Case 1
- What will the item sell for?
- 100g
- What did the item cost you?
- 50g
45.00g
Open with these valuesWoW Auction House Profit Calculator
45.00g
Result: 45.00 gThe auction house keeps 5 % of the winning bid, so 95 % of the sale price reaches you. Subtract what the item cost to craft, farm or buy and you have the real profit. The listing deposit is not in here on purpose: it comes back to you the moment the item sells.
The numbers at a glance
Held fixed: What will the item sell for? 100.00 g.
| What did the item cost you? (g) | Result (g) |
|---|---|
| 0.00 | 95.00 |
| 20.00 | 75.00 |
| 40.00 | 55.00 |
| 50.00Your value | 45.00 |
| 60.00 | 35.00 |
| 80.00 | 15.00 |
Worked examples
Case 2
- What will the item sell for?
- 50g
- What did the item cost you?
- 0g
47.50g
Open with these valuesCase 3
- What will the item sell for?
- 100g
- What did the item cost you?
- 200g
-105.00g
Open with these valuesHow it's calculated
Net profit = sale price × 0.95 − acquisition cost
- StepEnter the price you expect the item to fetch, not your asking price plus deposit.
- StepTake 5 % off — that is the auction house cut on a successful sale.
- StepSubtract your material, farming or purchase cost.
- ResultA negative result means the sale loses gold and the vendor pays better.
What this number means
Where the 5 % and the deposit rule come from
The community wiki that succeeded Wowpedia carries both load-bearing sentences, checked on 25 August 2026: the house takes 5 % of the winning bid, and the amount received is the bid minus the cut plus the deposit. That second sentence is why there is no deposit field here.
The deposit is a stake, not a selling cost
A completed sale refunds it in full, so it never touches the profit. You lose it only when the listing expires unsold or you cancel it yourself.
Classic's neutral auction house takes 15 %
Retail and the faction houses in Classic both keep 5 %, the neutral one does not, and Classic uses different listing durations. Swap the rate and the structure still holds.
A negative result says vendor it instead
An item that cost 200 gold and sells for 100 leaves -105 once the cut is taken. Whenever the vendor price beats the net profit, or the item is unlikely to sell at all, the vendor wins.
Commonly misread
I sold for 100 gold and paid 50, so I made 50.
The house keeps 5, so 95 arrives and the profit is 45.
I have to subtract the deposit from my profit.
A completed sale refunds it in full. Only an expired or cancelled listing actually costs you the deposit.
I entered my asking price plus the deposit as the sale price.
Enter the price you expect the item to fetch. The deposit is not part of the winning bid.
The sale price field pulls the current market price.
It is your own estimate — nothing here reads the auction house. Enter what you believe the item will actually fetch.
Reference table
| Sale price, acquisition cost | AH cut | Net profit |
|---|---|---|
| 2, 0.4 | 0.10 | 1.50 |
| 10, 5 | 0.50 | 4.50 |
| 50, 0 | 2.50 | 47.50 |
| 100, 0 | 5.00 | 95.00 |
| 100, 20 | 5.00 | 75.00 |
| 100, 50 | 5.00 | 45.00 |
| 100, 200 | 5.00 | -105.00 |
Questions
What does the auction house take from a sale?
Five percent of the winning bid, deducted before the gold reaches your mailbox. On a 100 gold sale that is 5 gold, leaving 95 before your own costs. The rate is the same on every realm and for every item.
Do I get my deposit back if the item sells?
Yes. The deposit is returned in full on a successful sale, so it never touches your profit. You only lose it when the auction expires unsold or you cancel the listing yourself.
Why is the deposit not part of this calculation?
Because this figure answers what a sale is worth, and a sale refunds the deposit. Treat the deposit as the stake you risk on the listing rather than a cost of selling. Where it hurts is old gear with a high vendor price and no buyers, where a failed 48-hour listing can cost more than the item was ever going to earn.
What should I enter as the acquisition cost?
Whatever the item really cost you to obtain: materials for a craft, the buy price for a flip, zero for something that dropped. For farmed goods a fair stand-in is your gold per hour divided by the pieces you gather in an hour.
When is vendoring better than listing?
Whenever the vendor price beats the net profit above, or whenever the item is unlikely to sell at all. A guaranteed small amount from a vendor is worth more than a larger one you never collect.
Does this work for WoW Classic?
The formula does, the rate sometimes does not. Retail and the faction auction houses in Classic both take 5 %, but a neutral auction house in Classic takes 15 %, and Classic uses different listing durations. Swap the rate and the structure still holds.
Sources and last check
Information, not professional advice.