What is break-even ROAS?

Break-even ROAS is the ROAS at which ad-attributed revenue exactly covers product cost. It equals 1 ÷ your gross margin — the floor for any target.

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Profit Bid connects store costs to ad spend so you bid on margin — not vanity ROAS.

Break-even ROAS by gross margin

  • Break-even ROAS %

Lower margins demand a much higher ROAS just to break even — one reason blended targets mislead.

Track POAS automatically from your store — upload profit conversions and scale winners with A/C/X labels.

Calculating break-even ROAS

Take your gross margin as a decimal and divide 1 by it. A 50% margin gives a 200% break-even ROAS; a 20% margin gives a 500% break-even ROAS.

This is the minimum ROAS where ads pay for the product. It does not yet account for fixed costs — so your profit target should sit comfortably above it.

From break-even to profit targets

Once you know break-even ROAS, set tROAS with a margin of safety for shipping, fees, returns, and overhead. Many brands target 1.3–2× their break-even ROAS.

Better still, bid on POAS so the system optimizes profit directly instead of a revenue proxy you have to constantly re-derive.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about this topic — tap to read answers.

Should break-even ROAS include shipping?

For accuracy, yes. Use contribution margin (COGS + shipping + fees) instead of gross margin to get a true break-even.

Why do different SKUs have different break-even ROAS?

Because their margins differ. A blended account target hides this — segment by margin band for realistic goals.

Pricing

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