Selling online: on every sale, how much do you actually keep?

In this article we'll explain in simple terms where that slice of your earnings goes, and how things change when the online store is truly yours.

The right question isn't "how much do I sell", but "how much do I keep"

When it comes to selling online, everyone looks at revenue: how many orders, how much I've sold. But the number that really matters to you is another one: what actually lands in your account at the end of the month. And that's where the difference lies that few people explain before you get started.

Because on many platforms you don't just pay to have the site: you also pay a cut of every single sale. The more you sell, the more you pay. Your effort grows, but so does the slice that gets taken away.

The percentage on sales: a toll on every order

Here's how it works: every time a customer buys, the platform keeps a portion of that revenue. It's not a figure you decide, and it's tied to how much you sell. Sell a little, pay a little; sell a lot, pay a lot. It's like a toll that kicks in on every order, forever.

The problem isn't just the figure itself: it's that you never know it in advance. You can't know today how much it will cost you next year, because it depends on how well things go. At the exact moment your business grows, and you should be celebrating, the bill to pay grows right along with it.

The fixed fee: you know what you pay, and the growth is yours

There's another way to pay for the same service: a fixed fee. A figure you know from the start that doesn't change if you sell more. If this month you double your orders, that extra amount is all yours: no one steps in to take their share.

It's the difference between renting a market stall and paying a percentage on everything you sell, and having your own shop where, once you've paid the rent, whatever you earn stays yours. With KeideaCMS the site works like this: a fixed fee, with no cut taken from your sales. Sell as much as you want, the earnings are yours.

And then there's an even more important question: is the site yours?

Beyond how much you pay, who owns the storefront matters. On many rented platforms your store lives inside someone else's house. As long as you pay, everything's fine. But the day you cancel the subscription, or they change the rules, the storefront is no longer yours: you lose the site and often the customers you built up one by one.

With KeideaCMS the site is your own property. It's still there tomorrow, with your products and your contacts inside. You're not building your business on someone else's land: you're building it on your own.

Compare for yourself: let's put the facts side by side

We won't tell you who's the best: we'll line up the facts and let you decide, based on your own business numbers.

If you'd like to see this logic applied to costs over time, we've also covered it when talking about how much a website really costs over three years: today's small figure often hides tomorrow's big one.

A store of your own that protects you and gets you found

Owning your site and having a clear fixed fee is the starting point. But an online store isn't much use if it isn't secure and if no one finds it. That's why with KeideaCMS you're not just buying "the site": you get a system that includes the things that matter.

There's a smart firewall that watches over the store and blocks attack attempts as they happen: not just a simple static wall, but a system that works together with artificial intelligence to recognize threats. And if something should go wrong, your data doesn't disappear: it's stored on dedicated servers with backups managed through Acronis, of which we are a partner. In simple terms: there's always a safe copy and the site comes back online.

And then there's getting found. A store no one walks past doesn't sell, online just as on the street. KeideaCMS already includes the tools to help you appear on Google when people search for what you offer, without having to buy them separately. It's no small detail that they were built by the same company that won a national contest specifically on getting found online.

Who's behind it, and what happens next

Behind KeideaCMS is Keidea S.r.l., a real team. And the work doesn't end once the site goes live: we also handle marketing and advertising campaigns (ADS), meaning we bring you customers, not just build you a storefront. With a single point of contact you get the store, the security, the tools for Google, and the people who bring you customers, instead of chasing after different suppliers who pass the blame around.

In short

Selling online pays off, but look at what you actually keep, not just what you sell. If you pay a percentage on every order, the more you grow the more you pay, and the site isn't even yours. With KeideaCMS you get a store of your own with a fixed fee, the revenue stays yours, and it already includes security, the tools to get found on Google, and a team that supports you afterwards too. Compare the two approaches using your business's own numbers: the right choice is the one that leaves more money in your pocket.

KeideaCMS E-commerce

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