How should I price an Etsy wall-mounted diecast car display rack if materials cost $5–$7?

Hi! A solid way to price this on Etsy is to work backwards from what you need to net per rack: (materials + packaging + labor + overhead + profit), then “gross it up” to cover Etsy fees and payment processing, and finally decide whether shipping is charged separately or built into the item price.

Here’s the simple pricing framework I’d use:

1) Calculate your real cost per rack (not just materials)

Start with your $5–$7 materials, then add the stuff people forget:

• Materials: $6 (example)
• Packaging: box/mailers, padding, tape, label = maybe $1.50–$4
• Labor: (minutes to make + sand/finish + packing time) × your hourly rate
  Example: 35 minutes total × $25/hr = about $14.60
• Overhead: blades/bits, glue, wear & tear, shop electricity, rejects, etc. (often $0.50–$2+ each)

Example “true cost”: $6 materials + $2.50 packaging + $14.60 labor + $1.40 overhead ≈ $24.50

2) Add the profit you want (be intentional)

Pick either a flat profit (easy) or a margin (more scalable).

• Flat-profit example: add $8–$15 per rack
• Margin example: aim for 25%–40% profit on your time/work

Continuing the example, let’s add $10 profit, so you want about $34.50 net before Etsy takes fees.

3) Cover Etsy fees with a “gross-up” (quick math)

For many US Etsy orders (no Offsite Ads), you’ll typically see roughly:

• a percentage fee on the order total (item + shipping if you charge shipping), and
• a small fixed amount per order (payment processing) plus the $0.20 listing fee

A safe way to price without obsessing over every penny is:

Price ≈ (Target net + fixed fees) ÷ (1 − percent fees)

If you want a practical plug-in estimate for the percent fees, many sellers use ~10%–12% as a baseline (and then higher if Offsite Ads might apply).

Example using 11% and about $0.45 fixed (listing + processing fixed portion):
Price ≈ ($34.50 + $0.45) ÷ (1 − 0.11) = $34.95 ÷ 0.89 ≈ $39.30

So in this example, about $39–$42 is a reasonable retail price target before shipping (depending on your exact labor time and packaging).

4) Decide your shipping strategy (this affects “competitiveness”)

Because Etsy’s percentage fee applies to what the buyer pays (including shipping you charge), think in terms of the total delivered price.

Two common approaches:

• Charge shipping separately (often best for bulky/variable sizes): Use calculated shipping or a fixed rate that matches your typical zones/weights. Keep your item price cleaner.
• “Free shipping” (marketing-friendly): Bake average shipping cost into the item price, but be careful—wall racks can get expensive to ship to far zones, and you don’t want surprises.

5) Sanity-check against the market (then position your listing)

After you get your “math price,” search Etsy for “diecast display rack” / “Hot Wheels wall display” / “1:64 display” and compare:

• number of cars held (10 is your anchor)
• materials (wood/metal/3D printed)
• finish quality
• mounting hardware included?
• personalization (nameplate, stain color, spacing options)
• reviews/social proof

If your math says $40 but the market is $25, don’t race to the bottom—either (a) improve perceived value (better photos, finish, hardware, customization), or (b) reduce labor time, or (c) offer a smaller/larger size tier.

A practical pricing starting point

If your labor is 30–45 minutes and it’s a well-finished, sturdy wall-mounted rack, many sellers land somewhere like $35–$55+ (plus shipping) depending on materials/finish/customization. Your exact “right” number will come from your labor time and how premium it looks in photos.

If you tell me (1) your average build+pack time, (2) approximate finished size/weight, and (3) whether you’re thinking free shipping or buyer-paid shipping, I can run a tighter example and suggest a clean price ladder (e.g., 5-car / 10-car / 20-car).