Candle / Bath & Body vs Reseller / Thrift Flip, 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

Source low, list high. eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, Depop — your time becomes margin.

Gross$1,600

Net profit$1,001

Margin62.5%

Orders/mo40

Sourcing (COGS)$240 15%

Platform fees$208 13%

Payment fees$46 3%

Supplies + mileage$95 6%

Tools$10 1%

launch · 1–3$558

traction · 4–8$1,001

scale · 9–12$1,553

Strong cash margin AND $38/hr — replicable and worth scaling listings.