DEDICATED OPS TEAM · COST GUIDE · UPDATED OCT 2026
What dedicated ecommerce remote staff cost, compared with a US hire
Dedicated ecommerce remote staff cost their salary plus whatever it takes to recruit, manage, equip and secure them. With Ecom Relays, that is each person's salary at cost plus a $399 monthly management fee. A comparable US employee costs their salary plus payroll taxes, benefits, equipment and space, which is why the total for a dedicated resource can be up to 70% lower than the fully loaded cost of a comparable US hire. This guide shows the method, the BLS pay data by role and what the comparison leaves out.
A year, side by side
Salary at cost plus a $399 monthly management fee
About 70% lower on this example
Method: the loaded cost of a US hire is the salary divided by 0.70, because benefits are 30.0% of total compensation (BLS ECEC, Jun 2026). Sample salaries, not a quote.
Illustrative · sample figures
Quick answer
Dedicated ecommerce remote staff through Ecom Relays cost each person's monthly salary, passed through at cost, plus $399 a month per person for recruiting, supervision, replacement, premises, equipment and security. To compare with a US hire, divide the US salary by 0.70 to get its fully loaded cost, because benefits are about 30% of total compensation (BLS). In our illustrative example, a $50,000 US salary is about $71,400 fully loaded, against about $21,600, roughly 70% lower.
The formula for dedicated ecommerce remote staff cost
The cost of one dedicated person for a year is their annual salary plus twelve months of management fees: salary + ($399 x 12) = salary + $4,788. Nothing else is added by us. Your proposal shows the real salary for each person before you agree, and every invoice shows it again.
The fully loaded cost of a comparable US employee is their salary divided by 0.70. BLS finds that wages and salaries are 70.0% of what private employers spend on compensation and benefits are 30.0%, so dividing a salary by 0.70 gives the total. The difference between the two, as a share of the US figure, is the saving:
Saving = 1 - (dedicated salary + $4,788) ÷ (US salary ÷ 0.70)
The rest of this page explains each part, so you can check the numbers in any proposal, including ours.
What a US hire really costs
A US employee costs more than their salary. Employers pay payroll taxes, most offer benefits, and every employee needs equipment, software seats and somewhere to work. The Bureau of Labor Statistics measures most of this in its Employer Costs for Employee Compensation survey.
For private industry workers in June 2026, BLS put total compensation at $46.89 an hour worked: $32.82 in wages and salaries (70.0%) and $14.07 in benefits (30.0%) (BLS, released Sep 9, 2026). The biggest benefit lines were (BLS ECEC, Table 4):
| Benefit | Cost per hour worked | Share of compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Paid leave | $3.54 | 7.5% |
| Insurance (health, life and disability) | $3.69 | 7.9% |
| Legally required benefits (Social Security, Medicare, unemployment insurance, workers' compensation) | $3.40 | 7.2% |
| All benefits | $14.07 | 30.0% |
The payroll taxes inside "legally required" are set by law. Employers pay 6.2% of wages for Social Security, on earnings up to $184,500 in 2026, and 1.45% for Medicare with no cap (IRS Topic 751). Federal unemployment tax is 6.0% of the first $7,000 of each employee's wages, reduced to an effective 0.6% when the full state credit applies; employers in credit reduction states pay more (IRS Topic 759). State unemployment tax and workers' compensation come on top and vary by state.
Here is what the federal payroll taxes alone come to on the $50,000 salary used in our example.
Illustrative · sample figures, using 2026 federal rates
| Employer cost | Rate | On a $50,000 salary |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security | 6.2% | $3,100.00 |
| Medicare | 1.45% | $725.00 |
| Federal unemployment tax, with the full state credit | 0.6% of the first $7,000 | $42.00 |
| Federal payroll taxes | $3,867.00, about 7.7% of salary |
That is before state unemployment tax, workers' compensation, health insurance, retirement contributions and the other benefits BLS counts in its 30.0% benefit share.
Why we divide by 0.70
We use one method for every cost comparison on this site: salary divided by 0.70. It comes straight from the BLS split of employer spending, 70.0% wages and 30.0% benefits, for private industry workers in June 2026. On a $50,000 salary it adds about $21,400 for benefits and payroll taxes.
Two limits are worth knowing. It is an average across private industry, so a role with richer or thinner benefits will differ. And BLS measures compensation only: a laptop, software seats, office space and recruiting are not in it, so the real cost of a US hire is usually higher still. We leave those out to keep the method simple and checkable.
Recruiting time
Hiring takes time as well as money. SHRM's recruiting benchmarking puts the median time to fill a non-executive role at 39 calendar days, drawing on data from more than 4,600 organizations (SHRM, page updated Jun 24, 2026). For a small brand, that is more than a month of the founder doing the job while also interviewing for it.
BLS pay for comparable US roles
BLS does not track "Amazon account manager" or "catalog specialist" as occupations, so we use the nearest Standard Occupational Classification codes. The figures below are national medians from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, released May 15, 2026. The loaded column divides the median by 0.70.
| Our role | Nearest BLS occupation (SOC code) | Median hourly | Median annual | Fully loaded (÷ 0.70) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer support agent | Customer service representatives (43-4051) | $21.53 | $44,770 | About $63,960 |
| Inventory and PO coordinator | Production, planning and expediting clerks (43-5061) | $28.68 | $59,650 | About $85,210 |
| Amazon account manager | Online merchants (13-1199.06; wage data for business operations specialists, all other, 13-1199) | $39.93 | $83,050 | About $118,640 |
| PPC and ads specialist | Search marketing strategists (13-1161.01; wage data for market research analysts and marketing specialists, 13-1161) | $37.87 | $78,760 | About $112,510 |
| Shopify developer | Web developers (15-1254) | $44.54 | $92,650 | About $132,360 |
| Ecommerce operations lead, for reference | General and operations managers (11-1021) | $50.85 | $105,770 | About $151,100 |
Read these with care. They are national medians across every industry, not ecommerce rates, and pay in your city may be well above or below them. A junior hire will cost less than the median and a specialist with years of Seller Central experience more. Use them as a reference point, then put your own local offer in the formula.
There is no close BLS match for a listing and catalog specialist: the work sits between data entry and marketing, so we leave it out of the table rather than force a code. Its role page gives the range between the two nearest occupations.
What a dedicated resource costs with Ecom Relays
Each dedicated resource costs two things:
- Their salary, passed through at cost and shown on every invoice. It depends on the role and the person's experience, and your proposal states it before you agree.
- A $399 monthly management fee per person.
Billing is monthly in advance. The first term is 3 months, then month to month with 30 days' notice. The fee is not a percentage of your sales or ad spend.
The management fee covers recruiting, onboarding, daily supervision, performance tracking against the KPIs you agree, replacement at no extra fee, premises, dedicated production rooms, equipment, backup power and internet, and data security: company-managed devices, multi-factor authentication on every account, named logins only and access removed within 24 hours of any change.
You pay separately for third-party tools and software your team uses, directly to the vendor.
A worked example
This is the example we use on the Dedicated Ops Team page, laid out line by line.
Illustrative · sample figures
| Comparable US hire | Dedicated resource | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary | $50,000 a year | $16,800 a year |
| Benefits and payroll taxes (the 30% share: salary ÷ 0.70, less salary) | About $21,400 | Covered by the salary and the management fee |
| Management fee | None | $4,788 a year |
| Total | About $71,400 a year | About $21,600 a year |
| Difference | About $49,800 a year, about 70% lower |
Run it through the formula: 1 - ($16,800 + $4,788) ÷ ($50,000 ÷ 0.70) = 1 - $21,588 ÷ $71,429 = about 0.70.
That is why we say "up to". For the gap to reach 70% in this example, the dedicated total has to come in at or below 30% of $71,429, which is about $21,430. The sample salary of $16,800 lands just above that, at about 69.8%. A higher salary for a more senior person, or a lower US salary for a junior role, gives a smaller saving. Your proposal shows your own numbers for each person.
What changes the number for your business
Four things move the comparison more than anything else.
- Seniority. A person with years of Seller Central or Shopify experience earns more wherever they live, which narrows the percentage gap even when the dollar gap stays large.
- The US salary you would really pay. If your local market pays well above the BLS median, the gap widens; if you would hire a junior person at a lower salary, it narrows.
- How many people you hire. The $399 fee is per person, so it does not shrink with team size, but neither does the supervision, cover and security it pays for.
- Tools. Seats for a helpdesk, a listing tool or design software cost the same for a local or remote hire, so they leave the dollar gap unchanged.
How to check any staffing proposal, including ours
Ask for these five things in writing, then run the formula yourself.
- The salary for each named person, and whether it is passed through at cost or marked up.
- Every fee on top of the salary, monthly and one-time, and what each one covers.
- Who pays for equipment, software, office space, backup power and internet.
- What happens when someone leaves: who recruits the replacement, how long it takes and whether it costs extra.
- The notice period and any minimum term.
A low hourly rate with no supervision, no replacement and the worker's own laptop is not cheaper once you count your time managing it. Our comparison of a dedicated team and freelancers covers that trade-off.
What the comparison leaves out
A fair cost comparison has gaps on both sides, and you should know them before you decide.
- Your own time. You still set priorities and answer questions every day. A dedicated person saves you the employer work, not the owner work.
- Overlap hours. Each resource works an agreed schedule that overlaps US business hours, but not necessarily all of your day. If you need someone at 7am and at 7pm Central, say so in the role scope.
- Ramp-up. Any new person, local or remote, takes weeks to learn your catalog, suppliers and customers. Budget for that in the first month.
- Tools. Seller tools, helpdesk seats and design software cost the same whoever uses them; we left them out of both columns.
- Direct employment. A US employee works for you alone, under your own policies, and can be in the room. Some owners value that above the saving.
When a US hire is the better choice
Hire locally when the job needs physical presence, such as receiving stock, running a warehouse or photographing products in your studio. Hire locally for senior leadership roles where the person will build and own the strategy, or when you need someone fully inside your time zone all day. And hire locally when you already have a strong manager with time to run a remote role.
For work done inside Seller Central, Seller Center, Shopify and a helpdesk, the location of the person matters less than how well they are supervised and how securely they work.
Other ways to buy the same work
A dedicated person is one option among several. If you want an outcome rather than a person, Ops Desk runs daily operations for a fixed fee from $1,499 a month. If you want to model an in-house team in detail, use our in-house ops team cost calculator, and our ecommerce operations outsourcing cost guide compares every model side by side. For a broader comparison with building your own team, see Ecom Relays vs an in-house ops team. All prices are on Pricing and terms.
How much does a dedicated ecommerce staff member cost per month?
Their monthly salary, passed through at cost, plus a $399 monthly management fee. The salary depends on the role and experience and is shown in your proposal and on every invoice. Tools are paid by you directly. The first term is 3 months, then month to month with 30 days' notice.
Why do you not publish salaries for each role?
Salaries depend on the role, the person's experience and the market when we recruit, so a published number would be out of date or wrong for your hire. Your written proposal shows the real salary for each person before you agree, and every invoice repeats it.
Is the salary marked up?
No. The salary is passed through at cost and shown on every invoice. Our only fee for Dedicated Ops Team is the $399 monthly management fee per person.
What is the fully loaded cost of a US employee?
Salary plus payroll taxes and benefits, and in practice equipment and space too. BLS puts benefits at 30.0% of total compensation for private industry workers in June 2026, so we divide the salary by 0.70. A $50,000 salary comes to about $71,400 fully loaded, before any equipment or office space.
Is "up to 70% lower" true for every role?
No, which is why it says "up to". The saving depends on the US salary you compare against and the salary of the person we hire. Senior or specialist hires usually show a smaller gap. Run the formula on this page with the numbers in your proposal.
Which BLS figures do you use?
National medians from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, released May 15, 2026, by Standard Occupational Classification code, and benefit costs from the BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation release for June 2026. Each figure on this page names its code and date.
Are there hidden costs?
Not from us: salary at cost and $399 a month per person. Your own costs are your time setting priorities, third-party tools and any ramp-up period while the person learns your business. Those exist with any new hire.
How does this compare with hiring a freelancer?
A freelancer's hourly rate can look lower than a dedicated salary plus our fee. The difference is what the rate leaves out: nobody supervises the work, the freelancer may serve other clients, they use their own devices and logins, and when they leave you start recruiting again. Count your management time before you compare.
Does replacing someone cost extra?
No. Replacement is included in the management fee. If someone leaves or is not the right fit, we recruit, you approve the replacement and we handle onboarding and access at no extra fee.
Sources12 sources
- 01bls.govBLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates, released May 15, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 02onetonline.orgBLS OEWS 2025 wages, SOC 43-4051; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 03onetonline.orgBLS OEWS 2025 wages, SOC 43-5061; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 04onetonline.orgBLS OEWS 2025 wages, SOC 13-1199; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 05onetonline.orgBLS OEWS 2025 wages, SOC 13-1161; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 06onetonline.orgBLS OEWS 2025 wages, SOC 15-1254; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 07bls.govBLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026, released Sep 9, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 08bls.govECEC Table 4, private industry: paid leave $3.54, insurance $3.69, legally required $3.40; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 09onetonline.orgBLS OEWS 2025 wages, SOC 11-1021; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 10irs.govSocial Security and Medicare rates; 2026 wage base $184,500; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 11irs.govFUTA; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 12shrm.orgJun 24, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
Next step
Put your own numbers in the formula.
Talk to an ops lead for 30 minutes, free, about the role you need and what it would cost. No pitch deck. A real person replies within one business hour, 9am to 6pm US Central, Monday to Friday.
Savings shown are illustrative and depend on the role. BLS figures are national medians, not offers of employment or rates of pay.