How to price handmade and custom products when you sell on Instagram

Most people who make things and sell them on Instagram start with a price that feels polite. It covers the materials, maybe the courier, and leaves almost nothing for the hours at the table. Then orders grow, and the seller finds they are working harder for the same money, or less.

A good price is not a guess or a copy of what another account charges. It is a small sum you can redo for every product in ten minutes: what the piece costs you, what your time is worth, what selling it costs, and what is left over to grow. This guide walks through that sum in rupees, then covers custom work, discounts, and how to know when your prices are too low.

Step one: write down everything one piece costs

Take one product you sell often and list every rupee that leaves your pocket because of it. Sellers usually remember materials and forget the rest. The list below is for a set of four hand-poured resin coasters; swap in your own numbers.

Worked example: a set of four resin coasters

Materials

₹180

Resin, hardener, pigment, moulds worn out per set, sanding paper

Packaging

₹35

Box, bubble wrap, tape, thank-you card

Your time

₹300

1.5 hours of hands-on work, paid to yourself at ₹200 an hour

Payment cost

₹0–₹25

Nothing for UPI to your own UPI ID; a gateway's processing fee if the buyer pays through Razorpay or Cashfree

Shipping you absorb

₹0–₹70

Only if this item ships free; otherwise the buyer pays it at checkout

Remakes and returns buffer

₹40

A set cracks in transit now and then; spread that cost over every set

Total cost

About ₹555–₹650

Before any profit for the business

Illustrative numbers. Your courier rates and gateway fee decide the real ones — check them before you set prices.

Step two: add profit on top of your wage

Notice that your time is already in the cost. That is your wage, and it gets paid even if the business makes no profit. Profit is the extra that pays for new moulds, a better camera, a slow month, or the day you hire help.

A simple starting point is to add between a third and a half of the total cost as profit. On the coasters, a cost of about ₹650 plus a third is roughly ₹870. Rounded to a price buyers find natural, that is ₹899 or ₹949. If that number makes you nervous, look again at your time: underpaying yourself is the most common reason handmade sellers burn out.

Check the market, then price for your buyer Look at what similar pieces sell for, but do not simply match the lowest price you find. Buyers who love your style are paying for your work, not for the cheapest coaster on the internet. If your pieces look and photograph better, price like it.

Pricing custom and personalised work

Custom orders take more time than ready stock: the back-and-forth, the sketch, the remake when the name is spelt wrong. Price that in rather than hoping it evens out.

• Start from a base price for the plain piece, then add a fixed amount for each upgrade — a name, a larger size, a second colour, gift packing.
• Charge a rush fee for anything needed faster than your usual lead time, because it pushes other orders back.
• Set a minimum for bulk or corporate requests so a 10-piece order is worth the setup time.
• Take an advance before you start, at least enough to cover the materials you cannot reuse.

Discounts without training buyers to wait

A permanent '20% off' badge tells followers your real price is lower than the one you show. Use discounts with a reason and an end: a launch code for the first weekend of a new collection, a festival offer with a closing date, or a thank-you code for repeat buyers.

Only show a struck-through 'MRP' if it is a real price the piece has sold at. A made-up 'was' price is easy to spot and quietly damages trust.

Signs your prices are too low

1. 1.New pieces sell out within hours, every time.
2. 2.Your custom-order queue is weeks long and you still say yes to more.
3. 3.You cannot afford to pay anyone to help, even part-time, though you are busy.
4. 4.A single returned parcel wipes out the profit of several orders.
5. 5.Buyers comment that your work is 'so cheap for handmade'.

When two or more of these are true, raise prices on new pieces first. Existing followers rarely object to a new collection costing more; they object to the same item costing more overnight. Raise in steps you can explain, such as better materials or new packaging.

Setting your prices up on Slaby

1. 1

   Give each choice its own price

   Add sizes, finishes or a 'with name' option as variants of one product. Each variant has its own price and stock, so a personalised version can cost more than the plain one.

   Catalogue docs
2. 2

   Record your cost per product

   Enter your cost price on each product. It is never shown to buyers; it feeds your profit report, which also estimates gateway fees and courier costs so you can see what each order really left you.

3. 3

   Use coupon codes for offers

   Create a code with an end date for a launch or festival instead of cutting the product price. When it ends, prices are back where they belong without editing every product.

4. 4

   Take an advance on made-to-order pieces

   Ask for part of the order online at checkout and the rest on delivery, or switch COD off so custom work is always prepaid.

   Custom orders and advances
5. 5

   Offer trade prices only to trade buyers

   If boutiques or gift shops want to stock your work, approve them as wholesale buyers. They see trade prices and minimum quantities; everyone else sees your retail price.

Common questions

Should I include my own time in the price?

Yes, always. If your time is not in the cost, the business only looks profitable because you are working for free. Pick an hourly rate you would accept from an employer and use it consistently.

How do I price a one-of-a-kind piece?

Work out the cost the same way, then price it a little higher than your repeatable designs: a unique piece cannot be sold twice, and buyers expect to pay more for it.

Should I show prices on Instagram or only on my store?

Show them. A price in the caption or on the last slide, with the store link in your bio, saves everyone a DM. Keep the store as the place where the price is always current.

My materials got more expensive. How do I raise prices?

Update the price on the product page and say why in a story, briefly. People who follow makers understand material costs; they dislike surprises, not explanations.

Do I need to add GST to my price?

It depends on whether you are registered and your turnover. If you are registered, set the GST rate on each product and Slaby shows prices and invoices accordingly. Ask a tax adviser about your own case.

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