Shipping and Postage Cost Tracker

Who this is for

Postage charged against postage paid. Each parcel gets a line with its destination, service, weight, packaging and postage costs and what the customer was charged, and the sheet shows whether you came out over or under on each one.

Makers and small online sellers who charge for postage and suspect it is not covering the real cost once packaging is counted, and anyone setting postage prices for a shop or listing.

What this helps you track

• Every parcel sent, with the order it belongs to
• The destination, service and weight
• Packaging and postage costs for each parcel
• What the customer was charged and the difference
• Total postage spent, total charged and the average cost per parcel

How to use it

1. Write your business and the period at the top.
2. Add a line for each parcel as it goes: date, order number, destination and the service you used.
3. Enter the weight, what the packaging cost, what you paid to send it and what the customer paid for postage.
4. The over or under column is worked out in the browser and the workbook: postage charged less postage and packaging.
5. Write the tracking reference so the line doubles as proof of posting.
6. Check the summary each month and adjust your postage charges if the net figure keeps coming out under.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Why include packaging in the cost?

Because it is part of what sending an order costs you. Boxes, mailers, tissue and tape are easy to forget, and leaving them out makes postage look covered when it may not be. Leave the column blank if you prefer to cost it elsewhere.

What if postage was free to the customer?

Enter nothing in the charged column. The line then shows the whole cost as under, which is what free postage costs you, and the summary adds it up across the month.

Can I use it for more than one carrier?

Yes. Write the carrier and service in the service column, and compare lines to see which works out cheaper for the parcels you send most. The sheet holds no carrier prices of its own.

Does this replace a proof of posting?

It records the tracking reference, but keep the carrier's own receipt or confirmation as well. Some marketplaces and carriers ask for their own proof if a parcel goes missing.