buyer, the packing time, the call to confirm, the return risk. When a customer buys two pieces in one parcel, those costs are shared, so you can give a small saving and still earn much more.
The example shop offers 2 three-pieces for ৳2,790 instead of ৳2,980:
| One piece | Two-piece bundle | |
|---|---|---|
| Selling price | ৳1,490 | ৳2,790 |
| Products | ৳850 | ৳1,700 |
| Packaging | ৳20 | ৳20 |
| COD charge (about 1%) | ৳15 | ৳28 |
| Ads, returns, fixed costs | ৳213 | ৳213 |
| Profit per order | ৳392 | ৳829 |
The customer saves ৳190. The shop earns more than twice the profit from one order. (Returns cost a little more on a bigger parcel; the example keeps it simple.)
Other ways to use the same idea:
- Good, better, best. Show three versions — a basic one, a popular one and a premium one. Many people pick the middle option, and the premium one makes it look like good value.
- Combo with an accessory. A three-piece with a matching orna or bag, priced slightly below buying both separately.
- Free delivery above an amount. "Free delivery on orders over ৳2,500" nudges a customer to add one more item.
Step 9: Review your prices every month
A price is not set once. Costs move: suppliers raise prices, the dollar rate changes, ads get more expensive, a courier changes its charges. Once a month, for your top 10 products:
- Recalculate the full cost from Step 1 with last month's real numbers.
- Compare it with the price. Is the margin still where you want it?
- Look at what sold fast and what did not move.
Signs you can raise a price: a product sells out again and again, customers rarely ask for a discount, or your cost went up and your margin shrank. Raise it on the next stock or the next post, by a step customers will hardly notice (for example ৳1,490 to ৳1,550), and watch the orders for two weeks.
Signs a price is too high: many people ask the price and go quiet, you get likes and messages but few orders, or similar products sell clearly cheaper with the same quality. First check the photos and the description; then try a small step down or a bundle instead of a big cut.
If you sell through your own website, eCommerce Autopilot keeps your products, orders, courier parcels and cashbook in one place, so the costs in Step 1 come from real numbers instead of guesses. You can start free or compare the packages.
Pricing methods at a glance
| Method | How it works | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost-plus (margin) | Full cost ÷ (1 − target margin) | Every product, as the starting point | Forgetting ads, returns or fixed costs |
| Market-based | Price inside the range of similar products | Products many pages sell | Copying a price that loses money |
| Value-based | Higher price for better quality, photos, service | Own brand, unique designs | Promising value you cannot deliver |
| Bundles | Two or more items at a small saving | Clothes, cosmetics, accessories | Bundles of slow items nobody wants |
| Tiers | Basic, popular, premium versions | Products with clear quality levels | Too many choices confuse buyers |
| Launch price | Lower price for the first days, then normal | New products | Never going back to the normal price |
Product pricing checklist
Before you post a new product, check:
- I know the full cost of one delivered order (purchase, packaging, COD, ads, returns, fixed costs).
- I have written down the floor price and will not go below it.
- The price gives me the margin I want (price = cost ÷ (1 − margin)).
- I have checked 8–10 similar products and know where my price sits.
- The price ending matches the rest of my shop.
- The price and the delivery charge are written in the post and on the website.
- I know the biggest discount this product can take.
- I have a bundle or combo idea for it.
- I have a date next month to review this price.
Common questions
Should I always be the cheapest? No. The cheapest price brings the most price-hunting buyers and the thinnest profit, and leaves no room for ads, returns or a bad month. Compete on trust, photos, speed and service, and keep the price in the normal range.
How do I price a product I make myself? The same way, but count your materials, the tailor's or worker's pay per piece, and the waste. If you make products yourself, put a value on your own hours too — otherwise the business only looks profitable.
What about Facebook "price in comment" posts? Writing the price in the post usually works better. People who see the price and still message you are serious buyers, and you spend less time answering "price?".
Should the delivery charge be inside the price? Either way works if you are clear. Separate delivery charges keep your product price lower; "free delivery" is simpler for the buyer. Just make sure the delivery cost is covered somewhere.
The one thing to do today
Take your five best-selling products and fill in the cost table from Step 1 for each one, with last month's real ad spend and returns. Write the floor price next to each. You will probably find at least one product whose price needs to move — and that one change is worth more than another boosted post.