Start with one order you could actually fulfill
Price the exact order a customer would place, then compare that same configuration wherever suppliers offer it. A starting price for a different size or decoration is not the cost of your order.
Add product cost and shipping for each supplier separately. If a required cost is missing, leave that supplier unanswered until you can confirm it; a lower product price alone does not mean a lower delivered cost.
Use the pricing plan you expect to pay for. A discounted product price may need a paid plan, and whether that plan pays for itself is a separate monthly decision.
Margin and markup give different prices
Say printing and shipping cost $15, and leave selling fees out for a moment. These are illustrative amounts, not supplier quotes. Margin divides what’s left by the selling price; markup divides it by cost.
| Calculate | Price | Left | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add a 30% markup$15 × 1.30 | $19.50 | $4.50 | 23.1% |
| Aim for a 30% margin$15 ÷ 0.70 | $21.43 | $6.43 | 30.0% |
Add selling fees before you choose a price
When every percentage fee applies to the same selling price, this gives the price that reaches your target:
The worksheet at the top starts with $15 for product and shipping, $0.50 in fixed fees, a hypothetical 10% fee and a 30% target margin: ($15 + $0.50) ÷ (1 − 0.10 − 0.30) ≈ $25.83. That’s about $2.58 in percentage fees and $7.75 left over, or 30.0% after rounding.
The hypothetical fee is not Etsy’s, Shopify’s or any other platform’s published rate. If your percentage fees and target margin add up to 100% or more, no finite selling price reaches the target in this simplified model.
Real fee rules can use different bases, minimums, currencies and conditional charges. If you charge shipping separately, count that payment as revenue and include any fees on it; calling shipping “free” doesn’t remove the supplier’s charge. Price conditional advertising fees as a separate scenario.
Compare suppliers at the same target
In a product comparison, choose Aim for a margin instead and enter your target. Each supplier row then shows the selling price it needs under the fees you selected. Start with the same product and destination, then refine the configuration you intend to sell.
A lower required price gives you room to work with. It says nothing about print quality, delivery reliability or demand, so order samples and check the supplier’s current checkout before you commit. A target margin gives you a price to evaluate; it does not establish what customers will pay.
What the estimate leaves for your business
The amount left after the modeled order costs still has to pay for everything outside the estimate. Taxes and unconfirmed charges also need their own treatment. Read the calculator’s assumptions before treating its result as money you can spend.
Try a margin, compare the price it gives with the offer you had in mind and the costs your business must cover, then adjust the target.