By SID Corp · · Fee rates checked 06 Nov 2026.
How much should you charge for a mug on Etsy?
With a $8.79 cost per mug (White Ceramic Mug 11oz, printed and shipped) and $4.99 shipping, the lowest price that keeps a 30% margin after Etsy's fees is $10.99; $13.99 keeps 40%. Below $5.99 the sale loses money.
| Marketplace | Price for 30% margin | Price for 40% margin | Fees at that price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Etsy | $10.99 | $13.99 | $1.97 |
| Amazon | $11.99 | $14.99 | $2.55 |
| TikTok Shop | $8.99 | $11.99 | $0.84 |
| Shopify | $8.99 | $10.99 | $0.71 |
With a $8.79 cost per item (White Ceramic Mug 11oz, printed and shipped) and $4.99 shipping. Public US fee rates; Shopify excludes the monthly plan; Amazon uses the 15% referral fee of most non-clothing categories.
The table works out the same mug on all four marketplaces. Put in your own cost, shipping and margin in the profit calculator.
What do best-selling mugs sell for?
Best-selling mugs on Etsy have a median price of $13.36 across the keywords below. At that price a mug that costs $8.79 keeps $7.37, a margin of 40.2%.
| Keyword | Etsy | Amazon | TikTok Shop | Shopify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| personalized mug | $11.25 | $14.88 | $10.23 | $24.99 |
| funny mug | $12.81 | $13.66 | – | $22.95 |
| coffee mug | $16.50 | $24.41 | – | $21.75 |
| teacher mug | $13.90 | $13.43 | $13.16 | $22.95 |
Median price of the best-selling listings we found for each keyword on Etsy, Amazon, TikTok Shop, Shopify (kept for a day); marketplaces without data yet are left out. Open a keyword for the listings behind it.
Prices are what buyers pay now, after any sale, for the best sellers of the last 7 days, and they are kept for a day. Open a keyword for the listings behind it, or check your own niche in the price check.
What does a mug cost to make?
About $8.79 for a White Ceramic Mug 11oz printed and shipped to a US buyer, the cheapest supplier price in our catalog. Mugs are cheap to print but fragile, so the supplier's price includes protective packaging.
Your cost per item is the blank, the print and the supplier's shipping to the buyer. Add a second print location, packaging inserts or gift wrap if you offer them, and use that total in every price you work out.
How much do Etsy fees take from a mug sale?
At $10.99 plus $4.99 shipping, Etsy takes $1.97, 12.3% of what the buyer pays: the $0.20 listing fee, a 6.5% transaction fee and 3% + $0.25 payment processing, on price plus shipping.
| Listing fee | $0.20 |
| Transaction fee (6.5%) | $1.04 |
| Payment processing (3% + $0.25) | $0.73 |
| Total Etsy fees | $1.97 |
When a sale comes from an Etsy ad on another site, Offsite Ads add 15% of the order (capped at $100). Every line is in the Etsy fee calculator and in Etsy fees for print on demand.
Is it cheaper to sell mugs on Amazon, TikTok Shop or Shopify?
Shopify charges the least per order, before its monthly plan, and Amazon's referral fee here is 15%. For a 30% margin this mug needs $11.99 on Amazon, $8.99 on TikTok Shop and $8.99 on Shopify.
| Marketplace | Fees on a $10.99 + $4.99 order | Share of what the buyer pays |
|---|---|---|
| Etsy | $1.97 | 12.3% |
| Amazon | $2.40 | 15.0% |
| TikTok Shop | $0.96 | 6.0% |
| Shopify | $0.76 | 4.8% |
Lower fees do not bring sales by themselves: Etsy and Amazon send you buyers who are already searching, a Shopify store needs its own traffic. See Etsy vs Amazon fees and Etsy vs Shopify fees.
How can you charge more than the market for a mug?
Sell to a niche, not to everyone. A design made for a clearly named buyer (a job, a hobby, a family role, a town) competes on the design, so it does not have to be the cheapest listing.
- Personalize it: a name, a date or a photo lets you charge for the work and makes price comparison harder.
- Offer a second item: a small discount on two items spreads the payment processing fee over a bigger order.
- Price for the season: gift seasons bring buyers who care more about the design and delivery date than about a dollar.
- Show the product well: clear mockups and real photos support a higher price; check images in the price check listings to see what sells.
Should you sell an 11oz or a 15oz mug?
Offer the 11oz as the main listing and the 15oz as a size option for a few dollars more. The 15oz costs a little more to make, and buyers who want it usually pay the difference.
Check the cost of each size in the price check's typical costs, then set the 15oz price with the same 30% margin rule in the profit calculator.
Do Amazon's clothing fee tiers apply to mugs?
No. A mug is not clothing, so Amazon charges its 15% referral fee on price plus shipping, not the 5% or 10% clothing tiers. That makes Amazon more expensive than Etsy for a low-priced mug.
The Amazon fee calculator switches between clothing and other categories.
Sources: Etsy · Amazon · TikTok Shop · Shopify