Kickstarter reward price & tier planner
Turn what your product costs to make into a retail price and a pledge price, then check that every reward tier still earns enough to deliver. Built around Jamey Stegmaier's pricing method for board games.
1. Price your core reward
2. Check every tier's margin
Enter each reward's price and everything it costs you to deliver: product, extras, packaging and any shipping you cover. Aim to keep at least 50% margin on each tier.
Swipe the table sideways to see prices and margins.
| Reward | Type | Pledge price | Cost to deliver | Margin |
|---|
How the pricing method works
- Retail price (MSRP) ≈ 5–6 × unit cost. Shops and distributors need their cut, so the shelf price has to be several times what it costs you to make.
- Pledge base = MSRP × 0.6. Distributors buy at roughly 60% off retail. Pricing your pledge around what the trade pays keeps it fair to backers and to stores.
- Add the shipping subsidy you want to absorb, so backers see a friendlier shipping charge.
- Round to a price ending in 9, or in 4 if rounding to 9 would move the price more than a few dollars.
- Sanity-check against similar campaigns. If comparable games pledge for much less, look at your component list or print run before you cut the price.
Tips for reward tiers
- Keep it short. A few clear tiers plus add-ons beat a long list. Backers on failed campaigns often say they couldn't tell which tier to pick.
- Small or no early-bird discounts. A big early-bird gap makes the regular tier feel like a bad deal for everyone who arrives later. Stegmaier recommends no early birds, or a gap of $5 or less.
- Check margins at your real print run. Unit cost falls with quantity, so price on the run you're confident of, not your stretch-goal dream.
Reward pricing questions
How do I price my Kickstarter rewards?
Start from your unit cost. Multiply by 5–6 for a retail price, take 60% of that as your pledge base, add any shipping you want to absorb, and round to a price ending in 9. Then check that each tier keeps at least 50% margin after everything it costs to deliver.
How many reward tiers should a Kickstarter have?
Fewer than most people think. Stegmaier suggests around seven at launch at most, and small board game campaigns often do fine with three to five core tiers plus add-ons. Each tier should be easy to tell apart from the others.
Should I offer an early-bird reward?
If you do, keep the discount small (around $5 or less) and say clearly how many are available. Large early-bird discounts can stall the campaign once they sell out.
What margin should each tier have?
Kickstarter's own budgeting guide suggests a margin of at least 50% per tier. That margin covers fees, marketing, surprises and the things you'll forget to budget for.
Where these numbers come from
- Pricing method, retail multiplier, 60% distributor discount, shipping subsidy and rounding: Jamey Stegmaier, Kickstarter Lesson #201: pricing your core reward
- Early-bird gap of $5 or less: Jamey Stegmaier, Kickstarter Lesson #62: early bird pledge levels
- At least 50% margin per tier: Kickstarter, How to create an expert Kickstarter budget
Checked October 2026. The multipliers are rules of thumb for board games; other products have different retail margins.
Turn your numbers into a finished campaign page
The PledgeBird Page Builder lays out your Kickstarter page the way top campaigns in your category do: headers, reward cards, specs, stretch goals and shipping tables. Free to build.
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