Handmade pricing calculator
Handmade price = materials plus your time plus overhead, then a markup that covers fees and profit. Enter your costs below for cost, wholesale, retail and take-home profit.
Your results
An estimate to help you set a price, not financial or tax advice.
Work out what an item really costs you, with your time paid, then what to charge. We show wholesale, two retail prices, the fees taken and what you keep.
What does handmade pricing look like with real numbers?
Say a piece takes $8 of materials and 1.5 hours at $15 an hour, with $2 of overhead. Its cost price is $32.50. Doubling gives a wholesale price of $65.00, and doubling again a retail price of $130.00. With fees of 6.5% plus 3% plus $0.45 fixed, the sale costs $12.80 in fees, leaving $84.70 take-home after your cost price. A 30% margin price would be $54.46 instead.
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cost price (materials + time + overhead) | $32.50 |
| Wholesale price (cost x 2) | $65.00 |
| Retail price (wholesale x 2) | $130.00 |
| Fees taken on the retail price | $12.80 |
| Take-home profit | $84.70 |
| Price at a 30% margin | $54.46 |
Your own costs and fees will move every line, so use the calculator above with your numbers.
How does a handmade pricing calculator work?
A handmade pricing calculator works out what one item costs you, then what to charge. Start with the cost price: materials, plus your hours at your hourly rate, plus a share of overhead. This is what one finished item really costs, including your time.
Two retail prices are shown. The first is the rule of thumb: double the cost for wholesale, double again for retail. The second works backwards from the margin you want, so it covers your fees and still leaves that share of the price as profit. Our post on how to price handmade items goes deeper.
Fees are worked out on the retail price, because that is what the buyer pays: a percentage of the price plus a fixed amount per sale. Take-home profit is the price minus fees minus your cost price.
If the rule-of-thumb price and the margin price are far apart, that tells you something: either your costs are high for the market, or the rule of thumb does not fit your fees. It is a prompt to look closer, not a verdict.
These figures cover one item. They do not include shipping, tax, ads or unsold stock, and they do not tell you what buyers will pay. Treat the result as an estimate.
Common questions
What is the 'cost times two, times two' pricing rule?
It is a rule of thumb: double your cost to get a wholesale price, then double the wholesale price to get retail. So retail is four times your cost. It is a starting point that makes room for the shop that stocks you; it does not know your fees or your market, which is why this calculator also shows a price built from your own margin.
Should I pay myself an hourly rate in the price?
Counting your time as a cost means the profit you see is extra, not your wage. Many makers skip it and then find an item that sells well pays almost nothing per hour. Setting the hourly rate to 0 shows the price if you value your time at nothing.
What fees should I include?
Everything the sale costs you before the money reaches you: the platform's selling fee, payment processing, and any per-listing or per-sale fixed amount. The defaults here are example values. Fees change and vary by country, so check your own shop's current rates and edit the boxes.
Does this include shipping, tax or advertising?
No. Add shipping, sales tax and ad costs separately, or fold your average ad cost into overhead. If you charge for shipping, treat it as a pass-through so it does not inflate your item price.
What is a good profit margin for handmade items?
There is no single right number. It depends on your costs, your market and how much you want to keep after paying yourself. Try a few margins in the calculator and see which price still feels fair to you and to a buyer.
What if the price comes out higher than similar items sell for?
That is useful to know. Look at where the cost comes from: materials, time or fees. You might change a material, speed up a step, or find that your item needs a different buyer. Do not simply cut the price below your cost.
What else can help?
- Craft Pricing Calculator: every product's costs and margins in one place.
- How to price handmade items: the thinking behind the numbers.
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- Christmas budget calculator: gifts and costs against a budget.