A little more clarity.
A better-priced business.
Original, practical guides for understanding the cost of a sale. Start with the question that matters to your next order.
What an Etsy sale really costs: a US order walkthrough
Follow a $40 sale from checkout to profit, with shipping, labor, and the fee bases kept separate.
Read the guide Pricing · 3 min readMargin vs. markup: two prices that are not the same
A 30% markup does not produce a 30% margin. See the difference and work backward from a profit goal.
Read the guide Shipping · 3 min readFree shipping is a pricing decision, not a free expense
Compare charged shipping with an included-shipping price without losing track of postage, fees, or margin.
Read the guide Labor · 3 min readHow to include your labor in a handmade product price
Turn minutes at the workbench into a per-item cost, then distinguish your wage allowance from business profit.
Read the guide Advertising · 3 min readCan your product absorb an Etsy Offsite Ads order?
Test the 12% and 15% scenarios separately, understand the $100 cap, and avoid confusing ads with guaranteed sales.
Read the guide Promotions · 3 min readHow much discount can your Etsy product afford?
Model a sale from the item price down, including the fixed costs that do not shrink with a coupon.
Read the guide Order economics · 3 min readSingle item, bundle, or multi-item order? Model quantity correctly
Keep per-item materials and labor separate from shared packaging and postage when comparing larger baskets.
Read the guide Digital products · 3 min readDigital downloads have costs too: price beyond the file
Allocate creation time, support, software, and marketing without pretending that every future sale is guaranteed.
Read the guide Price planning · 3 min readBreak-even is a floor, not a finished pricing strategy
Find the price that covers an order, then decide what surplus the product needs to support the business.
Read the guide Bookkeeping · 3 min readWhy your Etsy deposit is not your profit
Understand the difference between an order estimate, a payment-account balance, and money left after business costs.
Read the guide Business costs · 3 min readThe small costs that quietly erase an order margin
Create sensible allowances for damaged parcels, overhead, consumables, and support without counting the same expense twice.
Read the guide Planning workflow · 3 min readA three-scenario pricing check before you publish a listing
Compare a normal order, a difficult order, and a realistic improvement before deciding what to charge.
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