Worked case
What a batch of candles actually earns
A pricing method is easier to argue with than to apply, so here is one applied all the way through, with nothing rounded away and nothing left out.
Every figure on this page is produced by the same engine that powers the calculator, from the inputs listed below. None of them is typed by hand, which means none of them can quietly stop being true when Etsy changes a fee.
The batch
One pour of 12 candles. 1 came out unsellable — a sunken top, the kind of thing that happens and that nobody puts in a pricing formula. That leaves 11 to sell, and they have to carry the cost of all 12.
Wax, wicks, fragrance and jars for the pour came to $84.00, plus a roll of labels. Spread across the 11 sellable candles, that is $7.64 of materials in each one — noticeably more than dividing by 12 would have suggested, which is exactly the point.
The pour, the cure, the photographs and the listings took 2.5 hours between them: 14 minutes per sellable candle. Each one is then packed and posted.
It sells for $28.00 with $6.00 of shipping charged to the buyer. The label actually costs $6.40.
Where the money goes
The buyer pays $34.00 in total, and that whole amount is what Etsy charges its transaction fee on — the shipping included, which is the part most estimates miss.
Etsy takes $3.68. After the fees and the $7.64 of materials, the packaging and the $6.40 label, $14.53 lands in the bank.
That is not the answer, though. The candle took time, and at $22.00 an hour that time is worth $5.00. Pay it, and the business keeps $9.53 — a margin of 28.0%, with the maker's hours earning $63.93/hour in practice.
| Line | Amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue before fees | $34.00 | Item plus the shipping the buyer paid |
| Etsy fees | −$3.68 | Listing, transaction and payment processing |
| Materials | −$7.64 | The pour divided across 11 sellable candles |
| Shipping label | −$6.40 | $6.00 of it was charged to the buyer |
| Cash left | $14.53 | What reaches the bank, before paying yourself |
| Your hours | −$5.00 | 14 minutes at $22.00 an hour |
| True business profit | $9.53 | A 28.0% margin |
Three things this batch shows
The failed candle is not free
Costing the batch across 12 instead of 11 would have understated materials in every candle. Over a year of pours that is a steady, invisible overstatement of profit — and it grows with your reject rate, which is exactly when you most need the number to be honest.
Shipping is quietly subsidised
$6.00 charged against a $6.40 label means $0.40 of every order comes out of the margin. The calculator flags it rather than absorbing it silently. It may still be the right call — a round shipping figure converts better — but it should be a decision.
The hourly rate is the real test
$63.93/hour sounds healthy against a $22.00 target, and it is — for this batch size. Halve the pour and the same 2.5 hours spread across fewer candles; the margin holds and the hourly pay collapses. Batch size is a pricing decision, not just a production one.
Put your own batch through the calculator. The same steps run on your numbers, including the ones you would rather not look at.
Run your own numbersEtsy rates verified 28 Jul 2026. Not affiliated with Etsy, Inc.