Which own costs count in your OTTO margin?
Last updated: 31 October 2026 · The MargenOptimierer app is in German. Button and menu names are shown exactly as you see them, with the English meaning in brackets.
Own costs are what one sold unit costs you yourself, meaning purchase price, shipping and other costs, all without VAT.
You enter them per item on the Produkte (products) page. The first value of an item applies for all time, including sales before the day you enter it. Every later value applies from a day you choose.
Example: Own costs for the acacia chair
Say the acacia chair has a purchase price of 12.40 € and costs you 4.90 € to ship. That's 17.30 € of own costs per chair sold.
From 20 October 2026 you pay a purchase price of 14.20 €. If you enter the new amount from that day, sales from 20 October 2026 are calculated with 14.20 € and all earlier ones stay at 12.40 €.
What else matters with own costs
Shipping
This means what shipping costs you. What your customer pays for shipping is part of your revenue.
If costs are missing
You need purchase price and shipping for a complete margin, and you can leave other costs empty. If purchase price or shipping is missing, MargenOptimierer doesn't calculate with 0 €. On the Marge (margin) page, the item then shows, for example, „Einkauf fehlt“ (purchase price missing), and its margin is never green.
Correcting a typo
If you mistyped, choose Korrektur (correction) when you change the value. It replaces the value currently in effect for the whole time it has applied.
Next
- How do I enter purchase price and shipping costs?
Where this term appears
- How do I read the margin?
- Why is an item a cost driver?
- What does it cost to sell on OTTO?
- What is the OTTO commission in 2026?
- How do I calculate my profit per item on OTTO?
- Should I sell on OTTO or Amazon?
- What do OTTO, Amazon, Kaufland and eBay really cost in 2026?
- Is advertising on OTTO worth it for small sellers?
- How do I become a seller on OTTO?
- How big is OTTO in 2026? Revenue, customers and sellers
- Can sellers from other EU countries sell on OTTO?
- What software is available for OTTO sellers?
- How do I log in to OTTO Partner Connect?