How to price candles on Etsy without losing money
Candles look cheap to make until you add the jar, the fragrance oil, the box and the shipping on a heavy glass item. Here's how to price them so every sale actually pays you.
Step 1: Cost one candle, not one batch
Divide each batch cost by the number of candles it makes. For an 8 oz soy candle, an example breakdown might be wax $1.60, fragrance oil $1.80, jar and lid $2.10, and wick and label $0.50. That's $6.00 in materials. Your numbers will differ, so weigh and count your own.
Add packaging (a box and padding, say $1.50) and your time. Pouring in batches makes time per candle small; 15 minutes each at $20 an hour is $5.
Step 2: Face the shipping problem
Glass and wax are heavy. A label for a boxed 8 oz candle can easily cost $6 to $7 in the US. Whatever you charge for shipping, the label is a real cost, and Etsy charges its fees on the shipping you collect too.
Step 3: Check the price against every fee
Here's that candle at $22 with $6.95 shipping, a common setup.
That's $6.75 of profit, or 23.3%. To keep 30%, the candle needs to sell at $25.20 with the same shipping charge.
Step 4: Consider free shipping
Many candle sellers fold shipping into the price. At $29 with free shipping, the buyer pays about the same total, and you keep $6.80. Free shipping often converts better, and Etsy favours US listings that offer free shipping on orders of $35 or more. The catch is that the higher price must still beat the competition when shoppers browse.
Bundles help even more with candles: two candles in one box share one label and one set of fixed fees.
