One of the most common questions I get is how to price handmade items, especially for Cricut crafts and sublimation projects. Figuring out what to charge can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. In this post, I’m sharing a free online pricing calculator that helps you determine a solid starting price for your handmade items. I’ll also walk you through a few more advanced pricing tools that are helpful if you’re selling on Etsy or growing your handmade business and want more accurate, profit-friendly pricing.
How To Price Handmade Items
I am actually showing you how to use an online pricing calculator for crafts in the video below. Just click play and watch as I show you this tool from the inside.
Can't watch the video or missed some of the steps? You can also follow along with the instructions below.
Using A Free Online Craft Calculator
The free online calculator is Craft Calculators, which I use to price handmade items, and it requires an easy sign-up to start using. If you just want to calculate a simple price and get an idea of what to charge based on your spending, this is the website for you. You can use it for calculating the following craft prices:
- Heat Transfer Vinyl
- Sublimation
- Printed Heat Transfers
- Decals
- Tumblers
- Resin
- Candles
- Beaded Jewelry
I am going to give you a few examples of how to price handmade items below, but you can sign up for free and try the online calculator for yourself. There is a fee for the more advanced spreadsheets, and I will get to those below as well.
Get my free small business sale planner!
Plan your next sale using this 2 page planner and reach as many people as possible! Increase your reach and increase your sales with a well thought out plan that will have customer coming back again and again!
Example: Getting A Price For Heat Transfer Vinyl
The handmade pricing calculator offers several options. Let’s say I had a project and I was going to use heat transfer vinyl. You can select a t-shirt, hoodie, single-color design, two-color design, etc.
I'm going to choose a single-color t-shirt design and start adding my numbers. Please note that these numbers are just made up for this example. I want to make $15 an hour. Then I paid $40 for 10 shirts and I'm going to sell all 10. I also paid $30 for the heat transfer vinyl. It takes my Cricut about seven minutes to cut it, and it only takes me about 15 minutes to weed it. Pressing takes me about seven minutes.
Once I’ve added all these calculations, it shows my final cost per shirt is $8.60. If I wanted to add a profit to that, I would have to add it manually. You can also scroll to the bottom to see a spreadsheet version. The spreadsheets are available for download at an additional fee; see more below.
Example: Pricing For Sublimation
Next, let’s take a look at a sublimation example. I'm going to choose Sublimation, and once again, there are several options. I am going to select a mug, but you can pick from any of the calculators.
It has remembered that I want to be paid $15 an hour. My design will take about 15 minutes, and I will print two designs. The mugs cost $40 for 4, and I’m going to make 2 for this project. Then the sublimation paper costs $20 for 50 sheets. The sheets are 8.5×11 size paper. You will need to pick a coverage option, which is explained on the calculator. I’m going to choose medium and then two designs to fit on one sheet of paper. In my case, my printer takes a while to print. Printing will take 15 minutes. My pressing time will be about 25 minutes.
It has now calculated the material and the labor to make these mugs at $20.18 each. This is a great way to summarize everything you need to make a mug! I find that these are amazing for making sure I don't forget anything when adding up my pricing.
Again, the editable spreadsheet has more information, and you can read about it below.
Spreadsheet Price Calculators In The Paid Version
The examples that I just described were all calculated using the free version. There is a paid version that has a few more advanced features. The price is $59.97 for full lifetime access, including 80+ spreadsheets and the SVG database. Since it’s just a one-time payment for lifetime access, I found this to be a really affordable option, especially if your business is growing. My advice is to try out the free craft pricing calculator for yourself to see if it works for your business, and then consider the paid version if you want more advanced features. Click here to see the pricing and sign up!
To me, the Craft Calculators help ensure you don't forget anything when you're pricing. Plus, it can be hard to decide where to start when pricing handmade items. Begin with the free online calculator, then add in things like profit or any other expenses the calculator does not cover.
I hope this helps you with your small business endeavors – whether you're just starting out or you've been an established business for a while and just want to check your prices and see how they compare with the calculations. I know I get asked about pricing all the time, and this is definitely my go-to answer!
Learn More With Our Crafting For Profit Live Podcast
Do you want to learn even more about creating your own craft business and the topics above? Then listen to our Crafting for Profit Live podcast!
How To Price Handmade Items Recap
I know I just threw a ton of information at you about pricing handmade items. So, below are the 5 most important things to take away from this post.
- The free online calculator is Craft Calculators, which I use to price handmade items, and requires an easy sign-up to start using.
- You can use it for calculating the following craft prices:
- Heat Transfer Vinyl
- Sublimation
- Printed Heat Transfers
- Decals
- Tumblers
- Resin
- Candles
- Beaded Jewelry
- There is a paid version that has a few more advanced features. The price is $59.97 for full lifetime access, including 80+ spreadsheets and the SVG database.
- My advice is to try out the free craft pricing calculator for yourself to see if it works for your business, and then consider the paid version if you want to get more advanced.
- You can learn more about creating your own craft business by listening to our Crafting for Profit Live podcast!
5 More Craft Business Resources
Did you love learning about all how to price handmade items, and are looking for more craft business resources? Then check out the blog posts below!
- Craft Business: 5 Things You Should Know BEFORE You Start!
- 14 Tips for Selling Handmade Items the RIGHT Way!
- How to Start a Cricut Business and Make Money with Your Machine
- A Course on Starting a Craft Business Just for You!
- Unveiling the Truth Behind Craft Business Myths
