# Ecommerce Prices and Total Cost > A shopper who sees the product price but discovers a large additional charge at checkout has been surprised. Surprise at the payment step is a leading cause of abandoned orders. - Type: Merchant guide - Level: Intermediate - Reading time: About 4 minutes - Audience: Written for store owners, builders, and designers refining high-performance ecommerce stores. - Last updated: 2026-11-04 - Canonical page: https://academy.getzenbasket.com/merchant-questions/ecommerce-prices-and-total-cost/ - Part of: [Merchant Questions](https://academy.getzenbasket.com/merchant-questions/) on ZenBasket Academy --- ## What you need to know ### What does a store show? Show the product price clearly on the product page. If shipping, tax or handling charges are fixed, state them there. If they depend on the address, note that they will be calculated at checkout. ### How should sale prices appear? Show the current price prominently and the previous price nearby in a way that makes the relationship clear. Verify that the previous price reflects a real price the item was sold at. ### Can value be communicated without a lower price? Yes. Specifics such as materials, lead time, guarantee or included services explain why a price is what it is. Shoppers comparing on price alone may not be the primary audience for every product. ### What to check in your store Place a test order and record every charge as it appears. Confirm that the total at payment matches what was shown on the product page plus any shipping shown at cart. --- ## Frequently asked questions ### Should savings be in dollars or percent? Use whichever is clearer for the amount. A large dollar saving is often more understandable than a small percentage; a large percentage may be clearer when the dollar amount is small. Test both if unsure. ### Where do I configure displayed costs? Use the current ZenBasket pricing and shipping settings and confirm changes on the published store with a real test order before announcing a promotion. ## Related articles - **Promotions and Discount Decisions** - **Product Pages That Help Shoppers Decide** - [ZenBasket Build Guide](https://help.getzenbasket.com/zenbasket-builder/)