Technical context
List what the customer receives: model preparation, print, finishing, inspection, packaging and revisions. Quote one-time design separately or allocate it over an agreed quantity. Free revisions can become unpaid engineering work when the acceptance criteria are vague.
Cost, profit and selling price
View data table
| Comparison | € |
|---|---|
| Cost | 14 |
| Profit | 6 |
| Price | 20 |
Practical workflow
Solve the desired margin after revenue-based fees, then compare the result with the customer's alternatives. If the market will not support the price, examine process cost, positioning or scope. Raising volume without contribution simply scales the loss.
Calculation and units
Markup price = C × (1 + u); margin price = C/(1 ? r). With revenue fee f and fixed fee F: price = (C + F)/(1 ? r ? f). Require positive denominator.
Worked example
Cost 10 plus 25% markup gives 12.50 and 20% margin. A 25% margin needs 13.333. Another 5% revenue fee raises the required price to 14.286.
Validate the outcome
Verify marketplace fee bases and tax treatment separately. A calculated price is a planning target and does not prove customer demand.
Define the acceptance criteria and scope
Before pricing, decide whether the customer receives a decorative model, a fitted component or a part with specified functional requirements. Define the supplied file revision, material, color, quantity, finish and inspection. If dimensional requirements exist, identify the features to measure and the allowed variation rather than promising vague precision across the entire surface.
Record how many design revisions or test prints are included. A custom design charge can be a separate fixed fee, amortized across an agreed batch or retained as a future repeat-order discount. The important part is consistency: do not allocate the complete design fee to every piece and also invoice it once at the order level.
Solve fees rather than adding an arbitrary uplift
A fee charged as a percentage of revenue grows when the price grows. Adding 5% of your production cost therefore does not exactly cover a 5% fee on selling price. With cost 10, a fixed transaction cost 0.30, desired margin 25% and revenue fee 5%, the equation gives 10.30 divided by 0.70, or 14.7143. The fee is 0.7357 and target profit is 3.6786, leaving 10.30 for the cost and fixed charge.
If a platform charges on shipping as well, include that base in the model instead of assuming the percentage applies only to the printed item. Keep taxes separate under the relevant business rules; the calculator's arithmetic cannot determine your registration status or tax obligation.
Design quantity tiers from real economies
A batch discount should reflect reduced cost or a deliberate commercial decision. Shared file preparation and quoting can shrink per-unit setup, while part removal, inspection and individual packaging may remain almost unchanged. Slice each intended quantity, because more parts can alter cooling, travel and risk. Larger plates can also correlate losses if a detached item disrupts neighboring pieces.
Calculate the discounted price's contribution before accepting the order. If capacity is constrained, compare contribution per machine hour and per operator hour, not merely gross order revenue. A large low-margin batch may block higher-value work and leave no time for customer support. Price tiers should preserve an acceptable result under a cautious labor and yield case.
A fee-aware price example
| Input | Value | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 10.00 | Accepted-unit cost |
| Fixed fee | 0.30 | Per-sale charge |
| Revenue fee | 5% | Share of selling price |
| Target margin | 25% | Profit share of revenue |
| Calculated price | 14.7143 | 10.30 / 0.70 |
Price revisions and minimum orders explicitly
A small order can still require quoting, file checks, preparation and packing. A minimum charge is a transparent way to recover that fixed work when it is declared in the offer. Treat revised geometry as a new scope when it requires fresh preparation or tests. Before promising a quantity discount, compare actual setup savings against remaining per-piece inspection and packaging; volume does not erase every manual step.
Should I use cost-based or value-based pricing?
Cost establishes the economic floor under your assumptions, while customer value and alternatives help determine a viable asking price. A custom fixture that saves assembly time may provide more value than its grams suggest. However, a high-value claim should be supported by the actual use case. Start with transparent scope and costs, then test market willingness without inventing performance or savings.
Can I offer a discount for a larger order?
Calculate the real per-unit setup saving first. Then inspect whole-plate duration, expected yield, finishing and packaging. Only some categories shrink with quantity. Check the discounted contribution and the required constrained hours before committing. A discount can be a commercial choice, but its effect on profit should be visible rather than justified by an assumed linear economy that the sliced job does not show.