How to price a decant
Every decant price comes from four numbers: what the bottle cost, how many ml of it you can actually sell, what one empty vial costs with its atomizer and label, and the margin you want to keep. The math fits on two lines:
- Cost = bottle cost ÷ usable ml × decant size + vial cost
- Price = cost ÷ (1 − target margin)
A worked example. You paid $194 for a 100 ml bottle. You allow 3% for loss, so you plan on 97 ml, and each ml costs $194 ÷ 97 = $2.00. A 5 ml glass vial with atomizer and label costs you $0.80. The 5 ml decant costs 5 × $2.00 + $0.80 = $10.80. To keep a 60% margin, divide by 0.40: $27.00. The bottle fills 19 of those vials, not 20. These are the calculator's starting numbers:
| Size | Cost | Price at 60% | Per ml | Vials per bottle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ml | $2.80 | $7.00 | $7.00 | 97 |
| 2 ml | $4.80 | $12.00 | $6.00 | 48 |
| 5 ml | $10.80 | $27.00 | $5.40 | 19 |
| 10 ml | $20.80 | $52.00 | $5.20 | 9 |
At a 60% margin, 60 cents of every dollar is left after the perfume and the vial. Card fees, mailers, ads and your time come out of those 60 cents, so set the target with them in mind.
Why the vial cost matters
The vial, atomizer and label cost the same whether the vial holds 1 ml or 10 ml. In the example the $0.80 vial is under 4% of the cost of a 10 ml decant but more than a quarter of the cost of a 1 ml sample. Leave it out and your smallest sizes are the first to lose money.
Count everything that goes out with each vial: the glass, the atomizer or dabber cap, the label, a sample card, the little zip bag. If you want your filling and labeling time paid for, add a per-vial amount for that too. Mailers and boxes are per order, not per vial, so leave them out.
Spray loss: the ml you never sell
Not every ml in the bottle reaches a customer. A little stays in the syringe or funnel. If you decant by spraying into the vial, some mists past the neck. The dip tube and pump hold a few drops you only get back by decapping. And you'll spray a tester or two to check a new batch.
If you price as if all 100 ml will sell, that shortfall comes out of the margin on your last vials. The calculator starts at 3%, which turns a 100 ml bottle into 97 sellable ml. Treat it as a first guess: when you finish a bottle, add up the ml you filled and set the loss to match.
Does 3% matter? On the example bottle it moves the cost from $1.94 to $2.00 per ml. On a 10 ml decant that is $0.60 more cost and $1.50 more on the price at a 60% margin. The more a bottle costs, the more each lost ml is worth.
Price ladders: why 2 ml costs more per ml than 10 ml
Look at the per ml column: $7.00 at 1 ml, $6.00 at 2 ml, $5.20 at 10 ml. The perfume costs $2.00 per ml in every size. The difference is the vial: $0.80 spread over 1 ml adds $0.80 to each ml, and spread over 10 ml it adds $0.08. A fixed cost per vial builds the ladder on its own.
The ladder also works for you. A 1 or 2 ml sample is a cheap way to try a scent, so buyers accept a higher price per ml for it. Someone who liked the sample sees that 10 ml is better value per ml and trades up. When you round to shelf prices, round each size up (say $7.50, $12.50, $28 and $54), never below the calculator's price, and check that the price per ml still falls as the size grows.
Selling tea, coffee or spices by weight? The price per gram calculator does the same math in grams, ounces and pounds. For more on running a decant shop on Shopify, read the guides.