What should your club cost?
Stacie's framework, with the math done for you.
What goes in the envelope.
Real per-unit costs based on bulk pricing (100-500 unit packs from Amazon, Uline, and print suppliers, 2025 rates). Adjust to your numbers. β = essential. β = optional (uncheck to skip).
Aim to stay under 3 oz total for cheapest US shipping.
- Print + letter + envelope = ~1.5 oz
- + backer board: adds ~5g
- + wax seal: adds ~3g
Bulk-buy (100-500 packs): envelopes, cardstock, chipboard, wax beads.
Make per shipment: the print + handwritten letter.
Your hands aren't free.
If you're the only one making and shipping, you still need to pay yourself. This is how you stay profitable when you scale.
The biggest hidden cost.
Shipping is what kills most print clubs. Before you pick a rate below, understand how postage actually works.
One stamp = weight of a blank letter. Add anything (print, board, seal) and you've moved up to First-Class Mail.
- Forever Stamp ($0.73): under 1 oz. Postcards + bare letters only.
- First-Class Flat ($1.65): under 13 oz, up to ΒΎ" thick. Most print clubs land here.
- Priority Mail (~$8.50): tracked + insured. For premium or fragile.
USPS sorts most letters by machine. Your envelope has to bend. Adds ~$0.50 surcharge if you include:
- Backer board (rigid)
- Wax seal (lumpy)
- Anything over ΒΌ" thick
Fix: Skip extras for cheapest letter rate, OR upgrade to First-Class Flat ($1.65) which accepts rigid items up to ΒΎ" thick.
Start US-only. Adding Canada doubles your cost per member.
US shipping costs 2-3Γ more. Bake into price OR charge a separate fee.
Pick one country to start. Cross-border is where margins disappear.
Rates as of 2025 from USPS.com and CanadaPost.ca. Verify current rates before launch β postal rates increase ~once a year.
Fees come off the top.
The numbers above are gross. Before you celebrate, plan for these:
Stripe: 2.9% + $0.30 per charge.
Patreon, Cratejoy, etc: 3-10%.
May apply by location. Stripe can auto-collect.
Budget 1-2%. Chargebacks add $15+.
Rule of thumb: subtract ~5% from net for fees that find you. If margin still holds at 60%+, you're solid.
What it should cost.
The pricing framework.
The math here follows the Tiny Print Club Framework from your course. Key rules:
- 60% margin floor β never go below it.
- $7-15 sweet spot for monthly tiers.
- $3 jumps between tiers.
- Founding price stays locked.
- Labor counts.
✉️ Two ways to recover shipping
This calculator includes shipping in your COGS so you always know your true cost — that never changes. But there are two correct ways to get that money back from members:
1. Bake it in. The "suggested monthly price" above is an all-in price with shipping included. One clean number, simplest to communicate.
2. Itemize it. Charge a lower headline price plus a separate shipping line at checkout — this is what I do on my own club ($14/mo + $1.50 shipping), and SnailMailHQ supports it with one field in your club settings.
Why I itemize: my founding members' price is locked for life, but postage rises almost every year. A separate shipping line lets me pass postage increases through without ever touching that locked price — and it makes international shipping far simpler.
If you itemize: treat the shipping line above as covered by your shipping fee, so your monthly price only needs to cover supplies + labor + fees at the 60% margin. Same math, different packaging. — Stacie ♡
