How the Product Investment Calculator works
The cost of a product is more than the purchase order. Samples, photography, listing creative, launch advertising and small fees like a UPC all come out of the same bank account. This calculator totals everything so you know the real cash commitment.
It separates the inventory cost per unit (what repeats every order) from the one-off launch costs (what you pay once), because each affects your decisions differently.
Formula
- Total investment = Goods + Shipping + Duties + Prep + Samples + Photography + Launch ads + Misc
- Landed cost per unit = (Goods + Shipping + Duties + Prep) ÷ Units
- Fully loaded cost per unit = Total investment ÷ Units
Example
A 500-unit first order costs about $8,460 in total: $8.17 landed per unit and $16.92 fully loaded once launch costs are added.
Frequently asked questions
Should launch ads be part of the investment?
Yes. It is cash you must have before the product earns anything, and it is typically 15–30% of a private label launch budget.
Landed vs fully loaded: which do I use for pricing?
Price on landed cost (it recurs) and check that the first order's profit can recover the one-off costs using the Launch Break-even calculator.