Work out the selling price of a handmade item
Free, no sign-up needed. Updated on 31 October 2026.
Selling price = (cost of materials + making time × your hourly rate) ÷ (1 − share of fees and commissions). The result is a starting point: adjust it to suit your customers and the prices charged around you.
- Materials
- €6.00
- Your time
- €13.50
- Calculated price
- €21.67
- Suggested price
- €22
At €22.00, once materials and expenses are paid, this piece earns you €18.40 per hour.
The method, step by step
Selling price = (materials + making time × hourly rate) ÷ (1 − share of fees and commissions), rounded up to the nearest euro.
Example with the values above: €6 of materials and 45 minutes of work paid at €18 an hour (€13.50), making €19.50. If 10% of each sale goes on fees, divide by 0.90: €21.67, rounded up to €22.
The reverse calculation tells you what your current price really earns you: (price × (1 − fees) − materials) ÷ making hours. If it is far from your target hourly rate, the price, the making time or the materials need rethinking.
This price is a starting point: also consider what your customers are willing to pay and the prices at your markets. The full guide: how to price your handmade items.
Frequently asked questions
How do you work out the selling price of an item?
Add up the cost of materials and your making time multiplied by the hourly rate you want to pay yourself. Then divide by (1 − the share taken by fees and commissions), for example 0.90 if 10% of each sale goes on payment fees, pitch or commission.
Which hourly rate should I choose?
The rate you really want to pay yourself for an hour of work once the business is up and running. Many makers start too low: the calculator also shows what your current price earns you per hour.
Should I use a mark-up multiplier?
A multiplier (×2, ×3 on materials) is quick but forgets your time, which often weighs more than the materials in a handmade piece. Working from time and an hourly rate is fairer.
What if the calculated price seems too high?
This is useful to know: either the making time can come down (small batches, templates), or the piece needs to sell to customers willing to pay that price, or it isn't profitable as it stands.
Doing this calculation yourself, at every market
Comptartisan records your sales at the stall, even without signal, and shows you what you keep after each market, once your items and costs are paid.
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