Acrylic Charm Pricing: How to Price Printed and Laser Cut Charms
How to price acrylic charms: acrylic, printing, cutting, epoxy, hardware and backing cards, with single, double sided and glitter examples.
In this guide
Acrylic charms are popular for fan art, bag charms and brand merch. Makers either print and cut their own or order from manufacturers. This guide shows how to price acrylic charms you make in-house, with single sided, double sided and glitter examples.
- Charm price = acrylic + print + cut time + hardware + backing card and bag + labor, then overhead, profit and fees.
- A 2 in single sided charm costs about $3.52 to make and sells for about $6.
- Double sided and glitter charms need more print or layers. Price them higher.
- Fan art charms may need permission from the original rights holder.
Why charm pricing needs care
Charms are small, so every cent matters. Clasps, backing cards and bags can cost as much as the acrylic.
Making charms in-house also means test prints and cut alignment. Price that time.
The steps
1. Cost acrylic
Divide sheet cost by charms per sheet.
2. Add print
UV ink or printed film.
3. Add cut time
Laser time per charm.
4. Add hardware and packaging
Clasp, chain, backing card and bag.
5. Add labor
Peeling, assembling and packing.
6. Add overhead, profit and fees
Use 10% overhead, 30% profit and fees.
Worked example: single, double sided and glitter charms
$20 an hour, 10% overhead, 30% profit and 10% fees.
| 2 in single sided | 2.5 in double sided | 2.5 in glitter shaker | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acrylic | $0.20 | $0.30 | $0.60 |
| $0.20 | $0.40 | $0.40 | |
| Laser time | $0.25 | $0.30 | $0.50 |
| Clasp, card and bag | $0.55 | $0.55 | $0.60 |
| Labor at $20.00/hr | 0.1 hr = $2.00 | 0.12 hr = $2.40 | 0.3 hr = $6.00 |
| Overhead (10%) | $0.32 | $0.40 | $0.81 |
| Cost to make | $3.52 | $4.35 | $8.91 |
| Plus 30% profit | $4.58 | $5.65 | $11.58 |
| Cover 10% selling fees (divide by 0.90) | $5.08 | $6.28 | $12.87 |
| Suggested price | $6 | $7 | $13 |
Shaker charms take more time to assemble. Price them as a premium item.
Pricing mistakes to avoid
- Ignoring backing cards. Cards and bags are part of every sale.
- No test print. Alignment errors waste acrylic.
- Underpricing shaker charms. Shakers take far more assembly time.
- Selling fan art without checking rights. Know the rules for the characters you use.
What you keep on each sales channel
The same acrylic charm at $6.00 leaves different money in your pocket depending on where it sells. This uses the $3.52 cost to make from the example above, with Etsy's current transaction, processing and listing fees and Square's in-person card rate. Shipping, sales tax and ads are left out.
| Where it sells | Buyer pays | Fees | You keep | Profit over cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etsy (6.5% + 3% + $0.25 + $0.20 listing) | $6.00 | $1.02 | $4.98 | $1.46 |
| Your own website (about 2.9% + $0.30) | $6.00 | $0.47 | $5.53 | $2.01 |
| Craft fair, card reader (2.6% + $0.15) | $6.00 | $0.31 | $5.69 | $2.17 |
| Craft fair, cash | $6.00 | $0.00 | $6.00 | $2.48 |
| Wholesale to a shop (50% of retail) | $3.00 | $0.00 | $3.00 | -$0.52 |
On Etsy, fees take about 17% of a $6.00 sale. The fixed $0.45 per order hits small items hardest, so bundles and multi-packs keep more of each sale. If a sale comes through Etsy Offsite Ads, add another 15% (12% for shops over $10,000 a year), so build that into your price if you're enrolled. Wholesale at half of retail loses $0.52 per piece here. Either raise retail, lower your cost, or set a separate wholesale price with a case minimum.
Bulk and custom order pricing
For a brand order of logo charms, layout, proof and a test print takes about 0.5 hr at $20.00/hr. Charge that once per order, then spread it across the pieces. Materials are $1.20 per piece and hands-on time is 4.8 minutes, which drops when you batch the same design. Overhead is 10%, profit 30%, and 3% covers card or invoice fees.
| Quantity | Setup share per piece | Cost per piece | Price per piece | Order total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10.00 | $14.08 | $18.87 | $18.87 |
| 25 | $0.40 | $3.52 | $4.72 | $117.94 |
| 50 | $0.20 | $3.04 | $4.07 | $203.44 |
| 100 | $0.10 | $2.75 | $3.69 | $368.56 |
The price per piece falls from $18.87 to $3.69 because the setup is shared, not because you cut your rate. Quote the tier the customer actually orders, ask for a 50% deposit before you buy blanks, and set a minimum order size for custom work.
Acrylic charm checklist
- Acrylic per charm.
- Print cost.
- Cut time.
- Hardware and packaging.
- Labor.
- Overhead, profit and fees.
Price acrylic pieces fast
Type your acrylic, laser time and hardware into the peach cells. The calculator shows cost and price per piece.
Get the Acrylic Keychain CalculatorCalculators that help
- UV print jobs: Price UV printing. Use the UV Print Job Pricing Calculator – Ink, White & Varnish, Printer Time, Retail & Wholesale.
- UV ink: Cost UV ink. Use the UV Ink Cost & Coverage Calculator – Ink Cost per Print, White, Varnish & Maintenance Ink.
- Material yield: Fit more on a sheet. Use the Laser Material Yield & Waste Calculator – Parts per Sheet & Cost per Part.
- Bundles: Price charm sets. Use the Bundle & Set Pricing Calculator – Bundle Price, Buyer Savings, Bundle Profit & Gift Set Pricing.
Common questions
How much should I charge for acrylic charms?
Many sell for about $6 to $15. In this guide a 2 in charm prices at about $6.
Should I make charms or order them?
Ordering is often cheaper for big runs. In-house is good for small runs and custom work.
How much more for double sided charms?
Price the extra print and time.
What size are acrylic charms?
2 to 3 in is common.
Can I sell fan art charms?
Check the rules for the characters or brands you use.
How do I sell more charms?
Sets and bundles raise order size.
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