Band merch profit calculator
By the Slappcard teamFacts last checked
A band merch profit calculator turns the cost, price and sell-through of each item into profit for one show, after the venue cut and the card fee you enter.
We make Slappcards, printed download cards. This calculator is free and works whether or not you ever buy one.
Work out a show
Enter a unit cost, a sale price, how many you are bringing and the share you expect to sell. Add the crowd, the venue's merch cut and your card fee. The figures update as you type and stay in this tab.
The venue cut and the card fee start blank. This calculator does not assume a rate. Enter 0 if that charge is nothing. Profit stays blank until both percents are filled in.
What the numbers mean
Cost is the unit cost times every unit you bring, including the ones that do not sell. Revenue counts only the units you expect to sell. The venue cut and the card fee are each a percent of that revenue. The fee is on the money fans pay you, before you pay the venue.
Margin is profit divided by revenue. Break-even units is how many you must sell to cover the cost of what you brought, after the cut and the fee on each sale, rounded up to a whole unit. If those two percents take the whole sale price, there is no break-even.
Per 100 people takes this show's expected sales, divides by the attendance you entered and multiplies by 100. That covers units, revenue, the venue cut and the fees. The cost of the stock is what you spent for this trip, so it is not scaled down with the crowd.
Money is rounded to the nearest cent. We worked that rounding out ourselves.
The download-card row starts as one published pack. Its unit cost is that pack's price divided by the number of cards in it. The sale price box starts empty. You type the price you are considering.
- Our arithmetic: $120.00 for 100 cards is $1.20 a card.
- Our arithmetic: $140.00 for 250 cards is $0.56 a card.
- Our arithmetic: $160.00 for 500 cards is $0.32 a card.
- Our arithmetic: $180.00 for 1,000 cards is $0.18 a card.
The same routine for the table itself is in how to sell your music at shows. Pack prices are on the pricing page.
Questions
How much should I charge for merch?
This calculator does not name a price to charge. Type a sale price you are considering, then read the profit, the margin and the break-even units. Change the price and compare the two results. We do not publish what other bands charge. We have no reliable set of those prices to quote.
What is sell-through?
Sell-through is the share of the stock you brought that you expect to sell at this show. Enter 40 if you expect to sell 40 of every 100 units you brought. A blank box is not treated as 100 percent. Enter 0 if you expect to sell none of that item. The calculator does not assume a rate for you.
What should I enter for the venue cut?
Enter the percent of merch sales the venue keeps, from the deal you actually have. Venue deals differ, and this page has no verified rate that would fit every room, so it does not publish one. Enter 0 if the venue takes nothing. Until you type a number, the venue cut and the profit stay blank on purpose.
What should I enter for the card fee?
Enter the percent your own card reader or payment app keeps. Read it from that service's pricing page or from a statement, then type it here. This calculator does not ship with a processing rate filled in. Enter 0 if you are taking cash only. The fee is worked out on the sale, before the venue is paid.
How is the download-card cost worked out?
The cost of one card is the pack price divided by the number of cards in that pack. That division is our arithmetic, taken from the pack prices published on this site, not a second price we typed beside them. Picking another pack size fills the cost and the quantity for one pack. The sale price stays whatever you entered.
What does break-even units mean?
Break-even units is how many you must sell to cover the cost of what you brought, after the venue cut and the card fee on each sale. It rounds up to a whole unit. If the cut and the fee take the whole sale price, there is no break-even. Each sale then loses money before the stock is paid for.
What is the per 100 people view?
It takes this show's expected sales and divides them by the attendance you entered, then multiplies by 100. You see units, revenue, the venue cut and the fees per 100 people through the door. The cost of the stock is the cost of this trip, so that view does not shrink it. Leave attendance blank and the view stays blank.
Does this calculator save my numbers?
No. It runs in your browser and keeps the figures on this tab only. Nothing is uploaded, and there is no account to sign in to. Reload the page and the boxes are empty again, apart from the pack cost the page fills in. Write down a result you want to keep. Closing the tab clears the rest.
Does this collect fan emails or host my music?
No. This page is a calculator and nothing else. It does not host a listening page, collect an email address or hand you a fan list. A pack of cards is what includes the printed card and the private page. Order that from the designer when you want it. The calculator never asks you to sign in.
Need something custom?
For a card count we do not list, or a run that is not a standard pack, ask for a free consultation. If the form does not open, email contact@slappcard.com.
Next step
Bring cards to the merch table
A Slappcard at the table is a printed card with your music on a private page. The calculator only does the arithmetic. Packs of 100 to 1,000 cards start at $120.00. Free shipping to the US and Canada.
A pack prints one shared link per design, so every card in it opens the same page. For a count we do not list, use the consultation below.