Promo Margin Guard

How to pay: checkout accepts USDT (BEP-20) crypto. One-time payment, yours forever.

Use code SELLAPP20 for 20% off.

Busy store, empty bank account. Your promo doubled sales — so why did your profit disappear? Discounts stack with platform fees, payment fees, shipping, and returns to erase your margin while the dashboard stays green.

Promo Margin Guard is a pre-sale calculator for e-commerce sellers (Shopify, Etsy, marketplaces) who run discounts, coupon codes, and seasonal sales. Enter your price, cost, and planned discount before you launch — it tells you whether the promo will make money or quietly lose it, and exactly how many extra units you'd need just to break even.

The break-even formula: Extra units needed = Discount% ÷ (Margin% − Discount%). Example: a 10% discount on a 40% margin needs about 33% more units just to break even. A 20% discount at the same margin needs 100% more. Most sellers never run that math.

## What's inside (file-by-file)

- `Promo-Margin-Guard.xlsx` — 5-sheet Excel workbook (desktop & web, no macros): HOW TO USE, Break-Even Calculator (5%–100% stress test), True Profit Per Order fee-stack table (30 rows, your fees), Promo Planner GO / NO-GO (three gates), Post-Promo Audit

- `00-QUICK-START-GUIDE.md` — full onboarding guide

- `WORKED-EXAMPLE.md` — one complete FICTIONAL promo (candle shop, 20% sale): gates, fee-stack cross-check, post-promo audit

- `Discount-Trap-Guide.md` — how discounts train customers to wait + 7 cheaper alternatives

- `Pre-Promo-Checklist.md` — 12-point checklist before every sale

- `DISCOUNT-ALTERNATIVES-WORKSHEET.md` — discount vs. one alternative, side by side

- `FAQ-AND-LIMITS.md` — 10 product FAQs + honest limits

- `WHATS-INSIDE.md` — file-by-file inventory + version history

- `README.md` — package overview + 5-minute quick-start

- `cover.png` + `previews/` — cover and 4 workbook preview images

Total: 14 files.

## Free sample

Free excerpt — core formula, one mini worked example, checklist excerpt:

https://github.com/fexo9/promo-margin-guard/blob/main/FREE-SAMPLE-Promo-Margin-Guard.md

## Demo video

72-second walkthrough of the real v2.0 files:

https://youtu.be/nDJOsolnQnU

## FAQ

1. Guarantee? No — a decision tool, not a profit guarantee. Garbage in, garbage out.

2. Formula? Extra units = Discount% ÷ (Margin% − Discount%). Standard retail math.

3. Planner uses gross profit? Yes, deliberate simplification. After a GO, cross-check the fee-stack sheet.

4. Fee-stack LOSS vs Planner GO? Trust the fee-stack sheet. Fix price/fees/products, re-run.

5. Discount ≥ margin? Stop. Every unit loses money. The workbook says DANGER / INVALID.

6. What uplift to enter? Honest estimate from past promos — ideally your audit actuals.

7. Services / digital products? Yes — enter price + true per-unit cost. Subscriptions: per-period numbers.

8. Google Sheets? Opens and calculates; layout designed and tested for Excel. No macros.

9. "CHECK INPUTS"? A yellow input is blank/invalid. Fill yellow inputs; formulas never show raw errors.

10. Multiple channels? Run the fee-stack sheet once per channel, or use the higher-fee channel. Never average fees.

## Honest limits

- Not a profit guarantee. Calculates from your inputs.

- Planner gates use gross profit (before fees). Always cross-check the fee-stack sheet.

- Uplift is an estimate — base it on audit actuals, not hope.

- Sample data fictional. Fee defaults are examples — enter your platform's actual fees.

- No tax/accounting advice. No chargeback modeling beyond the flat return reserve.

- Excel-first; Sheets "opens and calculates."

- No sales, review, or testimonial claims.

## Details

- Price: $24 one-time. Commercial license.

- Format: ZIP (14 files: Excel + Markdown + cover + previews). Excel desktop & web; no macros.

- Version: v2.0 (2026-10-17). Added quick-start guide, worked example, FAQ + limits, inventory, alternatives worksheet, HOW TO USE sheet. Price unchanged.