Craft Pricing Calculator: What Should I Charge?
Price = (materials + your time + overhead share) ÷ (1 − fee % − target margin), plus fixed fees. In our example, a slate coaster set of 4 (engraved) with $5.64 of materials and 22 minutes of work needs about $22.99 on Etsy to keep a 25% margin after paying yourself $20 an hour — $2.63 of that goes to Etsy fees.
How this works
Enter your own numbers or keep our defaults. Results update as you type and are calculated on your device; nothing is sent to us. Each default value shows where it came from.
Assumptions you can change
Defaults are examples, not promises. Your material costs, prices, time and local taxes will differ — change any input to match your shop. This is not financial advice.
Charge at least
Recommended price: $22.99 per set of 4
Example listings for slate coaster set of 4 (engraved) run about $25–$45 (our rough estimate, not market data). Your price is below that range — you may be leaving money on the table.
Show as a table
| Line | Amount | Share of what the buyer paid |
|---|---|---|
| Price paid | $22.99 | 100% |
| Listing fee | −$0.20 | 1% |
| Transaction fee | −$1.49 | 7% |
| Payment processing | −$0.94 | 4% |
| Materials & blank | −$5.64 | 25% |
| Electricity | −$0.01 | 0% |
| Your time | −$7.33 | 32% |
| Overhead share | −$1.25 | 5% |
| Profit | $6.13 | 27% |
What if you charged more — or less?
| Price | Fees | Profit | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| $18.39 | $2.20 | $1.96 | 11% |
| $20.69 | $2.42 | $4.04 | 20% |
| $22.99 (suggested) | $2.63 | $6.13 | 27% |
| $25.29 | $2.85 | $8.21 | 32% |
| $28.74 | $3.18 | $11.33 | 39% |
How the price is calculated
Marketplace fees are charged on the price the buyer pays, so a fee can’t simply be added on top of your costs — the fee grows with the price. The calculator solves for the price where what’s left after every cost equals your target margin.
With only percentage and fixed fees this has a simple answer, P = (costs + fixed fees − shipping charged × (1 − fee %)) ÷ (1 − fee % − margin). Because Amazon Handmade has a minimum fee and Etsy’s Offsite Ads fee has a cap, the calculator finds the price numerically (bisection), which works for any fee shape.
Fees used
- Etsy (US seller): listing fee $0.20, transaction fee 6.5%, payment processing (etsy payments, us bank account) 3% + $0.25. Offsite Ads (15%) only when you switch it on.
- Amazon Handmade: 15% referral fee or $0.30, whichever is more. The Professional plan fee is waived for approved Handmade sellers after the first month, so it isn’t included.
- Shopify Basic: $39 a month plan (spread across your monthly orders) plus 2.9% + $0.30 per online card payment. Marketing isn’t included — Shopify brings no buyers by itself.
- Local / craft fair: Square’s in-person card rate of 2.6% + 15¢. Cash sales have no fee; booth fees belong in overhead.
Reading the waterfall
The top bar is everything the buyer pays. Each bar below takes its slice away — fees in ember, materials and shipping in teal, your time in violet — until what’s left is profit. The percentages are shares of what the buyer paid, so you can see at a glance whether fees or materials are the bigger bite.
Assumptions you should check
- Presets are starting points. Blank prices come from the supplier pages listed below; consumables, retail ranges and minutes are our editorial estimates. Edit every number to match your shop.
- Your time is a cost. Margin is what’s left after paying yourself your hourly rate. If you set the rate to $0, the “profit” is really your wage.
- Overhead is spread evenly across your orders per month. Include software subscriptions, insurance, a share of rent, and equipment payback if you want the machine repaid from each sale.
- Electricity uses an assumed average draw per machine type and the U.S. average residential rate (18.34¢/kWh, June 2026 (preliminary)). It is usually cents per item.
- Not included: sales tax, income tax, returns, failed pieces and ad spend other than Etsy Offsite Ads.
Read next
- Is laser engraving profitable? The numbers behind a small shop
- How to start a laser engraving business
- Laser ROI simulator: will your machine pay for itself?
Not financial or tax advice. This calculator is an educational model. Fees change — we list the date we checked each one in the sources. Confirm current fees on each platform and talk to an accountant about taxes before relying on these numbers.
Sources
Every spec and number on this page links back to where it came from.
- Etsy — Fees & Payments Policy
- Etsy — Etsy Payments Policy (processing fee table)
- Amazon — Sell handmade products (Amazon Handmade)
- Shopify — Pricing
- Square Support — Learn about Square fees (US, Free plan)
- U.S. EIA — Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (June 2026 data, released Aug 26, 2026)
- MakerFlo — 20oz Skinny Tumbler (powder coated), $8.95 single / $179 case of 25
- BulkLaser — Slate Coaster, $1.16 round / $1.15 square
- MakerFlo — TruFlat Laser Wood, 12×19 in sheet $5.25 (maple/oak)
- Crafted Supplies — Genuine Leather Loop Keychain, $3.19
- Lazy 3 Leather Co. — Laser Engraved Leather Keychain (retail example, $22)
- MakerFlo — Bamboo Cutting Board 14×10, $9.95 single / $79.60 case of 10
- Laser Craft Supply — Cast Acrylic 3 mm 12×20 in, $12.99 (sale; reg. $16.50)
- MakerFlo — Laserette Motel Keychain, $2.95 single / $28.32 case of 12
- JonesTshirts — Gildan G5000 Heavy Cotton T-Shirt, $2.59
- Expressions Vinyl — Siser EasyWeed 12 in × 5 yd roll, $39.99
- DTF Transfers Now — Custom DTF Gang Sheets, 22×24 in (2 ft) $10.80
- The Stainless Depot — Sublimatable White T-Shirt, $2.95
- MakerFlo — Sublimation Paper, 8.5×11 100 sheets $14.95; 11×17 100 sheets $24.95
- Ricoma — 11oz White Ceramic Sublimation Mug, 36 per case $40.99
- MakerFlo — Sublimation Heat Tape, $3.95 per roll
- MakerFlo — 20oz Skinny Sublimation Tumbler, $8.95 single / $179 case of 25
- MakerFlo — Sublimation Coaster, pack of 12 $29.95
- Blank Wholesale Hats — Richardson 112 trucker hat (black), $8.35
- Signwarehouse — Oracal 651 12 in × 10 yd, $16.95 (white/black)
- ClassB Trading Post — Blank black 3×1 in twill name patch, $2.59
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New research, price changes and test results as they land. Written for people who make things to sell.