First-timers budget for inventory and nothing else. Then ads, giveaways, and the reorder land all at once and the launch dies at month three with cash still owed to Amazon. Enter your numbers and see the whole bill up front.
total cash · inventory · ad ramp · break-even week
Includes a reorder buffer so you can restock before the first batch sells through. Real ramps vary; treat this as the floor you should have in the bank before you commit.
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Here is how most first launches die. The founder saves up for the inventory, places the order, and feels ready. The units land, the ads turn on, and sales start climbing. It feels like it is working.
Then three things hit at once. Amazon holds the first payouts on the standard schedule. The reorder has to go out before the first batch sells through, or the listing goes dark right as it gains rank. And the ad spend that built that rank keeps draining daily. The founder is out of cash with a product that was actually selling. The launch did not fail on demand. It failed on runway.
You can see that wall coming. This calculator puts the whole bill in front of you before you wire the supplier a dollar.
Unit cost, first-order size, daily ad budget, giveaway units, and how many weeks your ramp runs.
Inventory, the full ad ramp, giveaway cost, and a reorder buffer get added into one honest number.
Total cash to have in the bank, the split by category, and the week the launch stops draining you.
Launch inventory is only the first line. You also carry daily ad spend for the ramp, free or discounted units for early reviews, and a reorder buffer so you can restock before the first batch sells through. First-timers budget for inventory alone and run out of cash at month three.
Amazon holds your first payouts and your reorder lands before the launch batch fully sells. If you spent every dollar on the first order, you cannot fund the second one, and a stockout right after launch erases the rank you just paid to build.
It is the weeks-to-profit input you provide, the point where ongoing sales cover ongoing costs and the launch stops draining cash. Before that week your balance falls, after it the launch starts paying you back.
Yes. Run it as many times as you want, no account. Drop your email only if you want the breakdown sent to you.
A launch budget only works if the unit makes money after every Amazon fee. Before you commit the cash, run your price and cost through the profit calculator and make sure the margin survives referral, fulfillment, and storage.
Check My Real Profit → Takes about a minute. Better to know before the order than after.