Cost worksheet · Bulk vs. print-on-demand · By PODJumper

What does your merch program cost, bulk vs. POD?

Personnel time, purchase & waste, warehousing, and shipping, side by side for a bulk-order program and a print-on-demand program. Fill in your numbers and see the full comparison instantly. No signup needed.

Job no.–
Total bulk cost / yr
$0
Total POD cost / yr
$0
Savings with POD
$0
01

Personnel

Everyone who spends time running the program: ordering, tracking, designing, billing, reconciling. Cost = salary × % of their time on the program, calculated for both models, since POD usually takes less time but rarely zero.

Role Annual salary % time, Bulk % time, POD Cost/yr, Bulk Cost/yr, POD
Total operational cost $0 $0
0 roles
02

Products

One row per SKU (up to 50). Bulk cost is what you pay for the items you actually use; Waste is what you pay for items that go unused. Together they make your Total bulk cost. POD cost is the per-item POD price times the items actually needed, since POD has no waste.

Product Qty/yr, bulk Bulk unit cost Waste % POD unit cost Bulk cost Waste Total bulk cost POD cost Savings
Total products $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
0 of 50 products
03

Order volume

Customer demand doesn't change with the fulfillment model, so one number drives pick-pack and shipping for bulk and shipping and handling for POD.

04

Bulk logistics

Warehousing, storage, pick-pack, and shipping to customers: costs that apply to the bulk program as a whole, not to any one product.

Shipping bulk goods into the warehouse

$

Storage fees

Use either or both, depending on how your warehouse bills.

Per-item storage

$

Pallet storage (optional)

$

Pick-pack

$

Shipping to customers, by delivery method

Method% of ordersCost per shipmentTotal cost

Heads up: the percentages above should add up to 100%.

Total bulk logistics$0
05

POD logistics

POD skips warehousing and storage, but shipping and any platform or handling fees still apply, per order.

$
Optional. Leave at 0 if it's baked into your unit cost.
$
Total POD logistics$0
→

Results: Bulk vs. POD

Personnel + products + logistics, for each model.

Total bulk program cost
$0
Total POD program cost
$0
Savings with POD
$0

Bulk, where it goes

Personnel0%
Products (purchase incl. waste)0%
Logistics0%

POD, where it goes

Personnel0%
Products0%
Logistics0%
Estimates only. Check against your real invoices and quotes.
Ready to move your program to POD?PODJumper matches you with vetted print-on-demand suppliers.
Join the waitlist

Log in to save

Enter your email and we will send you a one-click login link. No password needed. The calculator stays free without an account.

Save calculation