ShipWave Channels

Advanced pricing formulas

Create custom pricing formulas for complex pricing scenarios.

When to use formulas

Use formula-based pricing rules when simple percentage or fixed markups aren't enough:
  • Tiered markups based on price
  • Marketplace fee compensation
  • Competitive pricing adjustments
  • Complex multi-factor calculations

Formula syntax

Formulas are mathematical expressions using the variable price (the Shopify variant price):
  • Basic operations: + - * / ( )
  • Variable: price

Examples:
  • price * 1.15 → 15% markup
  • price + 5 → $5 fixed markup
  • price * 1.15 + 2.50 → 15% markup plus $2.50
  • (price + 10) * 1.1 → Add $10, then 10% markup

Compensating for marketplace fees

To maintain your margin after marketplace fees, calculate the necessary markup:

Example: Amazon takes 15% referral fee. To maintain your Shopify margin:
price / 0.85 → Increases price to compensate for 15% fee

More complete example: 15% referral fee + $1.80 FBA fee:
(price + 1.80) / 0.85

Tiered pricing with conditions

Combine formulas with conditions for tiered pricing:
  1. Rule 1: Price range $0-$20 → price * 1.25 (25% markup)
  2. Rule 2: Price range $20-$50 → price * 1.20 (20% markup)
  3. Rule 3: Price range $50+ → price * 1.15 (15% markup)
Higher-priced items get smaller percentage markups.

Formula best practices

  • Test before applying: Use the preview feature to verify calculations
  • Use parentheses: Make order of operations explicit
  • Set min/max prices: Prevent extreme values from formula edge cases
  • Document your logic: Use the rule name to explain what the formula does

Combining with rounding

After the formula is evaluated, rounding is applied:
  1. Formula: price * 1.15 + 2.50 on a $20 item = $25.50
  2. Rounding: "Round to .99" → $24.99
The rounding rule is applied last, after all calculations.

FAQs

Can I use variables other than price?
Currently, only the Shopify price variable is available. Future updates may add more variables like cost, weight, or custom fields.
What if my formula results in a negative price?
Prices are clamped to a minimum of $0.01. Use the minimum price setting to set a higher floor.
Can I test formulas before saving?
Yes. The formula editor has a preview section where you can enter a sample price and see the result.
Are there formula functions like round() or max()?
Not currently. Use the rounding and min/max price settings instead. These cover most use cases.

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