What this calculator tells you
A product launch budget is more than the first inventory order. Samples, content, launch traffic, and the reserve for surprises all consume cash before repeat demand is known.
When to use it
Use it before committing inventory for a new SKU, setting a launch spend limit, or deciding how many units need to sell to recover the upfront commitment.
Start with your landed cost, real fee rates, and a pessimistic advertising cost. The result is more useful when the assumptions are honest.
Planning only for inventory leaves no cash for samples, creative, listing assets, or the advertising needed to find the first buyers.
Frequently asked questions
What should the contingency reserve cover?
Use it for freight changes, sample revisions, delayed launches, creative rework, and other launch costs that are easy to underestimate.
Should the budget include operating overhead?
This calculator focuses on launch-specific cash. Include overhead separately if the product has to cover it before the launch is considered self-funding.
Why use contribution per unit for recovery?
Revenue alone does not recover cash. Contribution after product, fulfillment, fees, and advertising is the amount available to pay back the launch investment.
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