Inventory, manufacturing process, business success topics for small DTC manufacturers.
selling online
Etsy has the built-in audience. Shopify gives you control. But for makers who care about knowing their true costs, neither platform was built with you in mind.
bookkeeping tax
Fallen behind on your handmade business bookkeeping? Here's exactly how to catch up, including the inventory step most guides forget to mention.
inventory management
Most holiday forecasting advice tells makers to project revenue first. That's backwards. Here's how to forecast from production capacity and materials availability — so you actually have product to sell.
Not all business expenses work the same way at tax time. Here's exactly how to tell your direct costs apart from your indirect costs, and why getting it right matters more than you might think.
Most budget templates aren't built for makers. Here's how to create a business budget that actually works for a handmade business — starting with your materials costs, not a revenue guess.
pricing
Most advice says raise prices when you feel undervalued. That's backwards. Here's how to use actual cost data to know when — and by how much — to raise your handmade prices.
business
Most handmade sellers have no idea if their order volume is normal. We pulled data from 1,800+ active Craftybase accounts to show exactly what the distribution looks like — and where the inflection points are.
Shopify's built-in cost field won't give you accurate COGS if you make your own products. Here's how to actually track cost of goods sold as a maker using Shopify.
Assemblified is a solid Shopify BOM app for managing kits and bundles. But if you're a maker who produces finished goods from raw materials, you'll hit its limits fast. Here's what to look for instead.
What does a healthy profit margin actually look like in your niche? Real gross margin benchmarks from 715,000 Craftybase order lines across 11 maker categories — and what the numbers tell you about your pricing.
Etsy doesn't show you your real COGS. Here's how to calculate cost of goods sold as an Etsy seller — materials, labour, overhead — and why it matters more than your revenue.
handmade success
Most advice tells you to pick one platform and focus. The research suggests the opposite — makers who sell on both Etsy and Shopify tend to build more resilient, profitable businesses.
Weighted average costing is IRS-approved, GAAP-compliant, and the right choice for small-batch makers with fluctuating material costs. Here's why — and how Craftybase automates it.
Selling on Etsy, Shopify, or both? Your COGS doesn't care which platform the order came from — but your tracking system needs to. Here's how to get one consolidated number.
Shopify tracks finished products. It doesn't track raw materials, recipes, or what it cost to make each item. Here's how to build the inventory layer Shopify is missing — specifically for Shopify sellers who manufacture what they sell.
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Because they don't know what their products actually cost to make.
Every week, one practical tip on pricing, materials, and COGS — the numbers that turn a busy craft business into a profitable one.
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