Preset costs are Merch5 production prices for a white blank with one front print (embroidery on the hat) in November 2026: a Next Level cotton tee, a Hanes Ultimate Cotton heavyweight hoodie, a classic cap and a cotton tote. Preset prices are what the same products sell for in the Merch5 demo stores. Colored garments and sizes from 2XL can cost more.
25 items a month at $24.45 each
Shipping and fees
Optional. Leave at zero if they do not come out of your price.
You set the retail price; the production cost is shown next to each product before you publish.
How merch profit is calculated
Three numbers matter: what one item costs you, what you sell it for, and how many you sell.
Profit margin = profit per item ÷ selling price × 100
Monthly profit = profit per item × items sold per month
With the t-shirt preset: $24.45 − $14.45 = $10.00 of profit on each shirt, a 40.9% margin. Sell 25 a month and that is $250.00.
Margin is not markup
Margin is profit as a share of the price your buyer pays. Markup is profit as a share of what the item costs you. The same shirt gives two very different numbers.
A $10 profit on a $24.45 tee is a 41% margin, and a 69% markup on its $14.45 cost. Talk in margin when you compare products, because it tells you how much of every sale you keep. The break-even price in the calculator is the lowest price at which an item stops losing money once fees are counted.
Five things that change your profit
- Your price. Every dollar you add goes straight to profit. Try $2 more in the calculator and watch the margin.
- Garment color. A print on a dark garment costs more than on white, so a black tee earns less at the same price.
- Sizes. 2XL and up cost a little more to make. Price them up, or accept a smaller profit on them.
- Shipping. Free shipping sells, but it comes out of your profit. Put it in the shipping field to see by how much.
- Fees. Marketplaces and some store builders take a percentage of each sale. Enter it under fees.
Merch profit questions
Subtract everything one item costs you from its selling price: production, any shipping you pay and any fees. Divide that profit by the selling price for your margin, and multiply it by the items you sell in a month for your monthly profit.
There is no single right number: it depends on your audience and on what the shirt means to them. As a reference, the Merch5 demo stores sell a white tee for $24.45 against a $14.45 production cost, which is $10 of profit and a 41% margin. Try a higher price in the calculator and see what it does to each sale.
Margin is profit as a share of the selling price. Markup is profit as a share of the cost. A $10 profit on a $24.45 tee is a 41% margin, and a 69% markup on its $14.45 cost.
The costs are Merch5 production prices for a white blank with one front print, or embroidery on the hat, in November 2026. The selling prices are what the same products sell for in the Merch5 demo stores. Colored garments and sizes from 2XL can cost more; your dashboard shows the exact cost before you publish.
If your buyer pays for shipping at checkout, leave it at zero. If you offer free shipping or pay for it out of the sale, enter what it costs you per item.
No. Merch5 takes a 0% platform cut of your margin. Printing and shipping are charged out of each order after your customer has paid, and the rest is yours.
Not on Merch5: the minimum is one item, and each one is printed after it is paid for, so you never buy stock. The monthly number in the calculator only shows what a month of sales adds up to.
No. The math runs in your browser, nothing is sent or stored, and the numbers reset when you reload the page.
Know your margin? Put it on a store.
Free to open, printed per order, no minimums.