Free tool
Commission Pricing Calculator
Most makers lose money on their first commissions because they price from materials alone. Add your actual costs, hours, and overhead to see what you should charge and what you will really earn per hour. Every number comes from 40+ real sources.
0%
Commission
You keep every dollar you earn.
Etsy takes 6.5% off every sale. PayPal skims 2.9%. Platforms eat 10 to 25% of your revenue before you buy materials. Costumary takes 0% commission. Just a flat $19/month for tracking your builds, quotes, and client communication.
Price your next commission from real data
This calculator gives you a starting number. Costumary tracks your actual materials, hours, and profit across every commission you take. After a few builds, you will quote from your own history instead of guessing.
Start tracking commissions freeHow to price cosplay and craft commissions
Most cosplay makers lose money on their first few commissions because they price from materials alone. A foam breastplate that costs $40 in materials takes 20 hours to build. At $200, you are earning $8 an hour before taxes, fees, and shipping eat another 25 to 40% of that. The calculator above shows your real take-home so you can price from data instead of guessing.
The formula that works
Materials + (hours x hourly rate) + overhead. Beginner makers charge $15 to $18 per hour, intermediate $20 to $25, experienced $30 to $40, and experts $45 to $60. Overhead includes Etsy fees (up to 9.5%), PayPal (2.9%), self-employment tax (15.3%), shipping materials, and equipment wear. These costs can eat 25 to 40% of your listed price.
Commission rates by craft type
Cosplay: simple sewn costumes go for $200 to $800, complex armor builds $1,000 to $3,000+. Fursuits: heads start at $800 for new makers, full suits $2,200 to $7,000+. Miniature painting: tabletop-standard infantry $10 to $15 per model, display quality $25 to $35, competition-level $47 to $143. Sewing: a lined jacket $150 to $400, a full gown $500 to $1,500.
The undercharging test
Take your total price, subtract materials and overhead, divide by hours. If that number is below $15, you are earning less than minimum wage for skilled work. A hand-embroidered pouch with $4.55 in materials and 80 minutes of labor should sell for $93, not $9. Run every quote through this test before sending it.
What happens after you set your price
Pricing is step one. The full commission workflow covers intake, quoting, building with client approval gates, and delivery tracking. Most makers lose time (and money) not on the build itself, but on the process around it.
Client intake
Ref sheets, measurements, timeline expectations, and your terms of service. One form, no back-and-forth.
Line-item quote
Materials, labor hours, overhead, and platform fees. The client sees exactly what they are paying for.
Approval gates
Each milestone gets a client checkpoint. Signed-off foam base means no redo after fur goes on.
Delivery and tracking
Final photos, shipping, payment status. See your effective hourly rate across all commissions.
Related guides
Deep dives and cost breakdowns for this topic.
Rush Fee Pricing: 25% to 100% and When
9 min read
Charge 25-100% for rush commissions based on timeline compression. Get the sliding scale framework, real examples, and a TOS template to stop undercharging.
Price Commissions Without Losing Money
12 min read
The real formula for pricing cosplay commissions so you stop working for less than minimum wage. Materials, labor, overhead, and profit margin.
Cosplay Commission Cost Breakdown
11 min read
A $2,000 cosplay commission isn't a ripoff. Here's exactly where the money goes: materials ($150-400), labor (60-80 hours), overhead, and the margin most makers skip.
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What are you building next?
Start with a template, customize the milestones and materials, and build without losing track.
Vegeta
~6wThe Saiyan Prince's iconic battle armor: metallic silver-blue chest plate and shoulder pauldrons over a bright blue bodysuit, topped with gravity-defying spiky black hair. This intermediate build focuses on flexible foam armor construction, color-matching metallic spray finishes, and gravity-proof wig styling. 5 components, 12 materials, roughly 6 weeks.
Johnny Joestar
~7wSteel Ball Run's Johnny Joestar: a high-fashion jockey-inspired outfit with cream jacket, star-pattern pants, a distinctive white hat with pink horseshoe accents, and blonde spiky hair. The challenge isn't just sewing, it's nailing the runway proportions and SBR's signature makeup style. 6 components, 12 materials, ~6-8 weeks, $150-350.
Ichigo Kurosaki
~6wBleach's soul reaper in Bankai form: the massive orange spiky wig, the high-collar Shinigami uniform, black hakama pants, and the oversized Zanpakuto sword. The wig is the make-or-break detail—it's heavy and fragile, and it'll slide backward off your head if not secured with clips and a grip band. Skip the sword for con floor wear, or build it at 70-80% scale in EVA foam if you want the full look. 6 components, 12 materials, ~6 weeks, $110-280.
Yuta Okkotsu
~6wJujutsu Kaisen 0's tragic sorcerer bound to Rika's curse: the black school uniform, textured black wig, cursed arm markings, and luminous katana. A balanced build across uniform tailoring, prop construction, and wig styling. 4 components, 11 materials, ~6 weeks, $120-280.
Used by makers from r/cosplay, The RPF, Cosplay.com, r/Gunpla, and r/minipainting
Have questions about pricing or managing commissions? We'll get back to you within 24 hours.
Email the founderFrequently asked questions
How much should I charge for cosplay commissions?
Simple sewn costumes typically go for $200-800. Complex armor builds with multiple materials run $1,000-3,000+. The formula most makers use: materials + (hours × your hourly rate) + 10-20% overhead. Intermediate cosplay commissioners charge $20-25/hr. Plug your actual material costs into the calculator above for a real number.
How much does a fursuit commission cost?
Fursuit heads start around $800 for new makers and $2,000-3,000 for established ones. Full plantigrade suits range from $2,200 to $7,000+. Materials run $300-400 total. The rest is labor, and a full suit takes 100-600 hours. Most fursuit makers earn $10-20/hr effective after taxes and overhead.
What hourly rate should I charge for craft commissions?
Beginner makers charge $15-18/hr, intermediate $20-25/hr, experienced $30-40/hr, and experts $45-60/hr. The rate that matters is your take-home after Etsy fees (up to 9.5%), PayPal (2.9%), self-employment tax (15.3%), and shipping. Those costs can eat 25-40% of your listed price.
How do I know if I'm undercharging?
Calculate your effective hourly rate: (total price - materials - overhead) ÷ hours. If it's below $15, you're earning less than minimum wage for skilled work. A hand-embroidered pouch with $4.55 in materials and 80 minutes of labor should sell for $93, not $9. Most new makers underprice by 50% or more.
What's the 2-3-2 pricing method?
Multiply your material cost by 2-3x, then add 20% for overhead like equipment wear, time overruns, and shipping. For example, $150 in materials × 3 + 20% = $540. It's a quick sanity check, but the hourly rate method is more accurate because it accounts for how long the build actually takes.
How much do Etsy fees actually cost?
Etsy charges $0.20 per listing + 6.5% transaction fee + 3% payment processing + $0.25 per order. On a $500 commission, that's roughly $49 in fees. With mandatory offsite ads (if you make over $10K/year), the effective rate hits 20-30% of your sale price. Toggle Etsy fees in the calculator to see the exact impact.
How much should I charge for miniature painting commissions?
Tabletop standard infantry: $10-15 per 28mm model. Display quality: $25-35. Competition-level with NMM and freehand: $47-143 per model. Batch painting drops to $4-6 per model at budget tier. A full 2,000-point Warhammer army at professional quality runs $1,500-3,000.
Where do the prices in this calculator come from?
Every price comes from real sources: CosplayPros, FursuitSupplies, Citadel retail, Vallejo distributors, maker price sheets (SourCitrus, CityMutt, Paintedfigs), and community discussions on Reddit, RPF, and DakkaDakka. Click "Sources & citations" at the bottom to see all 40+ linked sources. Verified May 2026.