Product research spreadsheet for dropshipping and online arbitrage
Last updated: . Fee presets checked for US sellers.
This product research tracker replaces a messy spreadsheet. Save the supplier link and your listing link, type your costs and the tool calculates profit, margin, ROI and break-even price for every product. It works for dropshipping profit calculator needs on eBay, Etsy, Amazon, Shopify and Walmart, and for online arbitrage such as Amazon to eBay.
On this page: How it works Formulas Examples Fees Picking products Mistakes Insights Checklist Features FAQ
How to use the product research sheet
- Choose your setup (dropshipping, arbitrage or FBA, and your platforms) so sensible fee presets load.
- Press Add product and paste the supplier and listing links for reference.
- Type the supplier price, shipping, duty and your selling price.
- Read profit, margin and ROI. Red means a loss, amber a thin margin, green a healthy one.
- Mark each product as Researching, Testing, Winner or Dropped and add notes.
- Export a backup or share the sheet as CSV or Excel. Import it later to carry on.
Dropshipping profit formulas
| Metric | Formula |
|---|---|
| Landed cost | Supplier price + supplier shipping + (supplier price x duty %) |
| Revenue | Selling price + shipping charged to buyer |
| Fees | Platform fee + payment fee + fixed fee + listing fee, each as a % of revenue or a fixed amount, whichever you choose |
| Profit | Revenue - landed cost - fees - ads - other costs |
| Margin % | Profit / revenue x 100 |
| ROI % | Profit / (landed cost + ads + other costs) x 100 |
| Break-even price | The selling price where profit is exactly zero |
Worked examples
eBay + AliExpress: supplier price 8.00, shipping 2.00, selling price 24.99 with free shipping, eBay fees of 13.6% plus 0.40 per order. Revenue 24.99, landed cost 10.00, fees 3.80, profit about 11.19, margin about 44.8%, ROI about 111.9% before ads.
Etsy + AliExpress: supplier price 6.00, shipping 1.50, selling price 19.00 plus 4.00 shipping charged, fees of 6.5% transaction and 3% processing plus 0.25 processing and a 0.20 listing fee. Revenue 23.00, landed cost 7.50, fees 2.64, profit about 12.87 before ads and shipping you pay.
Marketplace fees to include
Include the final value or transaction fee, payment processing, listing fee and any promoted listing or ad cost. Rates change by country, category and seller level, so use the presets as a starting point and confirm them on the platform before you price.
Default presets (US rates checked October 2026): eBay 13.6% final value fee on item plus shipping and 0.40 per order (0.30 on orders of 10 or less). Etsy 6.5% transaction fee on item plus shipping, 3% + 0.25 payment processing and a 0.20 listing fee. Amazon, Shopify and Walmart use common example rates. All values are editable.
How to pick winning products
- Demand: check sold listings and search interest, not only active listings.
- Margin: aim for healthy margin after fees, ads and returns.
- Competition: avoid products where many sellers race to the lowest price.
- Shipping time: long delivery means more complaints and refunds.
- Risk: avoid branded, counterfeit, fragile or restricted items.
- Test small: list a few units first and mark the product Testing in the tracker.
Common product research mistakes
- Ignoring fees, ads and returns when judging profit.
- Mixing up margin and markup.
- Choosing products with low price and thin margin.
- Forgetting import duty, VAT or shipping to the customer.
- Not keeping a backup of the sheet.
Related tools: Etsy and eBay profit calculator, payment fee calculator, profit margin calculator, eBay listing generator, Etsy listing generator, advanced calculator. Guides: markup vs margin, how to price Etsy and eBay products. Browse all tools and the blog.
Not affiliated with eBay, AliExpress, Amazon, Etsy, Shopify or Walmart; trademarks belong to their owners. Results are estimates, not financial advice. Follow each platform's selling rules.
Advanced insights: break-even ROAS and target-margin pricing
Below the table, the Advanced insights panel turns your rows into decisions. It shows total revenue, total costs, total profit, blended margin and portfolio ROI, plus a count of products in each status.
Break-even price
The lowest selling price that still covers landed cost, platform fee, payment fee, fixed fee, listing fee, ads and other costs. Never list below it.
Price for your target margin
Enter a target margin such as 30% and the tracker shows the selling price each product needs to reach it, using the fees and units you chose for that sheet.
Max ad cost per sale and break-even ROAS
Max ad cost is the profit left before ads. Break-even ROAS is revenue divided by that profit: if your ads return less revenue per dollar than this number, the product loses money.
Product research checklist
- Confirm the supplier has stable stock and a realistic delivery time.
- Check sold listings or reviews to see real demand.
- Enter every cost, including shipping, duty, ads and payment fees.
- Use the break-even price to make sure you can price competitively.
- Aim for a healthy margin, not just a positive profit.
- Test with a small quantity and set the status to Testing.
- Mark proven products as Winner and drop the rest.
Organise your research with sheet names, search and sorting
Give every sheet a clear name such as Kitchen gadgets - October. The name is used for the printed title and for the file name when you export CSV, Excel or JSON. Use search and the status filter to find products quickly, sort rows by profit, margin or ROI, and drag the dotted handle on any heading to reorder columns. Press Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y to undo and redo. Need more numbers? Try the profit margin and markup calculator, the payment fee calculator or the discount calculator.
Tracker features
- Sheet name: name every sheet; the name is used for exports and printing.
- Drag and drop columns: reorder any column, on mobile with the Columns button.
- Search, filter and sort: find products by name or status and sort by profit, margin or ROI.
- Advanced insights: total profit, portfolio ROI, target-margin prices and break-even ROAS.
- Print: a clean printout of your sheet.
- Percent or amount: tap % or the currency sign above any fee column (duty, platform, payment, fixed, listing, ads, other) and the calculation follows your choice.
- Editable columns: rename any heading, delete columns you do not need and add your own text or number columns.
- Undo and redo: step back through your last 50 changes, including a cleared sheet.
- Status tracking: mark products as Researching, Testing, Winner or Dropped.
- Export and import: CSV, Excel and JSON backup, all private in your browser.
- Works everywhere: a full table on desktop and one card per product on phones.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate dropshipping profit?
Add your supplier price, supplier shipping and any import duty to get landed cost. Then subtract landed cost, platform fees, payment fees, ads and other costs from your selling price plus shipping charged. The tracker does this for every row automatically.
What is a good profit margin for dropshipping?
Many sellers aim for roughly 20% to 40% net margin after fees and ads, but it depends on the product and competition. Low-priced items with low margins are risky because one return or ad click can wipe out the profit.
What is the difference between margin and markup?
Markup is profit divided by cost. Margin is profit divided by the selling price. A 50% markup is a 33% margin. The tracker shows margin and ROI so you can price correctly.
Is dropshipping from AliExpress to eBay allowed?
Rules change and differ by marketplace and country. Always read eBay's current dropshipping and seller policies, avoid branded or restricted items and check supplier delivery times before listing.
Does this tool pull prices from AliExpress, eBay or Amazon?
No. It does not scrape or connect to any marketplace. You paste product links for reference and type the prices yourself, which keeps the tool simple, private and within marketplace rules.
Is my data saved if I refresh the page?
Yes. Every change is saved automatically in your browser, so a refresh or closing the tab keeps your sheet. Clearing browser data or switching device removes it, so export a JSON backup regularly.
How do I move my sheet to another device?
Click Backup JSON, send the file to the other device and use Import there. You can also export CSV or Excel.
Can I import my own spreadsheet?
Yes. Import a CSV or Excel file. Columns with matching names are filled automatically and unknown columns are added as custom columns.
Can I add, rename or delete columns?
Yes. Add custom text or number columns, rename any heading and delete the columns you do not need.
Which platforms are supported?
Presets exist for eBay, Etsy, Amazon, Shopify and Walmart, and you can set your own fees for any other platform.
Are the fee presets accurate?
They are common example defaults only. Fees change by country, category and seller level, so check the platform's current fees and edit the numbers.
What is ROI and how is it calculated?
ROI is profit divided by what you spend (landed cost plus ads and other costs), shown as a percentage.
How do I find the right selling price?
Use the price calculator. Enter your landed cost, fees and the margin you want and it returns the price to list at.
Does the tracker work on a phone?
Yes. On small screens each product shows as a card, and you can export or share the sheet from your phone.
Is this product research tracker free?
Yes, it is free with no signup. Nothing you enter is uploaded to a server.
How do Undo and Redo work?
Undo and Redo step back and forward through your last 50 changes, including deleted rows, renamed columns and a cleared sheet.
Can I clear the whole sheet?
Yes. Clear sheet removes every product on the current sheet after a confirmation, and Undo brings them back.
Can a fee be a percentage or a fixed amount?
Yes. Above each fee column (duty, platform fee, payment fee, fixed fee, listing fee, ads and other costs) tap % or the currency sign. The profit, margin, ROI and break-even price update to match.
What is break-even ROAS and how is it calculated?
Break-even ROAS is revenue divided by the profit you make before ad costs. If your advertising returns less revenue per dollar spent than this number, the product loses money. The Advanced insights panel calculates it for every product.
How do I price a product for a target margin?
Enter your target margin in the Advanced insights panel. The tracker shows the selling price each product needs to reach it, using your costs, fees and the percent or amount choice for each fee.
How do I move or reorder columns?
Drag the dotted handle on a column heading and drop it where you want it. On a phone or tablet, tap Columns and use the up and down buttons.
Can I search, filter and sort my products?
Yes. Search by name, filter by status and sort rows by profit, margin, ROI or name above the table.
Can I print my research sheet?
Yes. Press Print above the table for a clean printout with your sheet name as the title.