Delivery Cost Calculator
Own-fleet delivery cost per drop.
Fuel, depreciation, insurance and maintenance.
Cost per successful drop
$6.02
more expensive than courier
Drop density decides this. The same route cost over twelve stops instead of twenty-eight changes the answer completely.
How the Delivery Cost Calculator works
Running your own deliveries looks cheap until the vehicle, the driver's hours and the fuel are counted against the number of drops actually made. Drop density is the variable that decides it — the same route cost spread over twelve stops instead of four changes the arithmetic completely.
Not financial advice. Marketplace fees change, and they vary by country, plan and seller status. Every rate here is an editable default, not a quoted price — check the platform's current fee schedule before you price a product against it. This is not tax or business advice.
Frequently asked questions
What does a self-delivered drop cost?
Driver time, fuel, vehicle depreciation, insurance, maintenance and parking, divided by drops completed. In dense urban routes this can beat courier rates; in sparse rural ones it rarely does.
How many drops make own delivery viable?
Enough that the fixed cost of the route divides down below the courier rate. With a £180 route cost and a £6 courier alternative, you need more than 30 drops — which is why own-fleet delivery mostly suits dense local operations.
Should I count my own time as driver cost?
Yes. Owner-driven delivery that ignores the owner's time will always look cheaper than it is, and it does not scale — the moment you have to hire, the true cost appears.
What about failed deliveries?
They are a real and often ignored cost — the drop is made, the fuel and time are spent, and it has to be repeated. Include a failure rate; for consumer deliveries without a safe place it can be 5-10%.