You're probably losing money on every sale.
Most handmade Shopify sellers underprice by 15–40%. MarginMate calculates your true cost, including materials, labor, packaging, overhead, and fees, for every product in your store and tells you exactly what to charge.
Install on Shopify →Free plan available · 7-day free trial · or try the free calculator ↓
You should charge $34, not $18
Most makers are working for less than minimum wage. Here's why.
Here's what most makers forget to include in their prices:
Your time has real value
45 minutes to make a candle at $0/hr labor means you're working for free. Price it that way long enough and you'll burn out before you build anything.
Packaging silently kills your margin
Boxes, tissue, stickers, and ribbon add $1–4 per order, absorbed without a second thought. Multiply that by 50 orders a month and you're eating $100–200 in invisible costs.
Shopify takes more than you think
Shopify + Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. On a $20 sale, that's $0.88 gone instantly, before you've paid for a single material. Almost no one prices this in.
See your real margin in 60 seconds.
Fill in what applies to you. The more fields you complete, the more accurate your result.
Your costs per item
Wax, fragrance, wicks, beads, etc.
Include prep and finishing
What's your time worth? Minimum wage = $15
Boxes, tissue, stickers, ribbon
Tools, subscriptions, rent share
Used to spread overhead per unit
Every maker has this problem.
From Reddit threads, Facebook groups, and Etsy seller communities:
"I was charging $18 for something that cost me $14 in materials alone. I didn't even account for my time. I was basically paying people to take my work."
Maker on r/Etsy
"I've been using a Google Sheet for 3 years but it breaks every time I add a new product variant. I have no idea if I'm actually profitable."
Candle maker on r/candlemaking
"Craftybase would be perfect if it wasn't $49/mo just for the features I actually need. I just want to know my margins."
Jewelry seller on r/jewelrymaking
Everything you need, inside your Shopify admin.
No spreadsheets. No double-entry. Every product priced correctly, automatically, from inside your Shopify admin.
Material Cost Builder
Add ingredients or materials per product with quantity used and unit cost. When your supplier raises prices, update once and every product recalculates automatically.
Labor Time Tracker
Set your hourly rate once. Log minutes per product type and your true labor cost is calculated and locked in. Stop guessing.
Profit Margin Dashboard
See real margin, platform-adjusted price recommendation, and fee impact for every product in your store. Know your numbers at a glance.
Simple pricing. No surprises.
Start free. Upgrade when your catalog grows.
Free
$0forever
Everything you need to price your bestsellers.
- Cost up to 5 products
- Material cost builder
- Labor time tracking
- Margin dashboard with fee-aware pricing
Pro
$19/month
or $190/year (save 17%)
For your whole catalog, with bulk editing.
- Unlimited products
- Bulk edit: update a material price once, every product recalculates
- Everything in Free
- 7-day free trial
Prices in USD. Billed through Shopify. Cancel anytime from your admin.
Learn to price like it's your job.
Cost math and pricing guides for handmade sellers, with real numbers you can check against your own shop.
How Much Does Clay Cost Per Piece? The Bag-to-Mug Math
A $28 bag of stoneware does not mean $1 of clay per mug. Here is the complete bag-to-mug math, including trimming waste, reclaim, failures, glaze, and studio firing fees, with real 2026 prices throughout.
The 60-Second Margin Check Every Handmade Seller Should Run
Most makers price with the materials-times-four rule and quietly lose money on every sale. Here is a fast way to find your real margin, with a worked candle example and a calculator you can use right on this page.