Doctor Jupiter — Margin breakdown

Researched profile. The figures here are modelled by us from public information, published with the sources they were drawn from. How we research.

Margin breakdown

Read Sep 2026. Figures here are a reading taken then, not a live feed.

Of a $26.65 average sale, about a third is left once Amazon’s two fees, the cost to make, a tariff, freight and advertising are paid — and Amazon’s fulfilment fee is a bigger cost than making the kit.

Four products carry the brand. In September the first science kit was 61% of revenue, the Ultimate kit 9%, the Preschool kit and the paper-airplane launcher 6% each: together the first set to reach 80%, so each has its own breakdown below and the whole brand, at September’s mix, comes last. Every cost to make is a price listed on Alibaba, read by Alibaba’s own sourcing agent rather than quoted back to a request, and for the Ultimate kit, the Preschool kit and the launcher it rests on a single listing — the one that matched the product.

My First Science Kit

COGS — what a first science kit costs to make

Supplier	Track record	Buyer rating	Sold on Alibaba	MOQ	Unit price
Sam Toys Industrial Co., Ltd.	Verified · 19 yrs	4.9★ from 1,798 (store)	—	216 sets	$2.38–2.55
Shantou Capable Toys Co., Ltd.	Verified · 12 yrs	4.7★ from 363 (store)	—	48 sets	$5.34–5.52
Average lowest price — the cost to make used below					$3.86

Two boxed kits from suppliers in China: Sam Toys’ has 78 experiments, between the brand’s 50-plus Starter and its 100-plus edition, and Shantou Capable’s 125, the closest to the full kit. Each is priced at the tier nearest the brand’s own yearly sales of this kit, about 125,000 — $2.38 from 7,200 sets and $5.34 from 240, Shantou Capable’s top tier — and the two averaged. They are listed prices, read by Alibaba’s sourcing agent (Accio) in a search, not quotes negotiated for an order. Two more listings were read and not priced: one shows Doctor Jupiter’s own Ultimate Girls box art and prices that kit instead (see its tab), the other is a 13-activity kit. A third supplier, using the brand’s product names word for word, was left out as a copy. Searched “kids science experiment kit OEM” and “custom STEM science kit for kids manufacturer”, Verified suppliers rated 4.5 or better.

Shipping — what it costs to move one kit from China

Input	Figure	Where it comes from
Carton	34.1 × 25.4 × 5.2 cm, 0.75 kg	Keepa’s package for B09XGMHGJ3, the 100-plus kit; the Starter boxes are a few centimetres shorter
Volume	0.00419 cbm	The six listings’ boxes, weighted by September’s units; the hero’s alone is 0.0045
Rate	$497 / cbm	Less-than-container-load, China → US West Coast, door to door
Shipping, per kit	$2.08	0.00419 cbm × $497

The rate is the low end of Freightos’ door-to-door band, customs clearance and delivery included and duty excluded. A flat box of air and plastic ships by volume, which is why moving a kit costs over half of what making it does.

Landed cost — production, duty and shipping, per kit

Line	Per kit	From
Production	$3.86	Two Alibaba suppliers’ listed prices, averaged — COGS table above
Tariff	$0.77	20% of the cost to make, assuming China origin — the tariff line below
Shipping	$2.08	The kit’s carton at $497/cbm — shipping table above
Landed cost	$6.71	What one kit costs to reach Amazon’s door, before it sells

The first three cost lines of the breakdown below, added up: 24.7% of the $27.18 average sale. Amazon’s fees on the sale are their own lines. “Test it first” prices its first order on this same figure.

Cost of goods: -14.202% of revenue — Two Alibaba suppliers’ listed prices for a comparable kit, averaged: listing prices, not a negotiated quote. See landed cost above See COGS breakdown above
Tariff: -2.833% of revenue — Assumed: 20% of the cost to make, the rate this site uses for toys made in China — Section 301 plus the reciprocal tariff, over a toys base of zero. Their own listings name an Indian manufacturer; made in India, the rate would differ. See COGS breakdown above See landed cost above
Shipping: -7.653% of revenue — The kit’s own carton at a read sea-freight rate from China, door to door. See shipping breakdown above See landed cost above
Amazon referral fee: -15% of revenue — Amazon’s published Toys & Games rate, a flat 15% on items over $10. Amazon’s referral fees by category
FBA fulfilment: -22.59% of revenue — Size tier: Large Standard. The best seller’s box, B09XGMHGJ3, is 13.4 × 10.0 × 2.0 in and 1.65 lb — over Small Standard’s 0.75 in and 16 oz — and Amazon charges $6.37 to pick and pack it. The Starter boxes pay $5.76 to $6.10; weighted by September’s units the fee is $6.14, more than the kit costs to make. All of Amazon’s size tiers, explained
Advertising: -3.099% of revenue — Modelled, not observed: about $8,760 a month on this kit’s keywords, 3.1% of its September revenue (band $5,961–$11,780 a month), most of it on science-kit searches by age. A floor: it cannot see ads on product pages, automatic campaigns, Sponsored Brands or Display. See the ad spend behind this line If you want to go in depth, go to the Advertising section
Margin: 34.62299999999999% — Before storage, returns and overhead, none of which is modelled: a ceiling on profit, not profit.

Ultimate Science Kit

COGS — what an Ultimate kit costs to make

Supplier	Track record	Buyer rating	Sold on Alibaba	MOQ	Unit price
Anhui Xingxue Material Technology Co., Ltd.	Verified · 6 yrs	4.7★ from 471 (store)	—	50 pieces	$6.90–7.60
Average lowest price — the cost to make used below					$6.90

One listing, and the cost to make rests on it alone. Its photo is Doctor Jupiter’s own Ultimate Girls box art, and the contents it lists match the girls’ 135-plus kit reagent for reagent — food colours, essences, glow powder, citric acid, crystal powder, glycerin flakes — so it is an unbranded version of this kit. Priced at $6.90, its top tier from 500 pieces, the nearest to the brand’s yearly sales of the kit (about 19,000). A listed price read by Alibaba’s sourcing agent (Accio) in a search, not a quote negotiated for an order. Two more listings were read and not priced: a range of about 25 kits with no tiers, and a crystal-growing kit. Searched “science kit for kids 8-12 OEM” and “kids chemistry experiment set crystal growing”, Verified suppliers rated 4.5 or better.

Shipping — what it costs to move one kit from China

Input	Figure	Where it comes from
Carton	33.8 × 25.2 × 4.8 cm, 0.86 kg	Keepa’s package for B0C248WX35, the 135-plus kit
Volume	0.00416 cbm	The four listings’ boxes, weighted by September’s units
Rate	$497 / cbm	Less-than-container-load, China → US West Coast, door to door
Shipping, per kit	$2.07	0.00416 cbm × $497

The same Freightos reading as the first kit: the low end of the door-to-door band, duty excluded.

Landed cost — production, duty and shipping, per kit

Line	Per kit	From
Production	$6.90	One Alibaba listing’s price — COGS table above
Tariff	$1.38	20% of the cost to make, assuming China origin — the tariff line below
Shipping	$2.07	The kit’s carton at $497/cbm — shipping table above
Landed cost	$10.35	What one kit costs to reach Amazon’s door, before it sells

The first three cost lines of the breakdown below, added up: 38.5% of the $26.86 average sale, the dearest of the four products to make.

Cost of goods: -25.689% of revenue — One Alibaba listing’s price for an unbranded version of this kit: a single listed price, not a negotiated quote, so it moves when more suppliers are read. See landed cost above See COGS breakdown above
Tariff: -5.138% of revenue — Assumed: 20% of the cost to make, on the same China basis as the first kit. See COGS breakdown above See landed cost above
Shipping: -7.707% of revenue — The kit’s own carton at the same sea-freight rate. See shipping breakdown above See landed cost above
Amazon referral fee: -15% of revenue — Amazon’s published Toys & Games rate, a flat 15%. Amazon’s referral fees by category
FBA fulfilment: -22.226% of revenue — Size tier: Large Standard. The best seller’s box, B0C248WX35, is 13.3 × 9.9 × 1.9 in and 1.90 lb — over Small Standard’s 0.75 in and 16 oz — and Amazon charges $6.02 to pick and pack it; weighted across the four listings, $5.97. All of Amazon’s size tiers, explained
Advertising: -0.37% of revenue — Modelled, not observed: about $159 a month on this kit’s keywords, 0.37% of its September revenue. The shared age searches, such as “science kits for kids age 8-12”, are counted under the first kit. A floor. See the ad spend behind this line If you want to go in depth, go to the Advertising section
Margin: 23.870000000000005% — Before storage, returns and overhead, none of which is modelled: a ceiling on profit, not profit.

Preschool Science Kit

COGS — what a preschool kit costs to make

Supplier	Track record	Buyer rating	Sold on Alibaba	MOQ	Unit price
Shantou Liansheng Toys Co., Ltd.	Verified · 18 yrs	4.7★ from 12 (store)	—	36 pieces	$3.25–3.85
Average lowest price — the cost to make used below					$3.25

One listing, and the cost to make rests on it alone: a 60-experiment boxed kit of test tubes, a rack, reagent sachets and colour bottles, from a supplier with only 12 store reviews. Priced at $3.25, its top tier from 2,000 pieces, the nearest to the brand’s yearly sales of the kit (about 13,000). A listed price read by Alibaba’s sourcing agent (Accio) in a search, not a negotiated quote. Two more listings were read and not priced: a seven-experiment box and a chemistry kit marked for six and up. Searched “preschool science kit OEM” and “toddler STEM science experiment kit”, Verified suppliers rated 4.5 or better.

Shipping — what it costs to move one kit from China

Input	Figure	Where it comes from
Carton	29.3 × 25.2 × 5.3 cm, 0.69 kg	Keepa’s package for B0FN3MC4CY, the boys’ box; the girls’ is within a few millimetres
Volume	0.00389 cbm	The two listings’ boxes, weighted by September’s units
Rate	$497 / cbm	Less-than-container-load, China → US West Coast, door to door
Shipping, per kit	$1.93	0.00389 cbm × $497

The same Freightos reading as the first kit: the low end of the door-to-door band, duty excluded.

Landed cost — production, duty and shipping, per kit

Line	Per kit	From
Production	$3.25	One Alibaba listing’s price — COGS table above
Tariff	$0.65	20% of the cost to make, assuming China origin — the tariff line below
Shipping	$1.93	The kit’s carton at $497/cbm — shipping table above
Landed cost	$5.83	What one kit costs to reach Amazon’s door, before it sells

The first three cost lines of the breakdown below, added up: 21.6% of the $26.99 price.

Cost of goods: -12.041% of revenue — One Alibaba listing’s price for a comparable boxed kit: a single listed price, not a negotiated quote. See landed cost above See COGS breakdown above
Tariff: -2.408% of revenue — Assumed: 20% of the cost to make, on the same China basis as the first kit. See COGS breakdown above See landed cost above
Shipping: -7.151% of revenue — The kit’s own carton at the same sea-freight rate. See shipping breakdown above See landed cost above
Amazon referral fee: -15% of revenue — Amazon’s published Toys & Games rate, a flat 15%. Amazon’s referral fees by category
FBA fulfilment: -21.341% of revenue — Size tier: Large Standard. The best seller’s box, B0FN3MC4CY, is 11.5 × 9.9 × 2.1 in and 1.52 lb — over Small Standard’s 0.75 in and 16 oz — and Amazon charges $5.76 to pick and pack it, as it does the girls’ box: almost twice what the kit costs to make. All of Amazon’s size tiers, explained
Advertising: -0.084% of revenue — Modelled, not observed: about $25 a month on this kit’s keywords, 0.08% of its September revenue: almost nothing seen. A floor. See the ad spend behind this line If you want to go in depth, go to the Advertising section
Margin: 41.974999999999994% — Before storage, returns and overhead, none of which is modelled: a ceiling on profit, not profit.

Paper-airplane launcher

COGS — what a launcher kit costs to make

Supplier	Track record	Buyer rating	Sold on Alibaba	MOQ	Unit price
Xinxiang Alpha Manufacturing Ltd.	Verified · 9 yrs	5.0★ from 310 (store)	—	1,000 sets	$2.59–3.25
Average lowest price — the cost to make used below					$2.59

One listing, and the cost to make rests on it alone: a wooden launcher kit with paper planes, pulled by an elastic band like Doctor Jupiter’s, from a manufacturer that lists ASTM F963 and CPC certificates. Priced at $2.59, its top tier from 10,000 sets, the nearest to the brand’s yearly sales of the launcher (about 12,600). Its minimum is 1,000 sets, so a first order is 1,000 — “Test it first” explains. A listed price read by Alibaba’s sourcing agent (Accio) in a search, not a negotiated quote. Two more listings were read and not priced: both are radio-controlled motor modules that fly a paper plane, a different product. Searched “paper airplane launcher kit” and “electric paper airplane launcher STEM kit”, Verified suppliers rated 4.5 or better.

Shipping — what it costs to move one launcher from China

Input	Figure	Where it comes from
Carton	34.3 × 25.5 × 3.4 cm, 0.62 kg	Keepa’s package for B0DWFJ6YWV, the launcher
Volume	0.00296 cbm	The two listings’ boxes, weighted by September’s units
Rate	$497 / cbm	Less-than-container-load, China → US West Coast, door to door
Shipping, per kit	$1.47	0.00296 cbm × $497

The same Freightos reading as the science kits: the low end of the door-to-door band, duty excluded. The launcher’s box is the flattest of the four.

Landed cost — production, duty and shipping, per launcher

Line	Per kit	From
Production	$2.59	One Alibaba listing’s price — COGS table above
Tariff	$0.52	20% of the cost to make, assuming China origin — the tariff line below
Shipping	$1.47	The launcher’s carton at $497/cbm — shipping table above
Landed cost	$4.58	What one launcher costs to reach Amazon’s door, before it sells

The first three cost lines of the breakdown below, added up: 18.3% of the $24.99 price, the cheapest of the four to make.

Cost of goods: -10.364% of revenue — One Alibaba listing’s price for a launcher kit with the same mechanism: a single listed price, not a negotiated quote. See landed cost above See COGS breakdown above
Tariff: -2.081% of revenue — Assumed: 20% of the cost to make, on the same China basis as the science kits. See COGS breakdown above See landed cost above
Shipping: -5.882% of revenue — The launcher’s own carton at the same sea-freight rate. See shipping breakdown above See landed cost above
Amazon referral fee: -15% of revenue — Amazon’s published Toys & Games rate, a flat 15%. Amazon’s referral fees by category
FBA fulfilment: -22.489% of revenue — Size tier: Large Standard. The best seller’s box, B0DWFJ6YWV, is 13.5 × 10.0 × 1.3 in and 1.37 lb — over Small Standard’s 0.75 in and 16 oz — and Amazon charges $5.61 to pick and pack it; with the second listing, $5.62. All of Amazon’s size tiers, explained
Advertising: -11.128% of revenue — Modelled, not observed: about $2,920 a month on the launcher’s keywords, 11.1% of its September revenue (band $1,752–$4,380 a month) — the heaviest of the four, nearly all of it on “gifts for 8 year old boys”. A floor. See the ad spend behind this line If you want to go in depth, go to the Advertising section
Margin: 33.056% — Before storage, returns and overhead, none of which is modelled: a ceiling on profit, not profit.

Whole brand

Cost of goods: -15.064% of revenue — Each product’s Alibaba cost to make, on September’s mix — $3.86 for the first kit, $6.90 for the Ultimate, $3.25 for the Preschool kit, $2.59 for the launcher — with the rest of the catalogue at the same share. See each product’s tab for its suppliers.
Tariff: -3.008% of revenue — Assumed: 20% of the cost to make, on a China origin.
Shipping: -7.498% of revenue — Each product’s carton at the same Freightos sea-freight rate, on September’s mix.
Amazon referral fee: -15% of revenue — Amazon’s published Toys & Games rate, a flat 15%. Amazon’s referral fees by category
FBA fulfilment: -22.445% of revenue — Size tier: Large Standard. Every product’s best seller is a flat box of 1.3 to 2.1 in and well over a pound — the hero, B09XGMHGJ3, is 13.4 × 10.0 × 2.0 in and 1.65 lb — and the pick-and-pack fees run $5.61 to $6.37. On September’s mix, the largest cost line. All of Amazon’s size tiers, explained
Advertising: -3.109% of revenue — Modelled, not observed: 3.1% of revenue — amazon-adspend-spy’s rate on the four products (about $11,864 a month on them, band $7,826–$16,416 a month), applied here to the whole brand. A floor. See the ad spend behind this line If you want to go in depth, go to the Advertising section
Margin: 33.876000000000005% — Before storage, returns, removals and overhead, none of which is modelled: a ceiling on profit, not profit. The profit series uses this September breakdown for every month; earlier months had a different mix of kits, so they show the shape of the series, not their own margins.

Amazon is paid more than the factory. The referral fee and the pick-and-pack fee together take well over a third of every sale, against about a sixth for making the kit, because a box of labware is light, flat and wide — the shape that sits just inside Large Standard. The Ultimate kit is the exception that shows how much the cost to make matters: on its single listing it costs twice what the first kit does and keeps about a quarter of its price, not a third.

The line that could move this margin most is the cost to make, and for three of the four products it rests on one Alibaba listing each. Every dollar it moves on the first kit moves the whole brand’s margin by more than two points. The tariff assumes China; their own manufacturer is Indian.

Doctor Jupiter overview · All case studies