LIGHTEN LIFE — 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.
Amazon’s fulfilment fee is the biggest cost on a $20 gift. After it come the glass and box, now priced from Alibaba suppliers, then duty, freight, the referral fee and advertising: about a quarter of each sale is left, a ceiling.
Two lines are measured: Amazon’s 15% referral fee and its pick-and-pack fee, read per listing. On a $16.99 boxed whiskey glass that fee is $5.61, a third of the price, because Amazon charges for the box’s size and weight, not its value. The goods are the weak part. No supplier quoted. Glass and wooden-box prices come from Made-in-China list prices, and no barrel box was priced at all. Every dollar of unit cost moves a 2,500-unit month by about $3,000 once duty is added.
Whiskey glass
COGS — what a engraved whiskey glass in a wooden box costs to make
Powered by alibaba.com
| Supplier | Track record | Buyer rating | Sold on Alibaba | MOQ | Unit price |
|---|
| Wuhan Jingyueda Household Products Co., Ltd. | Verified · 6 yrs | — | 26 | 24 pieces | $2.80 |
| Yiwu Showbox Technology Co., Ltd. | Verified · 11 yrs | — | — | 100 sets | $3–3.50 |
| Wuhan Xinhuahang Household Goods Co., Ltd. | Verified · 7 yrs | 4.8★ from 82 | — | 300 pieces | $2.40–3.50 |
| Yantai Landy Wood Arts and Crafts Co., Ltd. | Verified · 11 yrs | 4.9★ from 11 | — | 300 pieces | $5.30 |
| Average lowest price — the cost to make used below | | | | | $3.38 |
Four Alibaba listings for an engraved crystal glass in a wooden box, all from China, rated 4.5 or better where rated. Two picture the glass in a box rather than pricing it as a set, so the box may be extra. The cost to make is each supplier’s lowest listed price, averaged ($2.80, $3.00, $2.40, $5.30). Left out: a $12 retail seller in India. Searched “custom engraved whiskey glass wooden box” with the 4.5+ supplier-rating filter, 13 Oct 2026.
Landed cost — production, duty and freight, per whiskey glass
| Line | Per unit | From |
|---|
| Production | $3.38 | The Alibaba suppliers’ lowest prices, averaged — COGS table above |
| Tariff | $0.85 | 25% of production |
| Freight and inbound | $0.80 | The best seller’s carton at the container rate, plus $0.35 |
| Landed | $5.03 | What one costs at Amazon’s door |
- Cost of goods: -19.54% of revenue — The average of the Alibaba suppliers’ lowest prices above, $3.38 — one production price for this product, the low end an order bigger than one moves toward. See COGS breakdown above
- Tariff: -4.91% of revenue — 25% of the cost to make on September’s goods (imported in July): the US rate on glassware in this value band, 7.5%, plus Section 301’s 7.5% and the 10% China duty then in force. China origin and the two-month lag are assumed. See COGS breakdown above See landed cost above
- Freight and inbound: -4.62% of revenue — $0.80 a unit: the best seller’s carton (159 × 144 × 129 mm, 621 g) at the FBX01 container rate, plus $0.35 for drayage and inbound placement (a placeholder, not a quote). See COGS breakdown above See landed cost above
- Amazon referral fee: -15% of revenue — Amazon’s Kitchen rate, 15%, on every LIGHTEN LIFE listing in Keepa. Measured. Amazon’s referral fees by category
- FBA fulfilment: -32.43% of revenue — Size tier: Large Standard. Measured on B09XHSVV7T, a 159 × 144 × 129 mm, 621 g box: Amazon’s pick-and-pack fee, $5.61. All of Amazon’s size tiers, explained
- Advertising: -1.565% of revenue — MODELLED, not observed: this product’s share of the Sponsored Products spend amazon-adspend-spy models, $0.27 a sale. See the ad spend behind this line
- Margin: 21.935000000000002% — Before storage, returns and breakage, coupons and overhead, none of which is modelled: a ceiling on profit, not profit.
Beer glass
COGS — what a birthday beer glass in a barrel box costs to make
Powered by alibaba.com
| Supplier | Track record | Buyer rating | Sold on Alibaba | MOQ | Unit price |
|---|
| Xuzhou Taibo Glass Products Co., Ltd. | Not verified · 8 yrs | 5★ from 3 | — | 300 pieces | $7.25–7.42 |
| Wuhan Jingyueda Household Products Co., Ltd. | Verified · 6 yrs | 4.7★ from 86 | — | 100 pieces | $5.50–7.50 |
| Wuhan Xinhuahang Household Goods Co., Ltd. | Verified · 7 yrs | 4.8★ from 82 | — | 500 pieces | $3.20–5 |
| Average lowest price — the cost to make used below | | | | | $5.32 |
Three listings for a glass sold in a wooden barrel or gift box. Wuhan Jingyueda’s is a whiskey glass in the same barrel box; the box is the costly part, so it counts. Xuzhou Taibo is not Verified. Left out: glasses with no box, two shot glasses, and a $0.85 “glass in wooden box” too cheap to include the barrel. Searched “beer glass custom” and the barrel-box listings it led to, 13 Oct 2026.
Landed cost — production, duty and freight, per beer glass
| Line | Per unit | From |
|---|
| Production | $5.32 | The Alibaba suppliers’ lowest prices, averaged — COGS table above |
| Tariff | $1.20 | 22.5% of production |
| Freight and inbound | $0.96 | The best seller’s carton at the container rate, plus $0.35 |
| Landed | $7.48 | What one costs at Amazon’s door |
- Cost of goods: -26.61% of revenue — The average of the Alibaba suppliers’ lowest prices above, $5.32 — one production price for this product, the low end an order bigger than one moves toward. See COGS breakdown above
- Tariff: -6% of revenue — 22.5% of the cost to make on September’s goods (imported in July): the US rate on glassware in this value band, 5%, plus Section 301’s 7.5% and the 10% China duty then in force. China origin and the two-month lag are assumed. See COGS breakdown above See landed cost above
- Freight and inbound: -4.8% of revenue — $0.96 a unit: the best seller’s carton (193 × 145 × 141 mm, 750 g) at the FBX01 container rate, plus $0.35 for drayage and inbound placement (a placeholder, not a quote). See COGS breakdown above See landed cost above
- Amazon referral fee: -15% of revenue — Amazon’s Kitchen rate, 15%, on every LIGHTEN LIFE listing in Keepa. Measured. Amazon’s referral fees by category
- FBA fulfilment: -28.81% of revenue — Size tier: Large Standard. Measured on B0CPPWVPGS, a 193 × 145 × 141 mm, 750 g box: Amazon’s pick-and-pack fee, $5.76. All of Amazon’s size tiers, explained
- Advertising: -0.042% of revenue — MODELLED, not observed: this product’s share of the Sponsored Products spend amazon-adspend-spy models, $0.01 a sale. See the ad spend behind this line
- Margin: 18.738% — Before storage, returns and breakage, coupons and overhead, none of which is modelled: a ceiling on profit, not profit.
Cocktail set
COGS — what a cocktail mixing glass set costs to make
Powered by alibaba.com
| Supplier | Track record | Buyer rating | Sold on Alibaba | MOQ | Unit price |
|---|
| Wingshung Industrial (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. | Not verified · 18 yrs | 5★ from 1 | — | 500 sets | $3.50–4.60 |
| Average lowest price — the cost to make used below | | | | | $3.50 |
One exact match: a 5-piece set (mixing glass, spoon, muddler, jigger, strainer) in a gift box, from a supplier that is not Verified and has one review; the owner chose it as the set price. Left out: two listings for the glass alone, a 7-piece premium kit at $10.66, and a $0.36 “set” too cheap to be one. Searched “cocktail mixing glass set” and “bar tool set mixing glass jigger strainer muddler”, 13 Oct 2026.
Landed cost — production, duty and freight, per cocktail set
| Line | Per unit | From |
|---|
| Production | $3.50 | The Alibaba suppliers’ lowest prices, averaged — COGS table above |
| Tariff | $0.88 | 25% of production |
| Freight and inbound | $1.12 | The best seller’s carton at the container rate, plus $0.35 |
| Landed | $5.50 | What one costs at Amazon’s door |
- Cost of goods: -12.07% of revenue — The average of the Alibaba suppliers’ lowest prices above, $3.50 — one production price for this product, the low end an order bigger than one moves toward. See COGS breakdown above
- Tariff: -3.04% of revenue — 25% of the cost to make on September’s goods (imported in July): the US rate on glassware in this value band, 7.5%, plus Section 301’s 7.5% and the 10% China duty then in force. China origin and the two-month lag are assumed. See COGS breakdown above See landed cost above
- Freight and inbound: -3.86% of revenue — $1.12 a unit: the best seller’s carton (276 × 137 × 133 mm, 1,338 g) at the FBX01 container rate, plus $0.35 for drayage and inbound placement (a placeholder, not a quote). See COGS breakdown above See landed cost above
- Amazon referral fee: -15% of revenue — Amazon’s Kitchen rate, 15%, on every LIGHTEN LIFE listing in Keepa. Measured. Amazon’s referral fees by category
- FBA fulfilment: -23.8% of revenue — Size tier: Large Standard. Measured on B08CXWGFQM, a 276 × 137 × 133 mm, 1,338 g box: Amazon’s pick-and-pack fee, $6.90. All of Amazon’s size tiers, explained
- Advertising: -0.287% of revenue — MODELLED, not observed: this product’s share of the Sponsored Products spend amazon-adspend-spy models, $0.08 a sale. See the ad spend behind this line
- Margin: 41.943000000000005% — Before storage, returns and breakage, coupons and overhead, none of which is modelled: a ceiling on profit, not profit.
Whole brand
- Cost of goods: -20% of revenue — The three products’ Alibaba prices on September’s mix: 20.0% of revenue. See each product’s tab for its suppliers.
- Tariff: -5% of revenue — 22.5–25% of the cost to make on September’s goods: 4.8% of revenue.
- Freight and inbound: -5% of revenue — Each product’s own carton at the container rate, plus $0.35: 4.5% of revenue.
- Amazon referral fee: -15% of revenue — Amazon’s Kitchen rate, 15%. Amazon’s referral fees by category
- FBA fulfilment: -30% of revenue — Size tier: Large Standard. Measured per listing, $5.61–6.90 on the three products: 29.7% of revenue. All of Amazon’s size tiers, explained
- Advertising: -0.885% of revenue — MODELLED, not observed: amazon-adspend-spy’s Sponsored Products spend, about $382 a month. Their own-name spend is real and missing (no Jungle Scout reading for it). See the ad spend behind this line
- Margin: 24.114999999999995% — The three products are 85% of September’s revenue; the rest of the catalogue is assumed to cost the same mix. Before storage, returns, coupons and overhead: a ceiling on profit, not profit.
Tariffs move the rate more than the business does. The additional China duty was nothing before 2025, reached 30% during 2025, and is 10% on September 2026’s goods. The same glass kept a different share in each month. The dossier’s month-by-month model uses each month’s own duty and freight. In that model September 2026 keeps more than September 2025, although it sold less, and September 2025 to August 2026 keeps about $181,500 — less than this chart’s single set of rates gives.
The glass and box costs move this profile most, and they now rest on Alibaba quotes: four suppliers for the whiskey glass, three for the beer glass, and one exact match for the cocktail set. Freight’s $0.35 handling is still a placeholder.
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