What's a healthy profit margin to aim for?
There's no single 'correct' margin — the right number depends on your audience, your work, and how you position yourself. But here's how to think about it sensibly.
Your profit on each print is the gap between your retail price and the fulfilment cost (printing, any framing/mounting, and shipping). Since no commission is taken from your sale, that whole gap is yours.
Principles to guide your pricing:
- Don't undercharge. Pricing too low can actually weaken how buyers perceive your work. Confident pricing signals quality.
- Aim for a healthy multiple of your costs. Many print sellers price well above the fulfilment cost so that each sale is genuinely worthwhile after you account for your time, marketing and the occasional replacement.
- Framed and limited-edition pieces support higher margins — adding framing tends to lift both the price and the profit, and scarcity lets editions command more.
- Factor in everything, not just the print: your marketing effort, packaging extras, and any platform or payment fees your own store charges.
- Price to your brand and audience. Collectors who connect with your story aren't simply comparing you on price.
A good practice is to set your price, subtract the fulfilment cost, and check that what's left rewards your effort and lets you reinvest in making and marketing more work.
(This is general guidance to help you decide, not a guaranteed outcome.)