Dropshipping owners invoice clients when they sell services or wholesale orders, not just retail products. That includes building and launching stores for clients, sourcing and vetting suppliers, listing products, managing day-to-day order fulfillment, and filling bulk or business orders that ship straight from a supplier. Retail customers usually pay at checkout, so the invoices covered here are mostly for B2B and done-for-you work.
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Invoice_1001_Client_2026-10-14.pdf
Pricing depends on what you sell. Store builds, product imports and branding work are usually flat fees or per-item fees. Ongoing store management and order handling are billed as a monthly retainer, a per-order fee, or both. Sourcing and research work is billed hourly or per product researched. When you resell goods to a business client, you bill supplier cost plus a markup, usually 20-50% depending on volume and category, with shipping listed separately. Pass-through costs such as sample orders, app subscriptions, and ad spend should be itemized at cost, with a handling fee only if your agreement says so. Set minimums on retainers so small order volumes still cover your time.
| Service | Priced | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Store setup and theme configuration (platform, payments, policies pages) | flat fee | $500-3,000 |
| Product import, listing and copy cleanup | per product | $5-15 |
| Supplier research and vetting | per hour | $30-75 |
| Store management retainer (catalog upkeep, pricing, customer service routing) | per month | $500-2,000 |
| Order processing and supplier order placement | per order | $1-3 |
| Sample orders and quality checks | cost plus handling | Cost + $5-15 per order |
| Wholesale or bulk order resale (supplier cost markup) | percent markup | 20-50% over cost |
| Branded packaging or insert coordination | per order or per project | $0.50-2 per unit, or $150-500 per project |
Typical US ranges. Rates vary by region, experience, and job size.
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Store setup: theme install, payment and shipping configuration, policy pages | 1 flat fee | $1,200.00 | $1,200.00 |
| Product import and listing cleanup (titles, descriptions, images, variants) | 40 products | $8.00 | $320.00 |
| Supplier research and vetting (4 candidate suppliers, shipping time comparison) | 4 hours | $50.00 | $200.00 |
| Supplier sample orders (pass-through at cost) | 3 samples | $22.00 | $66.00 |
| Order processing for the month of June | 150 orders | $1.50 | $225.00 |
| Total | $2,011.00 | ||
Notes: Payment due within 14 days of invoice date. Sample order costs are billed at actual supplier price with receipts available on request. Late balances are charged 1.5% per month. Monthly order processing is billed on the last day of each month.
Clients want to see what you charged for your work versus what you paid suppliers, apps or platforms on their behalf.
Per-order billing is easy to dispute unless the client can match your count to their store's order list.
Wholesale and bulk orders need a clear record of what was bought, from whom, and at what cost for returns and warranty claims.
Shipping from overseas or multiple warehouses varies a lot, and clients need it broken out to price their own sales.
In many states, sales to a business with a valid resale certificate are exempt. Record the certificate number or the tax charged. Check your state's rules.
If you pay suppliers in another currency, stating the rate protects you from a dispute over cost differences.
Retainers and ongoing work should point to the agreement and the month covered so scope creep and extra requests are clear.
For store builds, a 50% deposit upfront with the balance due at launch is common. Monthly retainers are typically billed at the start of the month, due in 7-14 days, while per-order fees are billed in arrears at month end. For resold goods, ask for full or at least 50% payment before placing supplier orders, since you often pay the supplier first and refunds can be slow. Late fees of 1-2% per month are usual if stated in writing. Bank transfer, ACH, and card payments are all common. Cards are convenient but carry chargeback risk on large bulk orders, so ACH or wire is often preferred for higher amounts.
Supplier orders for a client's customers are real money out the door. Collect payment first or require a prepaid balance that you draw from, and invoice any top-ups before the balance runs out.
Ad budgets, theme licenses and app subscriptions should be itemized as pass-through costs or paid directly by the client. Mixing them into your fee hides your actual rate and causes confusion at renewal.
Decide whether cancelled, refunded, split-shipped, and replacement orders count toward per-order fees. Put it in your agreement so your monthly count is not argued line by line.
Save supplier invoices, tracking numbers and sample photos. If a client questions a cost or a defective batch, documentation settles it quickly and supports any refund claim you make upstream.
Order volume can drop in slow months while catalog upkeep and customer support routing continue. A minimum retainer keeps the work worth doing.
Usually not. Retail customers pay at checkout and receive an order confirmation or receipt. Invoices are for business clients, such as stores you manage, resellers, or companies placing bulk orders.
List them as separate pass-through lines at supplier cost, and add a markup or handling fee only if your agreement allows it. Attach or offer supplier receipts so the client can verify the amount.
It varies by state. Goods resold to a business with a valid resale certificate are often exempt, while sales to end consumers are generally taxable where nexus exists. Some states also tax certain digital or setup services. Check your state's rules or ask a tax professional.
Issue a credit note or a corrected invoice that references the original, and note whether the supplier refunded you. Make your return policy part of the agreement so clients know who covers return shipping and restocking fees.
A retainer gives predictable income and covers non-order work like catalog updates. A per-order fee scales with volume. Many people combine a smaller retainer with a per-order fee.
Send a Dropshipping estimate for approval, then turn it into an invoice when the work is done.
Dropshipping estimate template