Maternity Resale Store Break-Even: About $19K Monthly Sales

Fixed costs $7.7K/mo Base overhead

Contribution margin 91% After variable costs

Break-even revenue $8.4K/mo Monthly target

Break-even timing Month 49 Model break-even

Break-even calculator

Test monthly revenue against variable expenses and fixed monthly costs to see when the store covers overhead.

Lean Base Full

Monthly revenue Revenue is the pool that has to cover direct costs and overhead. $ Low sales High sales Variable expenses These are the direct costs that rise as sales rise. $ Lower costs Higher costs

Money available to cover fixed costs $17,290 $19,000 revenue - $1,710 variable expenses

Margin ratio

91%

Covers fixed costs

Yes

Fixed monthly costs This is the monthly cost base that contribution margin must cover. $ Lean overhead Heavy overhead

Break-even chart Revenue Total costs

Which maternity resale expenses are fixed, and which move with sales?

Cost classification

Break-even only works if seller payouts, card fees, payroll, and store overhead sit in the right buckets. Misclassifying consignor payouts as fixed overhead can make the store look safer than it is.

Expense	Cost	Break-Even Treatment	Common Mistake
Retail Store Rent	Fixed	Model $3,500/month from Month 1 through Month 60 regardless of order volume.	Tying rent to sales and understating losses in slow months.
Utilities and Insurance	Semi-variable	Start with the $850/month base, then review usage as traffic rises.	Treating the full amount as fixed when store activity drives usage.
Marketing and Advertising	Semi-fixed	Model $1,200/month, with planned step-ups only when growth targets require more spend.	Letting marketing scale automatically with revenue without a spend plan.
Store Manager	Fixed	Use $48,000/year at 1.0 FTE across the forecast period.	Spreading manager pay across units and hiding the monthly cash burden.
Retail Sales Associate	Semi-variable	Model staffing by FTE: 1.5 in the first year, rising as store volume grows.	Keeping labor flat after traffic and transactions increase.
Consignor Payouts	Variable	Apply directly to sales; Year 1 uses 5.8% of revenue in the model.	Burying seller payouts in fixed overhead instead of sales-linked expense.
Payment Processing and E-commerce Platform Fees	Variable	Apply to sales volume; Year 1 uses 3.2% and declines in later years.	Ignoring card and platform fees when calculating contribution margin.
Office Supplies and Packaging	Semi-variable	Use the $400/month base, then watch packaging needs as orders rise.	Assuming supplies stay flat when online and in-store orders grow.

How do lean, base, and full formats change break-even for a maternity clothing resale store?

Scenario table

The lean launch is a deep loss, the base case is still below break-even, and the full case finally turns positive. Month 49 is the model break-even point, so the store needs traffic and repeat buying to outrun rent and payroll.

Research-based planning assumptions only, not guarantees.

Scenario	Monthly Revenue	Variable Costs	Fixed Costs	CM Ratio	Operating Profit	Break-Even Signal
Lean opening store	$1.0K	$0.1K	$19.0K	91.0%	-$18.1K	Deep loss; rent and payroll are far above sales.
Base ramp case	$23.8K	$1.9K	$27.6K	92.2%	-$5.7K	Still short of break-even, but the gap is narrowing.
Full scale store	$63.3K	$4.7K	$30.0K	92.6%	$28.6K	Profit turns positive and gives room for staffing growth.

What breaks the break-even plan for a maternity clothing resale store?

Stress test

Year 1 needs about $19K a month to cover rent, payroll, and fees, while the model is only at about $1K a month. The plan is most exposed to fixed payroll, then to weaker sell-through and markdowns that squeeze resale margin.

Stress Case	Changed Assumption	Break-Even Revenue	Revenue Gap	Risk Signal
Current plan	No change.	$19K/mo	$18K gap	Year 1 sales barely cover fixed costs.
Revenue shortfall	Visitor-to-buyer conversion drops from 4.5% to 3.0%.	$19K/mo	$18.3K gap	A small traffic miss widens the cash burn.
Fixed-cost increase	Retail rent rises 10% to $3,850 per month.	$19.4K/mo	$18.4K gap	Lease cost moves break-even up fast.
Variable-expense or margin pressure	Total variable costs rise from 9.0% to 14.0%.	$20.1K/mo	$19.1K gap	Higher payouts and fees cut resale contribution.
Combined pressure	Conversion falls to 3.0%, rent rises 10%, and variable costs rise to 14.0%.	$20.5K/mo	$19.8K gap	Weak traffic and tighter margin hit at the same time.

Can this store cover fixed costs before you sign the lease?

Founder checklist

Don’t sign the lease or add payroll until you can show a path to about $19K in monthly sales and a cash cushion through the long ramp. The model only reaches break-even in Month 49, and minimum cash still falls to -$41K.

1Sales path$19K/mo

Verify the store can reach about $19K in monthly sales before you commit to the lease, since break-even is still far out.

2Fixed load$17.3K/mo

Test the $3,500 lease inside the full monthly fixed load, because rent only works if traffic can support the whole stack.

3Margin mix91% CM

Check that consignor payouts and processing fees stay near 9% of sales, because contribution margin is what pays payroll and rent.

4Capacity ramp1.2 units / 3.5 FTE

Confirm the floor plan, tagging flow, and opening team can handle 1.2 units per order and 3.5 FTE without slowing turns.

5Launch traffic4.5% conv.

Make sure marketing can convert visitors to buyers at 4.5%, or the opening sales path will miss the needed run rate.

6Cash cushion-$41K

Hold cash through the ramp, because the model bottoms out at -$41K in Month 49 before it gets back above water.