Finding Your Most Profitable Products
Your bestsellers are not always your best earners. Here is how to find what really pays.
Find your most profitable products by comparing the true margin of each item, not by how many you sell. A popular bestseller with thin margins can earn less than a slower item with a healthy one. Do more of what genuinely pays, and fix or retire popular products that lose money.
Popular is not the same as profitable
The product that sells the most is not necessarily the one that earns the most. A popular item with a thin margin can make less money than a slower one you actually profit from. Volume can mislead. Related: Why Your Handmade Sale Might Be Losing Money
Keep reading: Why Your Handmade Sale Might Be Losing Money, Pricing Handmade Products With Confidence, Hidden Costs That Eat Maker Margins. See how MakerLedgr helps you per-order shipping and profit calculator for handmade sellers.
Compare true margins
To find your real earners, compare the true margin of each product after every cost. That comparison often surprises makers, revealing quiet winners and popular losers hiding in plain sight. Related: Why does wholesale pricing feel impossible for small handmade businesses?
Do more of what pays
Once you know which products genuinely earn, you can lean into them: feature them, make more of them, and build your range around them. Effort follows profit, not just popularity.
Fix or retire the rest
Products that sell but do not profit are candidates for a price increase, a cost cut, or retirement. Keeping a product only because it is popular, while it loses money, is a comforting mistake. Related: Which packaging choices actually change your per-order profit on handmade goods?
- Bestsellers are not always best earners
- Compare true margins across products
- Do more of what genuinely pays
- Fix or retire popular but unprofitable items
Julien Jimenez
Julien Jimenez is an independent software builder based in Paris. He designs, ships, and operates focused SaaS products for small businesses and independent professionals. Read the full author page.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my bestseller not my best earner?
Volume and profit are different. A bestseller sold at a thin or negative margin can generate a lot of revenue while contributing little or even losing money once all costs are counted.
Should I drop a popular but unprofitable item?
First try to fix it by raising the price, cutting costs, or streamlining production. If none of that restores a healthy margin, retiring it frees time for products that actually pay.
Know the real profit on every handmade order
Per-order shipping and profit calculator for handmade sellers. MakerLedgr is built to help you put this into practice.
See my marginsMore from the MakerLedgr blog
Why Your Handmade Sale Might Be Losing Money
Pricing Handmade Products With Confidence
Hidden Costs That Eat Maker Margins
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