Pricing a Bundle Without Undercutting Yourself

A bundle is a simple idea. The buyer takes several things at once and pays a little less than they would buying each one separately. Done well, it lifts the size of an order and moves stock you were holding anyway. Done in a hurry, it teaches every buyer who sees it that your single prices were never quite real.

Start with what the bundle is for. If the aim is to clear older items, the bundle should pair them with something people already want, so the older piece rides along with a reason to buy. If the aim is to raise the average order, the bundle should be built around the thing that sells best, with one or two natural companions added to it. A bundle with no purpose tends to be priced with no logic either.

Keep the saving modest and easy to see. A buyer should be able to add up the separate prices and feel that the bundle is fair, without the gap being so large that the single items suddenly look inflated. A small, clear saving rewards the decision to buy more. A dramatic one mostly makes people wonder what they were being charged before.

Check the numbers against your own costs, not just against your prices. Postage for three items is rarely three times the postage for one, which helps, but extra packaging, extra time and anything you make to order all count. A bundle that sells well and leaves you worse off per hour is not a success, however busy it makes you.

Finally, give it an end or a reason. A seasonal set, a limited run or a bundle tied to a particular occasion keeps it feeling like an offer rather than your new normal price. When it finishes, your single items still carry the value you set for them, and the next bundle has something to be measured against.