Discount calculator: questions and guides
Each guide here answers one question with a practical example, then takes you to the tool to try it yourself. Guides: 23.
Questions
- Why 20% off plus 10% off does not make 30% offHow to work out the price after two discounts in a row, why the total discount is less than the two rates added up, and when one discount is better.
- What does a 480 dirham abaya cost after 35% off?A 480 dirham abaya at 35% off costs 312, a saving of 168. The working step by step, a quick mental check, and how to confirm it on your phone.
- How do I get exact was, now and you-save figures for my sale banner?How to get was, now and you-save figures that always add up on a promo banner, and why rounding each number on its own leaves you a cent out.
- Is buy 2 get 1 free really the same as 33% off?Three for two is 33.33% off the three items when they cost the same, and second item half price is 25% off. When that holds, and when it does not.
- Which is better for a customer, 15% off or 50 off?A flat amount wins on small baskets and a percentage wins on big ones. The cross-over between 15% off and 50 off is 333.33, with worked figures.
- How do I make sure a discount does not make me sell at a loss?Get the sale price from the discount calculator, then check it against cost in the margin calculator. Cost 90, price 120: 30% off loses 6, 20% off keeps 6.
- Why does the discounted price in my store's cart differ from the calculator by one cent?The cent comes from rounding: the calculator rounds once, while a cart may round each unit, each line or after tax. A worked example shows where it comes from.
- My supplier's price list says trade discount 30/10/5; what is my net cost?A 30/10/5 trade discount on a supplier price list is an equivalent 40.15%, not 45%. On a list price of 1000 your net cost is 598.5. How to compare suppliers.
- My supplier gives 2% off if I pay the invoice within 10 days; how much do I actually save?A 2% early payment discount on a 12,500 invoice saves 250 and you pay 12,250. How to work it out, weigh it against your cash, and offer it if you are the seller.
- Does it matter whether I apply a percentage discount before or after VAT?A percentage discount gives the same total before or after VAT, since both steps multiply. When that changes, and why tax follows the discounted price.
- Does the discount calculator send my prices anywhere, and does it work offline?The discount calculator works inside your browser, so your prices and planned sale rates never reach a server. Once the page has loaded, it keeps working offline.
- A client asked for 10% off my quote; how do I work out the new total and show it?A 4,500 quote at 10% off becomes 4,050. How to work it out, how to show it on the quotation, and what happens when the client then asks for another 5%.
- If a price goes up 20% before a sale and then gets 20% off, is it back to the old price?A 20% rise followed by 20% off does not return to the original price: 100 becomes 120, then 96. Why, which discount really undoes a rise, and why shoppers notice.
- I want 5% off for 10 units and 10% off for 50; how do I build the price table?How to build a quantity-break price table: the unit price at each tier, the order total, and the gap that makes 50 units cheaper than 49. With worked figures.
- One store sells at 400 with 30% off, another at 360 with 25% off; which is cheaper?A bigger percentage is not a lower price. 400 at 30% off is 280, and 360 at 25% off is 270. How to compare two stores' offers in under a minute.
- How do I set the compare-at price and the sale price on Shopify for a 30% sale?On Shopify your normal price goes in Compare-at price and the discounted price in Price. How to work it out for 30% off, and what rounding the price does.
- I want to clear old stock in stages with an extra markdown each week; how do I plan the prices?A four-week clearance plan on a 200 item: 20, 15, 10 and 10 percent take it to 110.16, an equivalent 44.92% off. And when to stop before you sell below cost.
- How do I price a three-product bundle at 15% off?Add up the three prices, then apply the discount to the total. A bundle of 89, 59 and 37 at 15% off costs 157.25 and saves 27.75. Why discounting each item agrees.
- Is 10% cashback exactly the same as 10% off?In money, yes: 10% of 500 is 50 either way. But cashback comes after you pay, and as store credit it is worth less. The arithmetic, worked through.
- Should I give 10% or 15% off for National Day, and what does the difference cost on 200 orders?On an average order of 150, 10% off costs 3,000 across 200 orders and 15% off costs 4,500. And how many extra orders the higher rate needs to earn the same profit.
- Is an extra 20% off items already reduced by 25% better than waiting for a 40% sale?25% off then an extra 20% is exactly 40% off: a 300 item costs 180 either way. How to compare any stacked offer, and when waiting is worth it.
- I sell a monthly subscription and want to offer a yearly plan with two months free; what discount and price is that?Two free months out of twelve is 16.67% off. A 100 monthly plan becomes 1,000 a year instead of 1,200. And how to enter the rate precisely enough.
- Which coupon saves more: 20% off the whole cart or 30% off one item in it?A smaller rate on a bigger base usually wins. In a 500 cart with a 200 item, the cart coupon saves 100 and the item coupon 60. And when that flips.