Understanding Transaction Fees
Every transaction on Equipoise includes a small fee that covers payment processing and, for store and ticket sales, platform costs. Donations show no fee and cost only card processing. This guide explains how fees work and how to configure them for your store.
Fee Structure
Every fee has two parts, each priced on a different amount:
| Part | Rate | Charged on |
|---|---|---|
| Card processing (Stripe) | 2.9% + $0.30 | The whole charge — your price, shipping, tax, any fee coverage, donations, and (when fees are shown at checkout) the fee itself |
| App fee (Equipoise) | 1% + $0.05 | Goods, tickets and shipping, after discounts — not tax, donations or fee coverage |
Your platform fee is the two added together.
Why on the whole charge? Stripe takes its cut on every dollar it collects, including tax. Pricing processing on the whole charge means the fee covers Stripe's real cut to the cent, so you never absorb the difference.
Donations: no fee is shown on a donation-only purchase, and there is no app fee on donations — the only cost is Stripe's processing on what the donor paid. This is deliberate, to support charitable giving.
Inclusive vs Exclusive Fees
You can choose how fees are handled at checkout. This is one setting for your whole account: it applies to products, tickets and auctions alike.
Inclusive Fees
When fees are inclusive, they're baked into your listed price:
- Customer pays your listed price plus tax
- You receive that amount minus the platform fee
- No separate fee line item at checkout
Example: A $100.00 ticket with $8.00 tax
- Customer pays: $108.00
- App fee: $1.05 (1% + $0.05 on the $100.00 ticket)
- Card processing: $3.43 (2.9% + $0.30 on the $108.00 charge)
- Platform fee deducted: $4.48
- You receive: $103.52, including $8.00 tax to remit
Exclusive Fees (Default)
When fees are exclusive, they appear as a separate Fees line:
- Customer sees your price, tax and a Fees line
- You receive your full listed price plus the tax to remit
- Fees are passed to the customer
Example: A $100.00 ticket with $8.00 tax
- Your price: $100.00
- Tax: $8.00
- Fees: $4.62 (app fee $1.05 + card processing $3.57)
- Customer pays: $112.62
- You receive: $108.00, including $8.00 tax to remit
With shipping: a $100.00 product with $10.00 shipping and $8.00 tax carries an app fee of $1.15 (shipping is in the app fee), a $5.02 Fees line when exclusive (customer pays $123.02), or a $4.87 deduction when inclusive (customer pays $118.00).
Note: The exclusive fee is slightly higher ($4.62 vs $4.48) because card processing is charged on the fee itself too. Where you collect tax, the real tax figure runs a few cents higher in exclusive mode than inclusive for the same reason — North Carolina includes the visible fee in what it taxes. These examples (and the one below on Settings → Checkout) hold tax at a fixed $8.00 in both modes to isolate the fee comparison; a real checkout computes the two together.
Dashboard → Settings → Checkout shows this example for both modes, side by side, using your account's own rates.
Configuring Fee Display
From Your Dashboard
- Go to Settings
- Click the Checkout tab
- Check Include platform fees in your prices to bake fees into every price, or leave it unchecked to show fees as a line item
- Click Save Checkout Settings
Common Configurations
| Business Type | Setting | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Store | Inclusive | Clean pricing, no surprises |
| Event Venue | Exclusive | Industry standard for events |
| Mixed Business | Either | Pick the one your customers expect most; it applies to everything |
| Nonprofit | Either | Donations show no fee and cost only card processing; donors can cover it via the fee offset |
Donor Fee Offset (Donations)
For donations, we offer a special fee offset option on donation-only checkouts (it isn't offered when a gift sits in a cart beside tickets or products, because that order's processing fee already covers the gift):
- Donors see a checkbox: "Add $X.XX to cover processing fees"
- If checked, the donor covers the fees
- 100% of their intended donation reaches you
- If unchecked, fees are deducted from the donation
Example: $100 donation
- With offset: Donor pays $103.30, you receive $100.00
- Without offset: Donor pays $100.00, you receive $96.80 (only the card processor's 2.9% + $0.30 is deducted — no app fee, and no fee is shown to the donor)
Fee Calculation Formula
First, two amounts:
App Base = goods and tickets after discounts + shipping
App Fee = App Base × 1% + $0.05
Charge = everything the customer pays before fees (goods, shipping, tax, fee coverage, donations)
For Inclusive Fees
Card Processing = Charge × 2.9% + $0.30
Platform Fee = Card Processing + App Fee (deducted from your payout)
Your Net = Charge − Platform Fee
For Exclusive Fees
Because card processing is also charged on the fee, we use:
Fees = (Charge × 2.9% + $0.30 + App Fee) ÷ (1 − 0.029), rounded up to the cent
Customer Pays = Charge + Fees
This ensures you receive exactly your listed price (plus the tax to remit) after fees.
Viewing Fees on Transactions
To see the fees for any transaction:
- Go to Orders or Tickets
- Click on any transaction
- View the fee breakdown in the details panel
Tips for Pricing
With Inclusive Fees
- Factor fees into your pricing strategy
- Round to clean prices ($25.00, not $24.67)
- Consider your margins after fees
With Exclusive Fees
- Price products/tickets at round numbers
- Communicate the fee in your marketing
- Common for concert tickets, conferences, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have different fee settings for different products or tickets?
No. The fee setting is one choice for your whole account, and it applies to every product, ticket and auction the same way.
Why are exclusive fees slightly higher?
Card processing is charged on the whole amount the customer pays — including the tax and the fee itself. An inclusive fee has no fee line for processing to apply to; an exclusive fee must also cover processing on its own amount. The formula ensures you receive exactly your listed price.
Is the fee charged on sales tax?
Card processing is, because Stripe takes its cut on the tax it collects. The app fee is not: it applies only to goods, tickets and shipping.
It can also run the other way, when your state's tax rule requires it: with exclusive (visible) fees, North Carolina treats that fee line as part of what you charged for the item, so it's included in what gets taxed — a small share of the tax is computed on the fee itself. With inclusive fees there is no visible fee line, so nothing is added. Either way, Equipoise applies whatever your registered state requires; it's never a platform choice, and it only applies where you collect tax (North Carolina today).
Can I negotiate lower fees?
High-volume accounts may be eligible for negotiated rates. Contact our sales team to discuss your needs.
Are there any hidden fees?
No. The fees shown above are the complete cost. There are no setup fees, monthly minimums, or hidden charges.