How to price a case so every pull pays
Spread the case cost across what's in it. Then find the lowest start for each pack or card that still covers its share, fees and shipping.
Updated · 6 min read
Divide what the case cost you over the pieces you'll sell, then start each piece where its payout covers its share.
$6.11
Break-even for a $5.00 pack at whatnot's standard 8% commission, with the buyer paying $4.47 shipping and 8% tax. Rounded up for an auction start: $7.00.
Landed cost
$1,000.00 for the case, $35.00 shipping and $45.00 sales tax: $1,080.00. At 6 boxes of 36 packs (216 in all), an even split is $5.00 a pack.
Lowest start per pack
Each pack has to cover its share after commission, processing and the $0.30 fixed fee. Shipping here is Ground Advantage up to 4 oz. Auction starts are whole dollars, so $6.11 rounds up to $7.00.
- Sold for
- $7.00
- Commission and processingProcessing includes the buyer's shipping and tax
- -$1.21
- Its share of the case
- -$5.00
- Profit on the pack
- $0.79
A pack sold at a $6.00 opening bid loses $0.10; at a $1.00 start with no other bids, $4.54. All 216 at $7.00 clears $170.64, plus every bid above the start.
If each pack ships alone on your label, break-even moves to $11.00. The shipping guide shows how bundling softens that.
Ripping for singles
Rip the case and a few cards carry most of the value. Say you'll sell 150 pieces. Split evenly, each carries $7.20 and needs $8.59, which overprices cheap cards and makes hits look almost free.
Name the hits and pool the rest. Put $250.00 on each of your 2 best pulls. The other 148 pieces share the $580.00 left: $3.92 each, breaking even at $4.90. Start each hit at $281.80 or more.
Before the show
- Enter the landed cost.
- Divide by the pieces you'll sell, counting giveaways from the case: they use a share and bring in nothing.
- Start every piece at or above its floor. Sellers above $15,000 of sales in four weeks pay less than the standard 8% from September 21, so their floor is a little lower.
Track the case
The start price tool finds the floor for any cost. In whatROI you enter the case once and split it evenly, by sale price, or as named hits plus a pool. Each sale carries its share, and you see how much of the cost you've recovered. A show's prep sheet lists every item's lowest start.