launch budget

what your first launch actually costs

The margin calculator tells you whether one unit works. This tells you whether you can fund the first order at all. Setup, stock, freight, duty, import GST, inbound, ads and storage, in one number. All of it is paid before a single unit sells.

Run your numbers

Nothing is stored. Everything runs in your browser.

01 — the budget

every dollar,
before you commit

A sample first launch is loaded so you can see the shape of it. Change any field and the numbers move as you type. The costs are grouped the way you will actually pay them: once to get set up, once to get stock into the country, once to get it into Amazon, and monthly from there.

First launch budget

Edit any field

The product

Sets the referral fee Amazon takes on every sale
Sets the fulfilment fee, at a midpoint of Amazon's range for that tier
Override once you know your exact weight band
Rates rise roughly 40% from October to December
If yes, your listed price includes GST you remit, and import GST comes back on your BAS

The first order

Enough for 8 to 12 weeks of expected sales, no more
What the factory charges, before freight
Door to door, including customs clearance and local delivery
5% is the general rate. Some tariff lines and free trade agreements are 0%
Sets how many boxes Amazon charges you to receive
FNSKU labels, polybags, a prep centre if you use one, and the samples you buy first

Getting set up

$49.95 a month excluding GST, charged from the day you open the account, not the day you list
GS1 Australia licence. Skip it if your DTC products already carry GTINs
Zero if you already hold an eligible mark. Brand Registry accepts an eligible pending application as well as a registered one, and IP Accelerator is optional, not required. Requirements differ by country, so check the current ones before you budget
Lower if your DTC shots are usable. The white background main image is the one you cannot skip
Category testing, safety documents, and product liability cover once your sales pass Amazon's threshold
Software, a freelancer, translation, whatever your build needs

The launch itself

A cold listing with no reviews spends hard. Plan 25 to 50% of launch sales, not 10%
Total cash to launch
$0
Landed cost / unit
$0.00
Amazon margin / unit, before ads, promotions and returns
$0.00
Amazon margin %, before ads, promotions and returns
0.0%
Units to get your money back
0

LineAmountWhat it is

Scroll the table sideways to see the full breakdown.

02 — the gap

the fee stack is a margin problem.
the payment cycle is a solvency one.

Amazon disburses roughly every 14 days, and a sale does not join that cycle when it ships. It is held until seven days after the estimated delivery date, so on a slow delivery the money can sit there past the disbursement it looked like it would make. Your supplier, meanwhile, wants a deposit up front and the balance before the container leaves. Between those two dates you are funding the entire thing yourself, and the gap is widest at exactly the moment the launch is working.

A product with a 30% margin and a four month cash gap will hurt you more than a product with a 22% margin that turns in six weeks. Margin decides whether it is worth selling. Turn decides whether you can afford to keep selling it. Run both numbers before you send the deposit, not after.

03 — stay current

Know what changed, what it costs,
and what to do next.

Every number on this page has a shelf life. Amazon revises its fees, freight rates move and duty schedules change, usually in the middle of a quarter you have already budgeted. Leave your email and you get the new figures when they land, plus a note when a new tool goes into the vault.

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