Key Takeaways
- Your raw materials cost is roughly $0.265 per 2x2 magnet ($0.225 supplies + $0.04 paper/ink). Your fully-loaded cost — including packaging, fees, and overhead — is closer to $0.40–$0.60.
- Events/markets: $3–$5 per magnet is the sweet spot.
- Online: $5–$10+ per magnet for custom orders.
- Bulk/B2B: $1.50–$3 per magnet depending on volume.
- Underpricing is the #1 mistake new makers make. Your time, skill, and equipment have real value.
The Question That Stresses Every New Maker
If there's one topic that comes up more than any other in our community — and causes more anxiety — it's pricing. We see it every week.
Daisy (community member) posted: "I have a request for 175 magnets for a wedding, and I'm struggling with how much to charge." Taylor (community member) asked: "How is everyone's pricing for parties? Birthday parties, bridal parties, weddings?" Aliah (community member), new to the business, wrote: "I'm trying to set a fair price and I wanted to ask — how much do you usually charge per piece?"
Sarah (community member) put it perfectly: "How does everyone determine how much to sell their magnets for? I don't want to over- or undercharge, but I do want to charge for my time accordingly."
This guide exists to remove the guesswork. We'll cover exact numbers, real strategies, and the one mistake you absolutely cannot afford to make.
Know Your Cost First
Before you price anything, you need to know your floor — the minimum you can charge and still cover your materials. Here's the math for a standard 2x2 button-press magnet.
Machine supplies (magnet backing, mylar, adhesive): $0.225 per magnet. Both Titan and MPRO supply bundles run about $225 per 1,000 magnets.
Photo paper + ink: $0.04 per magnet. Using an Epson EcoTank printer with glossy photo paper.
Total raw materials cost: $0.265 per magnet.
But that's not your true cost. Your fully-loaded cost also includes packaging ($0.05–$0.15 per magnet for sleeves or bags), platform fees if you sell on Etsy (10–15% of your order value), and booth fees if you do events ($25–$300 per market). Budget $0.40–$0.60 per magnet as your real cost floor when planning margins. Even at the high end, the margins are excellent — that's what makes this business work.
For larger sizes, supply costs scale up. A 2x3 magnet costs about $0.324 in raw materials ($0.284 for supplies + $0.04 for paper/ink). A 3x3 might be $0.45–$0.55 in materials.
If you add cold laminate for flexible magnets, add about $0.05–$0.10 per unit. Packaging (cellophane sleeves, backing cards) adds another $0.05–$0.15 depending on how polished you want your presentation.
Single Magnet Pricing
This is where most makers start — selling individual magnets to individual customers.
At Events and Markets: $3–$5
The sweet spot for craft fairs, farmers markets, pop-up shops, and live events. Here's why this range works.
At $3 per magnet, you're offering an impulse-buy price that almost nobody hesitates at. A family walks by your booth, sees the product, and $3 for a custom photo magnet of their kid? That's a no-brainer. Your gross margin: $2.74 per magnet on raw materials — over 11x your materials cost. After booth fees and other overhead, your real profit per magnet is lower but still very healthy.
At $5 per magnet, you're still well within impulse-buy territory, and your gross margin jumps to $4.74 per unit. Tom (community member) in our community sells at this price point and reported $600 in sales in his first two months.
Some makers go lower for events — $2 per magnet to drive volume. This still works mathematically ($1.74 gross margin per unit), but experienced makers warn against it. Once you set a low price, it's hard to raise it with repeat customers.
Melinda (community member) shared that she charged $3 each for her first batch of magnets. That's a solid starting point — room to increase as you build confidence and customer demand.
Online: $5–$10+
Online pricing can and should be higher than event pricing. Here's why.
Online customers are ordering custom, personalized products. They're uploading photos, choosing from your design options, waiting for production and shipping. The convenience and customization add perceived value that justifies the higher price.
A single 2x2 custom photo magnet at $7 online is completely reasonable. A personalized save-the-date magnet at $8–$10 is standard. A premium framed photo magnet at $12–$15 is achievable once you've built your brand.
Factor in platform fees when pricing online. If you sell on Etsy, their combined fees (listing, transaction, and payment processing) typically take about 10–15% of your order value. At a $7 selling price, Etsy's cut is roughly $0.90–$1.05, leaving you about $6 before materials and shipping. Shopify charges a monthly subscription instead of per-transaction fees, which can be more economical at higher volumes.
The key is presentation. Professional product photos, clear descriptions, and a polished storefront signal quality and justify the premium. You're not competing with mass-produced fridge magnets — you're offering a personalized keepsake.
Package and Bundle Pricing
Bundles increase your average order value without requiring more customers. This is one of the simplest ways to boost revenue.
Family packs: 4 magnets for $15 (instead of $5 each). The customer feels like they're getting a deal. You're getting $15 instead of $5. Everyone wins. Kat was researching pricing and wondering whether to sell singles or packages — the community strongly recommended offering both.
Themed sets: A set of 6 holiday magnets for $20. A graduation collection for $18. Sets create perceived value greater than the sum of individual magnets.
"Buy 3, get 1 free" offers: Psychologically powerful at events. It encourages customers to think in multiples. Your actual raw materials cost for that "free" magnet is $0.27 — a tiny price to pay for tripling your sale.
Jolene (community member), one of our more experienced makers, shared her pricing approach: $4 each or $22 for a full sheet of magnets, with percentage-based discounts starting at 5% and going up to 25% maximum for volume. This is a clean, scalable structure.
Event packages are another smart play. Jackie (community member) asked the group to share their pricing and package deals for weddings. The answer: create tiered packages. A "basic" package, a "standard" package, and a "premium" package. Let customers self-select their budget level. You'll be surprised how many choose the middle or premium option.
Bulk Order Pricing (Weddings, Events, B2B)
Bulk orders are where you can build real, predictable revenue. But pricing them requires a different mindset than single-magnet sales.
Tiered Pricing Structure
Here's a framework that works for most makers:
25–49 magnets: $3.00 each 50–99 magnets: $2.50 each 100–249 magnets: $2.00 each 250+: $1.75 each
Paloma (community member) asked the group how to price bulk orders and what quantity tiers to offer. This tiered approach gives customers an incentive to order more, and you benefit from the efficiency of producing larger batches. Setup time is the same whether you're making 25 or 250 — the per-magnet labor drops significantly at higher quantities.
Wedding Pricing
Weddings are a premium market. Couples expect professional quality and are willing to pay for it.
Daisy's 175-magnet wedding order at $3 each would be $525. But many makers charge more for weddings by including design customization, premium packaging, and personalization. A wedding package of 100 save-the-date magnets at $2.50–$3 each ($250–$300) plus a matching set of 100 event favor magnets at $2 each ($200) creates a $450–$500 order from a single client.
Field of Magnets (community member) asked how others price wedding events specifically. The consensus: charge for your time at the event (not just the magnets), include setup and breakdown time in your pricing, and always collect a deposit of 30–50% upfront.
B2B Pricing
Local businesses — real estate agents, restaurants, photographers, boutiques — order magnets regularly and in volume. This is the holy grail of consistent revenue.
Alyssa (community member) has had tremendous success with B2B sales and created outreach templates for other makers. Her approach works because business owners see custom magnets as a marketing tool, not a personal purchase — and marketing budgets can absorb prices that individual consumers might hesitate at.
Ben in our group charges $62 for 50 flexible magnets at 30 mil thickness, which works out to about $1.24 per magnet. (Note: flexible magnets have different supply costs than button-press magnets, so his pricing structure reflects that product line.) Cecilia prices bulk orders starting at $2.35 each for quantities of 50, dropping further above that threshold. The range varies, but the principle is consistent: volume compensates for the lower per-unit price.
Chua (community member) asked how to approach local gift shops about ordering magnets. Kristin (community member) wanted to partner with local stores where customers would send photos through the store owner. Suzanne (community member) asked how to approach local businesses generally. The B2B playbook is still being written, and there's enormous room for makers who are willing to knock on doors (or send emails with sample magnets).
Always require a deposit on bulk orders. Non-negotiable. 30–50% upfront protects your time and material costs. Susie (community member) asked about pricing and packaging for bulk orders to realtors — the community was emphatic about deposits.
Market/Event vs. Online Pricing: Why They're Different
New makers often feel uncomfortable charging different prices in different channels. Don't.
Events are impulse purchases. The customer is there, the magnet is tangible, and the transaction is immediate. Lower prices ($3–$5) drive volume and create word-of-mouth. The experience of watching their magnet being made adds value that doesn't exist online.
Online is a considered purchase. The customer sought you out, uploaded their photos, and is paying for shipping. They've already decided they want this product. Higher prices ($5–$10+) are expected and justified. Just remember to account for platform fees — Etsy's combined fees run 10–15%, so price accordingly to protect your margins.
Think of it like a restaurant versus a grocery store. Same chicken, different experience, different price. Nobody expects fine-dining prices at a farmers market, and nobody expects clearance pricing from a custom online shop.
The #1 Mistake: Underpricing
We need to talk about this because it comes up in our group constantly, and it hurts makers.
New makers undercharge because they feel guilty. They think, "The materials only cost me $0.27, so charging $5 feels like too much." They see what mass-produced magnets sell for on Amazon and think they need to compete on price.
This is wrong, and here's why.
You're not selling a magnet. You're selling a personalized keepsake — a customer's own photo, made to order, often while they watch. You're selling the experience, the customization, the convenience, and the emotional value. A $0.50 blank fridge magnet from a factory is not your competition.
Sarah asked how to determine fair pricing without over- or undercharging. The answer from experienced makers was consistent: charge for your time, not just your materials. If it takes you 5 minutes to process a photo, print, cut, and assemble a magnet — and you want to earn $30/hour — that's $2.50 in labor alone. Add $0.27 in materials and you're at $2.77 cost before any profit margin.
At $3 per magnet, you're barely making $0.23 above your true cost. At $5 per magnet, you're earning $2.23 — still modest for a handmade, personalized product. And that's before booth fees or platform fees, which eat further into your margin.
Jolene charges $4 each for her 2x2 magnets. Maria (community member) charges $5 each or 6 for $25. Tom charges $5 flat. These are makers with experience, and they've found that customers don't blink at these prices. Many wish they'd charged more from the start.
If you're nervous about pricing higher, try this: price at $5 at your next event. If nobody objects — and they won't — you know you were underpricing before.
When to Raise Your Prices
You'll know it's time when any of these are true.
You're selling out at events. If you're consistently selling everything you bring, your prices are too low. Raise by $1 and see if volume changes.
Your quality has improved. When you started, your magnets were good. Now they're great. Better designs, cleaner cuts, premium packaging. That improvement has value — reflect it in your pricing.
Demand exceeds your capacity. If you have more orders than you can fill, price is the lever. Raising prices will naturally balance demand with your available production time, and you'll make more money working the same hours.
You're adding premium options. 3D printed frames, specialty designs, larger formats, custom packaging. Kayla (community member) and her husband developed a line of 3D printed frames that transformed their magnet business — and commanded significantly higher prices. New products deserve new pricing.
You've built a reputation. When customers come to you by name or word of mouth, you've earned the right to charge a premium. They're not comparison shopping — they want your work specifically.
Don't announce price increases. Just update your prices. Existing customers who love your work will continue buying. New customers never knew the old price.
Your Pricing Cheat Sheet
Here's a quick reference to keep nearby when pricing your products.
Individual magnets at events: $3–$5 Individual magnets online: $5–$10+ Bulk orders (25–49): $2.50–$3.00 each Bulk orders (50–99): $2.00–$2.50 each Bulk orders (100+): $1.50–$2.00 each Wedding packages: $2.50–$3.50 per magnet + event fee if on-site B2B orders: $1.50–$2.50 per magnet, recurring relationships
These aren't rules — they're starting points based on what works for makers in our community. Your local market, your product quality, and your brand positioning may justify higher (or occasionally lower) prices.
Figure Out Your Numbers
Use our ROI calculator to plug in your specific costs, pricing, and expected volume. It'll show you your profit per magnet, your monthly revenue at different volumes, and your break-even timeline. It's the fastest way to turn pricing anxiety into pricing confidence.
Compare machines on our machine comparison to understand your equipment costs at different investment levels.
Get the full supply list with current pricing in our free starter toolkit.
Ask the community in our Facebook group — 17,000+ makers who've all wrestled with the same pricing questions you have right now. They'll tell you what works.
Price with confidence. Your product is worth it.