CPA (Night Lights) Breakeven Modeler

Your Breakeven CPA is the absolute maximum you can spend to acquire a single customer without losing money on the first sale. It is calculated as: (Product Selling Price) - (Cost of Goods Sold) - (Shipping Costs) - (Transaction Fees) - (Packaging Costs). This number is your ceiling. Any ad campaign with a CPA above this number is bleeding cash and needs immediate attention. Knowing this number with precision is the foundation of profitable media buying.

Many marketers only subtract COGS and forget other variable costs. Shipping, packaging, and payment processor fees (e.g., Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30) are real costs incurred with every single sale. You must account for them to get an accurate breakeven point. Ignoring these can lead you to believe a campaign is profitable when it's actually operating at a loss. Be meticulous about including every per-unit cost.

Breakeven is not the goal; profit is. You should set a 'Target CPA' that is significantly lower than your Breakeven CPA to ensure a healthy profit margin. A good rule of thumb is to aim for a Target CPA that is 60-70% of your Breakeven CPA. For example, if your Breakeven CPA is $50, set a Target CPA of $30-$35. This builds in a buffer for profit and unexpected cost fluctuations.