Free tool
How Much to Charge for Commissions
Most makers lose money on their first commissions because they price from materials alone. Add your actual costs, hours, and overhead to see what you should charge and what you will really earn per hour. Every number comes from 40+ real sources.
0%
Commission
You keep every dollar you earn.
Etsy takes 6.5% off every sale. PayPal skims 2.9%. Platforms eat 10 to 25% of your revenue before you buy materials. Costumary takes 0% commission. Just a flat $19/month for tracking your builds, quotes, and client communication.
Price your next commission from real data
This calculator gives you a starting number. Costumary tracks your actual materials, hours, and profit across every commission you take. After a few builds, you will quote from your own history instead of guessing.
Start tracking commissions freeHow to price cosplay and craft commissions
Most cosplay makers lose money on their first few commissions because they price from materials alone. A foam breastplate that costs $40 in materials takes 20 hours to build. At $200, you are earning $8 an hour before taxes, fees, and shipping eat another 25 to 40% of that. The calculator above shows your real take-home so you can price from data instead of guessing.
The formula that works
Materials + (hours x hourly rate) + overhead. Beginner makers charge $15 to $18 per hour, intermediate $20 to $25, experienced $30 to $40, and experts $45 to $60. Overhead includes Etsy fees (up to 9.5%), PayPal (2.9%), self-employment tax (15.3%), shipping materials, and equipment wear. These costs can eat 25 to 40% of your listed price.
Commission rates by craft type
Cosplay: simple sewn costumes go for $200 to $800, complex armor builds $1,000 to $3,000+. Fursuits: heads start at $800 for new makers, full suits $2,200 to $7,000+. Miniature painting: tabletop-standard infantry $10 to $15 per model, display quality $25 to $35, competition-level $47 to $143. Sewing: a lined jacket $150 to $400, a full gown $500 to $1,500.
The undercharging test
Take your total price, subtract materials and overhead, divide by hours. If that number is below $15, you are earning less than minimum wage for skilled work. A hand-embroidered pouch with $4.55 in materials and 80 minutes of labor should sell for $93, not $9. Run every quote through this test before sending it.
What happens after you set your price
Pricing is step one. The full commission workflow covers intake, quoting, building with client approval gates, and delivery tracking. Most makers lose time (and money) not on the build itself, but on the process around it.
Client intake
Ref sheets, measurements, timeline expectations, and your terms of service. One form, no back-and-forth.
Line-item quote
Materials, labor hours, overhead, and platform fees. The client sees exactly what they are paying for.
Approval gates
Each milestone gets a client checkpoint. Signed-off foam base means no redo after fur goes on.
Delivery and tracking
Final photos, shipping, payment status. See your effective hourly rate across all commissions.
Related guides
Deep dives and cost breakdowns for this topic.
Rush Fee Pricing: 25% to 100% and When
9 min read
Charge 25-100% for rush commissions based on timeline compression. Get the sliding scale framework, real examples, and a TOS template to stop undercharging.
Cosplay Commission Cost Breakdown
11 min read
A $2,000 cosplay commission isn't a ripoff. Here's where the money goes: materials ($150-400), labor (60-80 hours), overhead, and the margin makers skip.
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Carousel Composer
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What are you building next?
Start with a template, customize the milestones and materials, and build without losing track.
Sung Jinwoo (Shadow Monarch)
~8wSolo Leveling's endgame look: the full Shadow Monarch armor set in deep purple-black with glowing accents, massive pauldrons, and the iconic pair of daggers. This is a serious foam armor build with optional LED integration and prop weapon construction. Seven components, 16 materials, ~8 weeks. Budget runs $200-500 depending on LED choices and whether you 3D-print or foam-build the daggers.
Ai Hoshino
~6wOshi no Ko's beloved idol star brought to life. The signature star-shaped eyes, bright pink hair, and white idol dress are instantly recognizable, but getting the dress silhouette right and handling the star eye contacts takes planning. 5 components, 12 materials, ~5-6 weeks, $150-320.
Okarun
~4wDandadan's awkward occult nerd has two cosplay paths: the normal school uniform with bowl cut wig and glasses, or the Turbo Granny transformation with white flared hair, jaw mask, and flame-tail coat. This template covers both as an upgrade path, starting with normal form and layering on the turbo pieces. The jaw mask and bowl cut wig are the make-or-break details. 7 components, 14 materials, ~4 weeks, $70-220.
Momo Ayase
~3wMomo Ayase from Dandadan in her signature school uniform: pastel pink sweater, white shirt with red bow tie, and navy pleated skirt. This is a beginner-friendly build that comes together fast, with most pieces thriftable, but three details make it read as Momo: the wig bangs, green earrings, and the exact sweater shade. The wig styling is the hardest part, the earrings are a fun DIY, and the rest is shopping. Includes 8 components, 12 materials, a 10-step plan, and a 3-week, $85 to $225 budget.
Used by makers from r/cosplay, The RPF, Cosplay.com, r/Gunpla, and r/minipainting
Have questions about pricing or managing commissions? We'll get back to you within 24 hours.
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