{
  "slug": "merch-table-profit",
  "title": "Merch Table Profit Calculator",
  "heading": "Merch Table Profit Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/merch-table-profit",
  "summary": "See real margin per shirt, vinyl, and CD after cost and venue cut.",
  "description": "Merch is often the highest-margin revenue on tour, but venue merch cuts (commonly 10–25% of gross merch sales) quietly eat into what looks like pure profit. This calculator subtracts unit cost and the venue's percentage from your sale price to show true margin per item, then projects total profit for a night based on expected units sold across your product mix.",
  "formula": "Profit per unit = (price − venue cut % × price) − unit cost; total = Σ(units × profit per unit).",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=merch-table-profit",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "shirtPrice",
      "label": "Shirt sale price",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 25,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "shirtCost",
      "label": "Shirt unit cost",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 8,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "shirtUnits",
      "label": "Shirts sold per show",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 15,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "vinylPrice",
      "label": "Vinyl sale price",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 30,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "vinylCost",
      "label": "Vinyl unit cost",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 11,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "vinylUnits",
      "label": "Vinyl sold per show",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 6,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "venueCut",
      "label": "Venue merch cut",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 15,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 40
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "total",
      "label": "Total merch profit per show",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "shirtProfit",
      "label": "Profit per shirt",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "vinylProfit",
      "label": "Profit per vinyl",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "shirtTotal",
      "label": "Total shirt profit",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "vinylTotal",
      "label": "Total vinyl profit",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Shirt sale price: 25 $",
      "Shirt unit cost: 8 $",
      "Shirts sold per show: 15",
      "Vinyl sale price: 30 $",
      "Vinyl unit cost: 11 $",
      "Vinyl sold per show: 6",
      "Venue merch cut: 15 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Total merch profit per show: $285.75",
      "Profit per shirt: $13.25",
      "Profit per vinyl: $14.50",
      "Total shirt profit: $198.75",
      "Total vinyl profit: $87.00"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter shirt sale price ($).",
      "Enter shirt unit cost ($).",
      "Enter shirts sold per show.",
      "Enter vinyl sale price ($).",
      "Enter vinyl unit cost ($).",
      "Enter vinyl sold per show.",
      "Enter venue merch cut (%).",
      "Read your total merch profit per show on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "shirtPrice": 15,
        "shirtCost": 4.8,
        "shirtUnits": 9,
        "vinylPrice": 18,
        "vinylCost": 6.6,
        "vinylUnits": 4,
        "venueCut": 9
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "shirtPrice": 25,
        "shirtCost": 8,
        "shirtUnits": 15,
        "vinylPrice": 30,
        "vinylCost": 11,
        "vinylUnits": 6,
        "venueCut": 15
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "shirtPrice": 40,
        "shirtCost": 12.8,
        "shirtUnits": 24,
        "vinylPrice": 48,
        "vinylCost": 17.6,
        "vinylUnits": 10,
        "venueCut": 24
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "What's a typical venue merch cut?",
      "a": "Club-level venues commonly take 10–20%, larger venues and festivals can take 20–30%, and some DIY spaces take nothing. Always ask before load-in — it's frequently negotiable, especially for a support act with modest merch sales."
    },
    {
      "q": "How do I price shirts to stay profitable after the cut?",
      "a": "Price so that price × (1 − venue cut) still clears at least 2–2.5x your unit cost. If your shirt costs $8 and the venue takes 20%, a $25 price nets $20, still a healthy margin over cost."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is vinyl worth selling on tour given lower margins?",
      "a": "Vinyl margins per unit are often thinner than shirts in percentage terms, but it moves well at merch tables for dedicated fans and adds meaningful absolute dollars per show even at 6–10 units. It's more valuable as a fan-retention item than a high-margin product."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/touring-per-diem",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/vinyl-pressing-economics"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Merch Table Profit Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/merch-table-profit)"
}