Max cost per order calculator
Find the most you can pay for one order on Meta or TikTok and still make money, for cash on delivery with returns and for prepaid orders.
Example numbers. Replace them with yours.
- Max ad cost per placed order (COD)
- USD 14.20
- Same, without return costs
- USD 16.80
- Max CPA for prepaid orders
- USD 28
- Max CPC (COD)
- USD 0.28
- Max CPC (prepaid)
- USD 0.56
What it calculates
Ad platforms charge you for every order placed. With cash on delivery, only some of those orders are confirmed and delivered, and the ones that come back still cost shipping. So the most you can pay per placed order is much lower than the profit on one delivered order. This calculator gives both numbers, plus the maximum cost per click at your conversion rate.
How to read the result
Compare the first number with the cost per purchase in Ads Manager. Above it, the campaign loses money. The line without return costs is what most COD calculators show. The gap between the two lines is what returns cost you on every order. Raising delivery rate lifts your max CPA more than most creative changes.
Learn the metric:Break-even CPARTO (return to origin)
The formula
Profit per delivered = Price − COGS − shipping − fees
Prepaid max CPA = Profit per delivered
COD max per placed order = confirm % × (deliver % × profit per delivered
− (1 − deliver %) × (shipping + return fee))
Max CPC = Max per order × click → order rateWorked example
Example inputs
- Selling price
- USD 60
- Product cost
- USD 22
- Shipping per shipment
- USD 8
- Other fees per order
- USD 2
- Confirmation rate
- 80%
- Delivery rate
- 75%
- Return fee per RTO
- USD 5
- Click → order rate
- 2%
Results
- Max ad cost per placed order (COD)
- USD 14.20
- Same, without return costs
- USD 16.80
- Max CPA for prepaid orders
- USD 28
- Max CPC (COD)
- USD 0.28
- Max CPC (prepaid)
- USD 0.56
What changes the result
Delivery rate at five values. Every other input stays as in the worked example; the highlighted row is the example.
| Delivery rate | Max ad cost per placed order (COD) | Max CPC (COD) |
|---|---|---|
| 52.5% | USD 6.82 | USD 0.14 |
| 63.8% | USD 10.53 | USD 0.21 |
| 75% | USD 14.20 | USD 0.28 |
| 82.5% | USD 16.66 | USD 0.33 |
| 90% | USD 19.12 | USD 0.38 |
Use your real numbers
Analify reads confirmation from Shopify, delivery and return results from connected couriers, and cost per purchase from your ad accounts, and reports nROAS after returned orders next to platform ROAS.
Analify already reads 7 of these 8 inputs live, from Shopify · Courier · Analytics
Start freeRelated calculators
Questions
What is max CPA?
The highest cost per acquisition you can pay before an order loses money. For prepaid orders it equals profit per order before ads.
Why is max CPA lower for cash on delivery?
You pay for the ad on every placed order, but only delivered orders bring money, and returned ones cost shipping both ways. Both rates multiply down what you can afford.
How do I get max CPC from max CPA?
Multiply max CPA by your click-to-order rate. At a 2% rate, a 10 max CPA allows 0.20 per click.
Do you store what I enter?
No. The calculation runs in your browser and nothing is sent to Analify.
Give AI the business it was missing.
Connect your company, build its memory and start asking, deciding and approving from one place.
See pricing