Inventory, manufacturing process, business success topics for small DTC manufacturers.
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.
bookkeeping tax
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.
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.
Before you sync a single listing, you need to get your product setup right. Here's how to structure SKUs, recipes, and inventory so both platforms stay accurate.
Everything Etsy sellers need to know about tracking materials, finished products, and orders — and when to move beyond spreadsheets.
Learn how to calculate Cost of Goods Sold for your handmade business. Covers the COGS formula, materials, labour, overhead, weighted average costing, pricing, and Schedule C reporting.
Shopify tracks your finished products. It doesn't track your raw materials, recipes, or production runs. Here's how to build a complete inventory system if you actually make what you sell.
Real COGS benchmark data from 1.3 million order lines across 11 maker niches. Find out if your materials cost percentage is typical — or a warning sign.
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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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