Candle / Bath & Body vs Print-on-Demand, startup cost comparison, StartupLenz

Candle / Bath & Body

Cosmetic and home fragrance products with raw materials, compliance, and DTC costs

Gross$2,244

Net profit$-1,503

Margin-67.0%

Orders/mo60

Materials$630 28%

Packaging$144 6%

Labor$1,540 69%

Etsy fees$103 5%

Shipping$230 10%

Fixed costs$1,100 49%

launch · 1–3$-1,362

traction · 4–8$-1,503

scale · 9–12$-1,645

Losing money. Likely fixes: cut wholesale share, raise price, or reduce material cost per unit.

Higher net

Apparel, posters, accessories — POD providers fulfill, you design and market.

Gross$2,586

Net profit$604

Margin23.3%

Orders/mo60

POD product cost$1,008 39%

POD shipping$330 13%

Refunds$66 3%

Platform fees$75 3%

Ad spend$400 15%

Fixed costs$169 7%

launch · 1–3$17

traction · 4–8$604

scale · 9–12$1,307

Healthy POD margins. Watch for AOV creep and price-tested upsells to push higher.