Separate unit cost, sale price and operating expenses. Use actual sales to evaluate a price change; a spreadsheet cannot guarantee what a customer will buy.
Markup is not margin
For a hypothetical product costing $10 and selling for $15, markup is 50%, but gross margin is 33.33%. Both describe the same $5 gross profit using different denominators.
Markup = (price − cost) ÷ cost. Gross margin = (price − cost) ÷ price. Neither includes rent, wages or other operating costs.
Build a transparent scenario
Enter your own unit cost, planned markup, units sold and allocated operating costs into the profit calculator. Treat unsold units and any one-time purchases separately from recurring operating profit.
The break-even estimate assumes identical units and constant unit profit. A real mixed inventory is more complicated; do not confuse a planning estimate with a prediction of your next day.
Test one price change
Choose one product or a small comparable group. Keep a note of the previous price, the new price and quantities sold over comparable periods. Changing layout, stock and pricing simultaneously makes the result hard to interpret.
A claimed universal “best markup” is not established by this guide. Sales behavior, game updates and your product mix are reasons to check results rather than repeat a number blindly.
Keep collection spending visible
Opening stock for your personal collection reduces what is available to sell. Assign that spending to a collection budget instead of hiding it inside a shop-performance calculation.
A rare pull may be exciting, but it should not disguise whether routine sales can support the shop.
Good questions. Clear answers.
Does the calculator know the best in-game price?
No. It calculates the scenario you enter and does not model customer willingness to buy.
Are card prices fixed?
This site does not publish a live price database. Use the value and pricing information in your current game for decisions.
Source-reviewed . Recommendations are editorial guidance, not in-game benchmark results.
TCG Card Shop Simulator — official Steam listing Game identity, management features, single-player classification and PC requirements.