How it works
- 1Enter your costYour full cost in the watch, including prep and shipping in.
- 2Enter a markup or a priceA markup to find the price, or a price to find the markup.
- 3Compare with marginThe same deal expressed as a margin on the sale price, for consistency.
Markup is measured on cost
Markup is profit divided by what the watch cost you. It's a natural way to think when you start from a purchase price and add something on top. The catch is that marketplace fees and most selling costs are charged as a share of the sale price, not the cost, so a markup target can leave less after fees than it seems. Converting to margin makes that visible.
One convention, used every time
Whichever measure you prefer, use it consistently. Mixing markup and margin between deals, or between you and a dealer you trade with, is one of the simplest ways to misprice a watch. The guide to margin vs. markup walks through the difference with examples.
Common questions
Why does my markup look bigger than my margin?
Because markup divides the profit by cost, which is the smaller number, while margin divides it by the sale price. The same profit is always a larger percentage of the cost.
Should I use markup or margin?
Either works if you use it consistently. Many dealers prefer margin because selling costs are charged on the sale price, so targets and costs are measured against the same number.
Does a markup include fees?
Not unless your cost does. A markup on the purchase price alone ignores prep, shipping, and selling fees, so the real profit will be lower. Build those into your cost or use the max buy calculator.
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The numbers and the breakdown, with a link that reopens this calculation. And we'll tell you when new calculators go live.