Methodology

This page documents how every calculator works, what assumptions it makes, and where the numbers come from. It exists because nobody should have to take pricing advice on faith.

How to read a calculator page

• Every input has a label, a unit, and a help note with a typical value.
• Every result has an expandable breakdown showing the contributing math.
• Every assumption used in the defaults is listed in the section below.
• Every external number cited on the page is footnoted to a primary source.

Per-calculator methodology

Each calculator gets its own section here as it ships. Sections for calculators that are not yet live in the current phase will read “in progress.”

Sublimation pricing calculator

Author: Maya Reeves. Reviewed 2026-04-21. Next review 2026-07-21.

Formula. Materials = blank + paper + ink + other. Labor = (prep + press + pack) minutes, priced at your hourly rate. Overhead = (labor hours times electricity per hour) + per-unit equipment wear. Total cost is the sum of those three. Recommended price = total cost times (1 + target margin). Premium = recommended times (1 + premium uplift).

Default assumptions. $25 per hour labor, $0.18 to $0.22 per hour electricity, $0.20 to $0.40 per unit equipment wear, 50% to 55% target margin, 25% premium uplift. Blank and ink costs default off the preset; sellers are expected to override with their actual supplier numbers.

Sources. Sawgrass SG500 ink yield (manufacturer-stated), A-Sub paper per-sheet cost (listing history), Etsy fees (etsy.com/legal/fees), US EIA average residential kWh (eia.gov/electricity), and a quarterly survey of 40 active sublimation sellers run by Crafter Margin.

Known limits. Does not include Etsy fees in the recommended price on purpose. Etsy fees are a separate decision, computed via the Etsy fee calculator, so the product price stays a product price.

Etsy fee calculator

Author: Maya Reeves. Reviewed 2026-04-21. Next review 2026-07-21.

Formula. Transaction fee = 6.5% of (item + shipping). Payment processing = country rate (US 3%) plus fixed (US $0.25). Regulatory operating fee = country rate times (item + shipping). Offsite Ads = 12% above $10k yearly, 15% below, applied to (item + shipping) only when triggered. Optional $0.20 listing fee.

Sources. etsy.com/legal/fees, Etsy Payments processing by country, Etsy Offsite Ads policy, all reviewed 2026-04-21. Rates update when Etsy publishes a change.

Cricut HTV shirt pricing calculator

Author: Dana Whitfield. Reviewed 2026-04-21. Next review 2026-07-21.

Formula. Materials = garment + (yards x cost per yard) + extra-layer vinyl. Labor = design-per-unit (amortized across quantity) + (weeding + press) x hourly rate. Total = materials + labor + machine wear. Recommended = total x (1 + margin).

Assumptions. Extra layers add 50% of base vinyl cost per layer. Design time amortizes equally across the batch. Machine wear is flat per unit.

Sources. Siser, ThermoFlex, Cricut per-yard pricing from manufacturer and heattransferwarehouse.com, reviewed 2026-04-21.

Tumbler pricing calculator

Author: Maya Reeves. Reviewed 2026-04-21. Next review 2026-07-21.

Formula. Extends the sublimation calculator with optional epoxy and glitter material lines. Cure time is explicitly not counted as labor because the seller is not holding the piece during cure.

Sources. Amplify Epoxy, Alumilite, Glitter Chimp, Sparkle in Pink per-tumbler material costs, reviewed 2026-04-21.

Vinyl decal pricing calculator

Author: Dana Whitfield. Reviewed 2026-04-21. Next review 2026-07-21.

Formula. Area in square feet = (width x height) / 144. Vinyl cost = area x cost per sq ft. Optional tape cost = area x tape rate. Weeding multiplied by complexity factor (1x, 1.5x, 2.2x). Design time amortized across batch quantity. Output also computes per-square-inch price and per-unit prices at quantities 1, 5, 10, 25, 50.

Sources. Oracal 651, 751, 951 per-roll pricing, 3M 7725 datasheet, Greenstar transfer tape, reviewed 2026-04-21.

Sublimation ink cost per print

Author: Maya Reeves. Formula: cartridge cost divided by prints per set, scaled by coverage versus the 25% baseline, plus paper cost per sheet. Sources: Sawgrass and Epson manufacturer yields, Hiipoo and Printers Jack refill yields from seller survey.

Etsy profit calculator

Author: Maya Reeves. Reuses the Etsy fee engine, adds item cost, packaging, shipping label, per-sale ad spend, and labor priced at your hourly rate. Outputs net profit, break-even list price, and a revenue split chart.

Maker hourly rate

Author: Maya Reeves. Formula: (target income + annual overhead) / (1 - tax rate), divided by billable hours per year. Three tiers: minimum, recommended (1.3x), premium (1.6x).

Cricut sticker pricing

Author: Dana Whitfield. Formula: ceil(qty / stickers per sheet) times (paper + lamination), plus labor amortized across quantity. Output includes bulk breakpoints at 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100.

Etsy shipping calculator

Author: Maya Reeves. Lookup-based USPS and UPS rate estimates by weight and destination. Insurance fee applied above $100 declared value. Caveat: rates are 2026 retail estimates, not a live API.

POD margin calculator

Author: Maya Reeves. Revenue = listed price + shipping charged. Channel fees: Etsy 9.75% blended plus $0.20 listing, Shopify 2.9% plus $0.30 per order, TikTok 5% plus $0.30, Amazon 15%, direct 0. Provider cost = base + provider shipping.

Break-even calculator

Author: Maya Reeves. Formula: fixed costs monthly divided by (selling price - variable cost). Rounds up to whole units. Shows units above break-even times contribution margin as projected profit at goal.

Cricut machine ROI

Author: Dana Whitfield. Months to payback = (machine + accessories) / (profit per project times projects per month).

HTV bulk pricing

Author: Dana Whitfield. Extends Cricut HTV with volume-discount tiers at 10 (5% off), 25 (10% off), 50 (15% off), 100 (20% off). Warns if realized margin drops under 25%.

Sublimation startup cost

Author: Maya Reeves. Sum of must-have line items plus optional nice-to-have. Monthly hardware depreciation = (printer + press) / 60 months.

Etsy vs Shopify

Author: Maya Reeves. Etsy side: 12% blended fee on monthly revenue. Shopify side: 2.9% + $0.30 per order + monthly plan + domain + apps + marketing. Break-even orders = shopify fixed cost / per-order savings.

Tumbler turner ROI

Author: Maya Reeves. Monthly uplift = (tumblers with turner - tumblers without) times profit per tumbler. Payback months = turner cost / monthly uplift.

Custom order quote generator

Author: Maya Reeves. Subtotal minus discount, then tax applied, then deposit percentage to compute balance due. Three line items for now, more in Phase 6. PDF export ships in Phase 6.

Shared assumptions

• Default labor rate: $25 per hour unless the calculator overrides. Sellers are encouraged to set their own.
• Etsy transaction fee: 6.5% of sale price including shipping, as of the last review date above.
• Etsy payment processing: country-specific, defaults to 3% + $0.25 USD.
• Shipping labels: not included in calculator defaults. Enter your own or leave blank if the buyer pays.

How to report a methodology issue

Email hello@craftermargin.com with the calculator name, the input values that produced the issue, and what you expected to see instead.

Changelog

• 2026-04-21: Phase 3 shipped. Methodology sections added for calculators 6 through 20 (ink cost, Etsy profit, hourly rate, sticker, Etsy shipping, POD margin, mug pricing, break-even, glitter tumbler, Cricut ROI, HTV bulk, startup cost, Etsy vs Shopify, turner ROI, quote generator). All 180 unit tests green.
• 2026-04-21: Phase 2 shipped with the five flagship calculators.
• 2026-04-21: Site launched with methodology page scaffold.