Unit economics on Wildberries differs from the "marketplace average" in one detail that changes everything: an item can travel to the customer several times, and every trip is billed. Until the buyout rate is built into the model, your margin on paper and your margin in the bank are two different numbers. Here is how per-unit profit works with Wildberries specifics.
Formula and components for WB
Per-unit profit = selling price − cost of goods − marketplace charges − taxes. WB charges per unit:
- Category commission — a percentage of the price; current rates are in your seller account: how commissions work;
- Logistics adjusted for the buyout rate — the main WB line item, covered separately below;
- Storage — the warehouse rate for however long a unit takes to turn over: what storage costs and why dead stock gets expensive;
- Inbound acceptance — including warehouse coefficients;
- Advertising — the actual ad spend share (DRR) allocated across the units sold;
- Taxes — under your tax regime: seller taxes.
Logistics × buyout rate
WB does not bill "one delivery per sale" — it bills every trip the item makes. When the buyout rate is below 100%, one sold unit also pays for its own failed trips: the lower the buyout rate, the more delivery fees land on each sale. Effective logistics formula: (outbound + return × share of uncollected orders) ÷ buyout rate. In try-on categories it is this line, not the commission, that eats the margin — the metric itself and ways to lift it: buyout rate on WB.
Run the numbers, then decide
Build the calculation in a spreadsheet, one row per SKU — a basic 8-component template is in the cross-platform guide. Check the plan against the weekly report: commission, logistics, storage and other deductions show up there line by line — discrepancies are caught by reconciliation.
From there the number drives decisions: the floor price and discount depth in promos, advertising payback (how to cut DRR), and the fate of SKUs with negative margin (break-even point).
Related reading: Wildberries commission for sellers, Wildberries logistics costs.
FAQ
"How do I calculate unit economics on Wildberries?" Take the selling price and subtract full cost of goods, the category commission, logistics adjusted for the buyout rate, storage over the turnover period, inbound acceptance, actual DRR and taxes. What is left is per-unit profit.
"Why does the buyout rate matter in the calculation?" Because WB bills every trip the item makes. With a buyout rate below 100%, a sold unit also pays for the trips of orders that were never collected — in try-on categories this is the largest cost line of all.
"Where do I get accurate rates for the calculation?" In your WB seller account: your category commission, logistics and storage rates, warehouse coefficients. Rates change — check the plan against the weekly report.
"What if unit economics comes out negative?" Work through the list in order: price, cost of goods (purchase plus inbound logistics), buyout rate, DRR, warehouse. If optimization still produces no margin, the SKU is a candidate for delisting; the decision method is in the break-even guide.
