How many sales until your digital product pays for itself?
Put the build cost and the launch math in one place. This is the number to know before “passive income” becomes an expensive hobby.
The number that matters
Revenue is not the same as recovery. Your break-even point includes the work you already paid for, the platform fee on every order, and the marketing budget you expect to spend to get the first customers.
Do not hide the build cost
If you spent 40 hours making a course, the product has a real cost even if no invoice was sent. You can keep that cost private when you price the product, but keep it visible when you decide whether the project is worth repeating.
Use break-even to choose your next experiment
A high sales target is useful feedback. Try one change at a time: a sharper promise, a better checkout page, a higher price with a bonus, or a distribution channel that does not charge for every click. The goal is not to make the spreadsheet look good. It is to learn what changes the outcome.
Keep going
Once your offer has a price that works, check the margin on every sale before adding affiliates, discounts, or marketplace fees.
Check product margins