The answer
A buy fee is calculated from the value of the purchase; a sell fee is calculated from the value of the sale. They are separate charges, so the same fee percentage can mean different dollar amounts on each side. In this example, buying $1,000 of crypto with a 0.1% buy fee costs $1.00. Selling it later for $1,500 with a 0.1% sell fee costs $1.50. You keep $1,498.50 from the sale, and after the original $1,001.00 cost, the net profit is $497.50. That is $2.50 in combined trading fees. The figures are an example, not a live quote.
What is charged when you buy
The buy-side fee is usually described as a percentage of the purchase value. To model that calculation, multiply the amount of crypto bought by its buy price, then multiply that purchase value by the buy fee rate. A displayed rate of 0.1% is written as 0.001 in the calculation.
For example, 0.02 BTC at $50,000 per BTC has a purchase value of 0.02 × $50,000 = $1,000. At a 0.1% fee, the modeled buy fee is $1,000 × 0.001 = $1.00. If that fee is paid in dollars on top of the purchase, the total investment cost is $1,001.00.
The order receipt matters: an exchange may collect a fee in a quote currency such as USD, in the asset being bought, or in another token. A fee taken from the asset can leave you with a slightly smaller coin quantity than the order’s gross quantity. The dollar example here treats the buy fee as an extra cost in the quote currency. Check your own fill details before comparing the calculation with an account balance.
What is charged when you sell
The sell-side fee is calculated from the value of the sale. Multiply the amount sold by the sell price to get the gross exit value, then multiply that value by the sell fee rate. The fee is subtracted from the sale proceeds in this example.
If the full 0.02 BTC is sold at $75,000 per BTC, the gross sale is 0.02 × $75,000 = $1,500. At a 0.1% sell fee, the fee is $1,500 × 0.001 = $1.50. The proceeds after that fee are $1,498.50.
Notice why the two fees differ even though both rates are 0.1%: the buy fee applies to a $1,000 purchase, while the sell fee applies to a $1,500 sale. The percentage is the same, but its calculation base is different. A fee estimate that applies one percentage to only the buy amount or only the sell amount will miss one side of the trade.
How much reaches the result
To calculate net profit for this one-buy, one-full-sale example, subtract the full investment cost from the proceeds after the sell fee. The investment cost is the purchase value plus the buy fee. The net result is therefore $1,498.50 − $1,001.00 = $497.50.
The two fee amounts add to $2.50: $1.00 on the buy and $1.50 on the sale. Before fees, the trade’s price difference is $1,500 − $1,000 = $500. The fee total reduces that $500 difference to $497.50 net profit. This comparison keeps the buy fee and sell fee visible instead of folding them into one unexplained percentage.
“Amount received” can mean gross sale value or sale proceeds after the sell fee. In the example, gross sale value is $1,500 and proceeds after the sell fee are $1,498.50. The $1.00 buy fee was paid earlier and is part of the total investment cost, so it is not deducted from the sale a second time.
Use the same fee basis on both sides
Before comparing a calculator result with an exchange receipt, confirm four things: the exact quantity bought and sold, the buy and sell prices, the fee rate for each side, and the currency in which each fee was charged. Keep the buy rate and sell rate separate. Do not assume a fee shown for one order is automatically the rate for the other order.
Enter percentage rates as percentages in the crypto profit calculator. It applies the buy fee to the purchase value and the sell fee to the exit value, then shows the combined fee amount and the net profit or loss. Prices are supplied by you; the page does not fetch market prices.
If your exchange charges a fixed withdrawal or network fee, that is a separate cost from a percentage trading fee. If you want to include a known cash-denominated charge in a simple scenario, account for it separately and make sure you do not subtract it twice. This page’s example includes only the two percentage trading fees described above.
Why the result can differ from a receipt
A simple calculation is useful for understanding the two fee bases, but an exchange’s final fill can include details beyond this model. The executed quantity or average execution price may differ from the number you first entered. Fees can be rounded at the order or fill level. A fee may be taken in the asset rather than the quote currency. Some venues may also apply account-specific fee schedules. Those details can change the recorded amount.
Spread, slippage, partial fills, funding, borrowing costs, withdrawal charges and taxes are not included in the example. They should not be relabeled as buy-side or sell-side percentage fees unless that is how the platform actually charges them. Compare like with like: use the completed trade record, identify each fee line, and use the amount actually acquired or sold.
Calculate a trade with separate fee inputs
Use a crypto profit calculator with buy and sell fees when you want to see the two charges and the resulting net figure together. Enter the buy price, sell price, quantity, buy fee and sell fee from your own scenario. The result is arithmetic based on those inputs, not a prediction of what a market or exchange will do.
For a separate question about what sell price would reach a chosen profit after fees, see the target-profit sell-price guide. That calculation solves for a sale price; this page explains how the two fee deductions change the amount left after a buy and sale.
Calculation scope
This worked example assumes one purchase, one full sale, a buy fee added to the quote-currency cost and a sell fee deducted from quote-currency proceeds. Its arithmetic is: buy fee = quantity × buy price × buy fee rate; sell fee = quantity × sell price × sell fee rate; net profit = sale value − sell fee − purchase value − buy fee. It is educational information, not financial or tax advice. Exchange-specific fee treatment can differ, so use the fee amounts shown in your actual trade record when reconciling a completed transaction.