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ToolsShipping calculator

Kickstarter shipping
cost calculator.

Put in one packed box and a postage quote. See what the carrier really bills it as, what one parcel costs you, and the shipping price that still covers it after Kickstarter’s fees.

Shipping pricePrice checker

Your campaign
Charging shipping
The packed box
Units

Size-based weight only over one cubic foot (1,728 cubic inches), divided by 139 since 12 July 2026. Each side rounds up to a whole inch.

in
in
in
lb
What one parcel costs you
$
$
$
%
Fees, margin and customs
%

Kickstarter says “roughly 3 to 5%”.

%

Kickstarter’s budget tool suggests 10%.

Charged by size14 in12 in11 inDashed: one cubic foot. USPS ignores size inside it.
Weight3 lb
Size-based13.3 lb

Billed as 14 lb 1,848 in³

Take 1 in off the length (to 13 in) and it bills at 3 lb instead of 14 lb.

Charge backers

$0a parcel

Covers your $0.00 cost after fees. Exact price $0.00.

Postage
$0.00
Box and padding
$0.00
Packing
$0.00
Lost and damaged parcels
$0.00
Kickstarter and card fees
$0.00

Charging just the $0.00 postage loses $0.00 on every parcel.

Every destination

One row per country or region, using the box, packing and fees above. The postage here is an example: replace it with your quotes. Tick “Free” to fold that row into the reward price instead.

DestinationPostageBackersDutyFreeChargeCosts youRemove
$
%
+$13 to reward$11.40
$
%
$27$24.00
$
%
$30$27.00
$
%
$32$29.00
$
%
$35$32.00
$
%
$42$38.00
Backers505
Charged for shipping$10,000
Shipping costs you$8,918
Fees on it$800
Bare postage would lose$713

Free rows count what you add to the reward price. They pay the same fees, inside the pledge.

Fees: Kickstarter 5% plus card processing 3% on shipping charged at pledge.

How the shipping price is worked out.
Three costs, one price.

  1. 01

    The box is weighed twice

    Carriers bill the heavier of the real weight and a size-based weight: length × width × height ÷ 139 in inches, or ÷ 5,000 in centimetres. Big, light boxes are charged by size.

  2. 02

    Postage is only part of it

    One parcel also costs its box and padding, the packing, and spares for the few that go missing. Duties too, if you ship duties paid.

  3. 03

    Fees come off shipping too

    Kickstarter takes 5% and the card processor about 3% of what backers pay for shipping. Divide your cost by 0.92 so the price still covers it.

Kickstarter’s fees by country, and what you keep from the whole campaign, are in the Kickstarter fee calculator.

Worked examples.
One box, two backers.

A board game box, in the US

A 14 × 12 × 11 in box weighing 3 lb, sent with USPS. It is over one cubic foot, so USPS bills it as 14 lb. With an $11.40 postage quote, $1.30 for the box and padding, $3.00 packing and 3% for lost parcels, one parcel costs $16.17. To keep that after fees, charge $17.58, so $18. Charging just the postage loses $5.68 a parcel. Cut the box to 13 in long and it bills at its real 3 lb.

The same box, to the UK, charged later

Shipping charged in Kickstarter’s pledge manager after the campaign is its own card payment, so it also pays the fixed $0.30 card fee. With a $27 postage quote and the same box, packing and losses, one parcel costs $32.24. The price that covers it is $35.37, so $36. Charging just the $27 postage loses $7.70 on every UK backer.

The postage quotes are examples. Put your own quotes into the calculator above.

From Lexo

Does your page say how shipping works?

Backers surprised by a shipping bill or a customs fee rarely blame the carrier. We read your campaign the way a backer does, shipping and all, before you launch.

Kickstarter shipping questions.

How much should I charge for shipping on Kickstarter?

What one parcel really costs you, divided by about 0.92. The cost is the postage for the billed weight, plus the box and padding, the packing, and a few percent for parcels that get lost or broken. Dividing by 0.92 covers Kickstarter’s 5% and card processing of about 3%, which are taken from shipping money too. Then round up.

How much does Kickstarter charge for shipping?

Kickstarter doesn’t set shipping prices. You set them, per reward and per country or region, and you pay the carrier yourself. Kickstarter takes its 5% fee and card processing on whatever backers pay for shipping, the same as on the pledge.

Does Kickstarter take fees on shipping?

Yes. Shipping charged with the pledge and shipping charged later in Kickstarter’s pledge manager both pay the 5% platform fee and card processing. Shipping charged later is its own payment, so it also pays the fixed card fee, such as $0.30 in the US.

Do Kickstarter prices include shipping?

Usually not. Most campaigns add shipping on top of the reward price, either when the backer pledges or later in a pledge manager. Some include it for their home country and show it as free shipping. The reward card says which.

Should I offer free shipping on my Kickstarter?

Free shipping is shipping inside the reward price. It reads well, especially in your home country, but the cost doesn’t go away: add it to the reward price, where it counts toward your goal and pays the same fees. In Advanced mode, tick “Free” on a destination to see how much to add.

How do I charge shipping after my Kickstarter ends?

Through a pledge manager. Kickstarter has its own, and services like BackerKit do the same job. Backers confirm their address and pay shipping once you know your real costs. Each of those payments pays Kickstarter’s 5%, card processing and a fixed card fee, so pick “Later” in Advanced mode to price it.

What is dimensional weight?

A weight carriers work out from a box’s size: length × width × height, divided by a number such as 139 (inches and pounds) or 5,000 (centimetres and kilograms). You are billed for whichever is heavier, the real weight or this one. USPS only uses it for boxes over one cubic foot. A slightly smaller box can cut the bill by several pounds.

Carrier rules and fees.
Where the numbers come from.

USPS size-based weight
Domestic Mail Manual 223 §1.4: cubic inches ÷ 139, only for boxes over one cubic foot (1,728 in³), from 12 July 2026.
UPS and FedEx
Cubic inches ÷ 139 on every parcel at account rates, from their 2025 rate guides. UPS Store retail rates use 166.
DHL, Canada Post, Australia Post
DHL Express and Canada Post: cm³ ÷ 5,000. Australia Post domestic: cm³ ÷ 4,000. Checked October 2026.
5% on shipping
Kickstarter help centre, fees: 5% of the funds collected, shipping included, plus card processing of roughly 3 to 5%.
3% for lost parcels
An article on Kickstarter’s blog, 31 Aug 2026, puts damaged rewards at 1 to 5%. Losses come on top; 3% is our starting point.

Carriers change these rules, usually in January and July. Check your carrier’s current guide before you set prices.