{"id":17000,"date":"2026-04-06T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beup.space\/?p=17000"},"modified":"2026-04-07T12:35:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T05:35:23","slug":"quan-ly-loi-nhuan-ban-hang-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beup.space\/en\/quan-ly-loi-nhuan-ban-hang-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Selling 100 orders a month without knowing your profit \u2014 the most common problem for online sellers"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This month's revenue is 50 million. Next month, 70 million. The numbers are steadily increasing, giving a sense of being on the right track. Then comes the 30th \u2014 the account has less than 2 million. Nothing is wrong on paper. No outstanding debts. No unusual expenses. But the money isn't there.<\/p>\n

This situation is so common that most online sellers have experienced it at least once \u2014 and many experience it regularly without finding the cause. This article delves into the mechanics of that problem, from the perspective of online sales profit management<\/strong> truly, not just tracking revenue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“B\u00e1n \u0111\u01b0\u1ee3c 100 \u0111\u01a1n\/th\u00e1ng, nh\u01b0ng ng\u1ed3i t\u00ednh l\u1ea1i th\u00ec kh\u00f4ng bi\u1ebft m\u00ecnh l\u00e3i bao nhi\u00eau. C\u1ee9 c\u1ea3m gi\u00e1c c\u00f3 ti\u1ec1n v\u00e0o nh\u01b0ng cu\u1ed1i th\u00e1ng th\u1ea5y tr\u1ed1ng.”<\/p>\n

\u2014 A familiar saying within the Shopee, TikTok Shop seller community<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In this article<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. Doanh thu v\u00e0 l\u1ee3i nhu\u1eadn kh\u00e1c nhau th\u1ebf n\u00e0o?<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Nh\u1eefng chi ph\u00ed \u1ea9n n\u00e0o \u0103n m\u00f2n l\u1ee3i nhu\u1eadn b\u00e1n h\u00e0ng online?<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. The \"scale\" trap \u2014 selling more but profiting less<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Cash Flow \u2260 Profit \u2014 When does money truly become yours?<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. L\u00e0m sao qu\u1ea3n l\u00fd l\u1ee3i nhu\u1eadn b\u00e1n online b\u1eb1ng Excel?<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Revenue and Profit \u2014 two concepts confused daily<\/h2>\n

    Revenue is the money customers pay you. Profit is the money left after deducting all costs to fulfill that order. Sounds simple \u2014 but in the reality of online selling, this distinction is surprisingly overlooked.<\/p>\n

    Sellers often look at the revenue figures on marketplace dashboards \u2014 Shopee, TikTok Shop, or their website \u2014 and use them to assess “whether this month was good or bad”. But that figure doesn't account for platform fees, shipping costs, advertising expenses, returns, or even the cost of goods sold. As a result, sellers are running their businesses based on systematically skewed data<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    It's not due to a lack of intelligence\u2014it's because the numbers are genuinely difficult to consolidate. Platform fees are in the platform's financial reports. Return shipping fees are in a separate reconciliation statement. Advertising costs are in the Ads account. To know your true profit, you have to pull data from at least 4\u20135 different sources and calculate it manually.<\/p>\n

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    5 Hidden Costs Eroding Your Profits<\/h2>\n

    For an order priced at 200.000\u0111, here's what actually happens before the money reaches the seller's hands:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Cost Type<\/th>\nSpecific example<\/th>\nTypical Rate<\/th>\nOn a 200k order<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Platform Commission<\/td>\nShopee 5\u201310%, TikTok 4\u20138%<\/td>\n7%<\/td>\n\u221214.000\u0111<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    COD Processing Fee<\/td>\nReconciliation fee, funds held for 7\u201314 days<\/td>\n1\u20132%<\/td>\n\u22123.000\u0111<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Return Shipping Cost<\/td>\nReturn rate 15\u201325% in the fashion industry<\/td>\n20% of orders<\/td>\n\u22128.000\u0111 average<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Advertising (Ads)<\/td>\nFlash sale, Shopee Ads, TikTok Ads<\/td>\n8\u201315%<\/td>\n\u221220.000\u0111<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    \u0110\u00f3ng g\u00f3i & v\u1eadt t\u01b0<\/td>\nZip bags, boxes, tape, labels<\/td>\n3\u20135%<\/td>\n\u22128.000\u0111<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Total hidden costs<\/td>\nExcluding cost of goods sold<\/td>\n~27%<\/td>\n\u221253.000\u0111<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    For a product with a COGS of 120.000\u0111, a 200.000\u0111 order actually only yields a profit of about 27.000\u0111 \u2014 or 13.5%. If the return rate is higher than usual in a month, that number could drop to 0 or even negative, even as the revenue dashboard still looks healthy.<\/p>\n

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    The \"scale\" trap \u2014 selling more but profiting less<\/h2>\n

    When revenue increases, the natural instinct is to boost ad budgets to continue the growth momentum. This logic is sound \u2014 but only if the profit margin per order is positive and stable. If you don't know that number, then “scaling” ads is essentially multiplying losses.<\/p>\n

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    Real-world scenario \u2014 Selling 50 orders vs 200 orders\/month<\/p>\n

    Month 1: 50 orders \u00d7 40.000\u0111 profit\/order = 2.000.000\u0111 actual profit<\/strong>In Month 2, ads were increased, reaching 200 orders \u2014 but ROAS decreased, return rate increased with volume, and platform fees rose due to participation in additional Flash Sale programs. Profit per order was only 8.000\u0111. Total profit: 1.600.000\u0111<\/strong> \u2014 selling 4 times more but earning 20% less profit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    The reason this trap occurs is: marginal costs increase with volume \u2014 especially ads and return rates. When scaling, the pool of “easy-to-convert” customers is exhausted, the system has to target more broadly, CPO (cost per order) increases, while the profit margin isn't enough to compensate. Sellers look at the monthly revenue and see a positive trend, but actual profit is quietly shrinking.<\/p>\n

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    Cash Flow \u2260 Profit \u2014 When does money truly become yours?<\/h2>\n

    In COD (Cash on Delivery) sales, money doesn't come in immediately after an order is confirmed. The platform holds the money for 7\u201314 days for reconciliation \u2014 during which time, the money isn't yet the seller's, even if the order has been successfully delivered. Not to mention, a portion of orders will be returned during that cycle, and the platform will deduct it accordingly.<\/p>\n

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    Profit is an accounting concept. Cash flow is the reality. A shop with positive profit can still go bankrupt due to negative cash flow \u2014 if new inventory needs to be purchased for a campaign before the previous sales' money has arrived.<\/p>\n

    \u2014 A fundamental financial principle, applicable to both small businesses and large enterprises.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    The cash cycle in e-commerce typically spans 3\u20134 weeks: inventory purchase \u2192 packaging \u2192 sale \u2192 delivery \u2192 reconciliation \u2192 cash received. During these 3\u20134 weeks, capital gets \"stuck\" in inventory and receivables from platforms. If growing rapidly without calculating cash flow, sellers will constantly find themselves in a state of \"high revenue, empty bank account\" \u2014 not because of losses, but because cash hasn't arrived in time.<\/p>\n

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    Structured Excel \u2014 a financial solution for online sellers<\/h2>\n

    No need for complex accounting software. Online sellers need a compact yet sufficiently accurate tool to answer 3 core questions: How much profit did we make this month? Which costs are unusually high? What will next week's cash flow look like?<\/p>\n

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    No tracking system<\/p>\n