Your Investment
USD
Machine + shipping + essential accessories (enclosure, air assist, rotary if needed)
USD
Software subscriptions, electricity, replacement parts, etc.
Your Product
USD
USD
Sales Volume
pieces
Be conservative — 20–40/month is realistic for starting Etsy sellers
Profit Projection

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Calculate to see projections

Break-Even Point
Revenue per piece $0.00
Platform fees per piece $0.00
Profit per piece $0.00
Profit margin 0%
Monthly revenue $0
Monthly costs (all-in) $0
Monthly net profit $0
Year 1 net profit $0
12-Month Cumulative Profit

How this calculator works

This tool projects your laser engraving business profitability by accounting for four cost categories: machine investment (one-time), monthly overhead (fixed), per-piece production costs (variable), and platform/marketplace fees (percentage-based). It then calculates how many months until your total profits exceed your initial investment — your break-even point.

The formulas

// Platform fees per piece (varies by channel)
Etsy: (Price × 6.5%) + $0.20 + (Price × 3%) + $0.25
Shopify: (Price × 2.9%) + $0.30 + ($39 / monthly_sales)
Amazon Handmade: Price × 15%
Direct: $0

// Profit per piece
Profit = Selling Price - Cost Per Piece - Platform Fees

// Monthly net profit
Monthly Net = (Profit Per Piece × Monthly Sales) - Monthly Overhead

// Break-even month
Break Even = Machine Investment / Monthly Net Profit
Marketplace fee sources (verified April 2026): Etsy charges a 6.5% transaction fee, $0.20 listing fee, and payment processing of 3% + $0.25 per transaction. Shopify charges $39/month for Basic plan plus 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing. Amazon Handmade charges a 15% referral fee with no monthly subscription.

Realistic sales expectations

New Etsy sellers typically make 10–30 sales per month in their first 3–6 months, scaling to 30–100+ as reviews accumulate and SEO improves. Craft fair vendors report $200–$800 per event depending on location and product mix. Setting your monthly sales estimate to 20–40 pieces is a reasonable starting point for conservative planning.

Costs this calculator doesn't include

For simplicity, this calculator doesn't factor in: packaging and shipping supplies ($1–3 per order), your personal labor time, photography and listing creation time, returns and refunds (typically 1–3% on Etsy), or marketing costs. These are real expenses — the break-even month shown here is an optimistic estimate. Add 2–3 months to be safe.