warebypricing calculator for makers and bakers
what to charge for anything you make or bake, with your time, overhead, profit and the fees where you sell, all counted.
add up what one item costs you (materials and packaging, your time at a real hourly wage, and a share of overhead), then set a price that still leaves your profit after the fees where you sell. the calculator does the math: price = (your cost + fixed fees) ÷ (1 − the fee percentage − your profit percentage). for a batch of 3 dozen chocolate chip cookies, with $7.43 of ingredients, 75 minutes at $20 an hour and a 25% profit, sold by the dozen on wareby’s free plan, that comes to $1.80 a cookie, or $21.60 a dozen.
what should you charge?
fill in one batch: what the materials cost, how many items it makes, and how long it takes from start to finish, cleanup included. the example is a batch of chocolate chip cookies, sold by the dozen.
| your cost an item | $1.06 |
|---|---|
| fees on an order of 12 | $3.11 |
| your pay for your time, per order | $8.33 |
| profit on top, per order | $5.76 |
the price is rounded up to the next nickel. fees are each platform’s published fees on the items, before sales tax. compare every platform’s fees.
how does the calculator work?
your cost for one item = materials ÷ items in the batch + packaging + your time ÷ items in the batch + overhead.
your price = (your cost + per-item fees + per-order fees ÷ items in an order) ÷ (1 − the fee percentage − your profit percentage).
dividing that way means the fees and your profit come out of the price you charge, not out of your pay. more on each part in how to price handmade goods.
what hourly pay should you use?
one you’d accept to do the same work for someone else. for reference, the u.s. bureau of labor statistics puts the median hourly wage at $17.86 for bakers, $17.96 for floral designers, $22.15 for craft artists and $25.26 for jewelers (may 2025). those are for employees: running your own shop takes time a paycheck doesn’t, like buying, packing and answering messages.
questions people ask
how do i calculate the price of a handmade item?
add materials, packaging, your time and overhead for one item, then divide by (1 − your fees % − your profit %). the calculator above does it for you.
what profit margin should i use?
many makers aim for 20 to 35% of the price on top of paying themselves. if you plan to sell wholesale later, price higher: shops usually pay about half of retail.
should i charge for my time?
yes. if your time isn’t in the price, your “profit” is really your unpaid work.
do fees change what i should charge?
yes. a marketplace taking 10% or more needs a higher price than cash at a market for the same profit. switch “where you sell” above to see it.
sources
- u.s. bureau of labor statistics: occupational employment and wage statistics
- wareby: seller plans
- etsy: fees & payments policy
- square: payment processing fees
fees checked october 12, 2026 on each company’s own pages. wages from the bls occupational employment and wage statistics, may 2025.