If you thought you’ve been pricing your handmade items for profit, only to find out you’ve been pricing on vibes – let’s fix your COGS!
Maybe you followed some pricing advice on the internet. Thought you were pricing your handmade items for profit. But, if we’re being honest, you totally guessed at COGS.
(Because apparently we’re all supposed to magically know what it really costs to make and sell a handmade item when the yarn came from three different skeins, the stuffing was “a handful” and the pattern notes say “used scraps.” 🙃)
If this sounds familiar, you’re in the right place. Pricing for profit stats with real numbers, and COGS is the one most makers accidentally skip.
That’s exactly why I created the Handmade Product Pricing + COGS Calculator.
It helps you track what actually goes into each handmade item:
- materials
- time
- overhead
- profit
- wholesale and retail pricing
- PLUS comparison pricing using 10 other popular methods (including materials x 3)
so you can stop guessing and start pricing with confidence. Any yes, it gives you a real COGS number to use in your bookkeeping, when an item sells.
Download the Handmade Product Pricing + COGS Calculator to price handmade items for profit and calculate cost of goods sold. Click the image below 👇
“Updated & improved for 2025 — with new title (previous title was “Tracking Costs of Handmade Items Got You Frazzled?“) fresh examples, clearer explanations, and new resources for handmade business owners.”
If you’ve ever tried to figure out what it really costs to make your handmade items, you already know the struggle is real:
- Did I use half a skein…. or 3/4… or… what even IS this scrap?
- Where did I write down the yardage for the arms? The head? The trim?
- WHY does this sticky note say 42g??
Been there. Lived it. Wanted to set my notebook on fire!
Here’s the history of the Handmade Product Pricing & COGS Calculator
When I started my handmade business, in 2017, I desperately needed a simple way to keep track of what I used when I making amigurumi:
- what materials I used
- how much of each color I used
- how much each bit really cost
- and how long it took me to make the “thing”
I wasn’t trying to build a fancy pricing system. I just needed something maker-friendly, not math-scary.
So, I did what most makers do when we’re frustrated, fueled by caffeine, and can’t find what we want or need…. 🙃
👉 I MADE MY OWN SPREADSHEET…..
It wasn’t pretty.
It wasn’t fancy.
I shared it here to help other handmade business owners.
And it worked — for a while.
As my handmade business (and this coaching biz) grew…..so did the gaps
That original “Project Costs & Pricing Worksheet” was great for me (and maybe for you too….) in 2017……
However, times have changed and we ALL need more………
- accuracy.
- clarity.
- help with pricing decisions.
- support with cost of goods sold calculations.
- tools that make sense to a creative brain.
And honestly, we ALL need something that didn’t require flipping between receipts, Etsy orders, yarn labels, calculators, and wishful thinking.
I updated my little homemade worksheet.
Then, I updated it again.
And again.
UNTIL FINALLY……..
Meet the “New’ Handmade Product Pricing & Cost of Goods Sold Calculatorn
THE GROWN-UP VERSION OF THAT 2017 BABY SPREADSHEET.
This isn’t just a “worksheet” anymore.
It’s a full-blown, maker-friendly pricing + COGS tool that helps you:
✔️ Track materials for each product
Yardage, grams, ounces, color breakdown. However your yarn (fabric, beads, clay, or supplies) come.
✔️ Calculate the cost and the retail value of materials
Super important because retail value HELPS keep up with rising costs — even if you bought your yarn on clearance three years ago.
✔️Automatically calculate your Cost of Goods Sold
No more GUESSING about what to enter in your bookkeeping system when the item sells.
✔️ Add a “fair” hourly wage
Not a “minimum wage”.
No “whatever sounds reasonable.”
Not what a business coach “said” to use.
An actual, legit, maker-worthy wage – that’s based on YOUR own numbers.
✔️Add overhead + profit in a way that protects your future self.
YES — using retail material value helps you cover rising prices without constantly repricing everything you make.
✔️See suggested pricing instantly
Wholesale and retail – both based on REAL numbers, not random formulas or amounts floating around Facebook groups.
✔️Compare your real price to 10 other quick formulas people think work
Like “materials x 3”
SPOILER: That one never really covers your labor!
Why this calculator matters – especially if you’re a maker who hates math
You shouldn’t need:
- spreadsheets
- accounting classes
- pricing formulas you found in a 2012 Etsy article
- or “just wing it and HOPE I make money”
… in order to price your products confidently for profit.
This calculator does the heavy lifting for you.
You just plug in:
- yarn/supplies
- amounts used
- what you paid
- current retail cost
- YOUR FAIR HOURLY WAGE
- hours spent to make the finished item
And it handles the rest.
- Your COGS
- Suggested retail price
- A suggested wholesale price
ALL DONE, without:
- calculators
- math
- panic
- guessing
Just clarity.
A real “maker-to-maker” tool
This calculator isn’t something I created from a distance. It’s something born from:
- late-night crocheting
- scribbled notes
- tracking 6 shades of yarn for one amigurumi
- messy receipts
It’s grown with me, my business and the creatives I’ve coached.
And now? It’s here for you — for free.
Ready to know what your handmade items cost – and what to charge?
Get your free Handmade Product Pricing & COGS Calculator below.
It’s simple. It’s maker friendly. It saves you hours. It’s based on YOUR numbers.
And honestly? It might be the first time pricing makes sense.
👉 Click here to download your free calculator.
Oh, before you leave….
Tell me what product do you want to price FIRST with the calculator?
I’d love to hear — drop it in the comments.
If you'd rather be working with yarn, fabric, paint or clay than deal with a pile of receipts or bookkeeping spreadsheets, you're in the right place.
I help you get a handle on your numbers, make sense of what's coming in and going out, and actually feel confident running your business -- without accountant-speak or guilt.
👉 Want help figuring out your bookkeeping (without overcomplicating it)? Join the free bookkeeping community.
I am a coach/educator, not your bookkeeper or CPA.This information is for educational purposes, NOT financial or tax advice.
Thank you
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