Product Pricing Methods

#Overview

CMS Max supports multiple pricing methods so you can accurately price any type of product or service you sell. Each method is designed for a specific scenario — choosing the right one ensures customers see prices that make sense and the checkout calculates totals correctly.

#Standard Pricing

The simplest pricing model. Every product has one base price. Customers select a quantity and the total is calculated automatically.

Best for: Physical or digital products with a single, unchanging price — retail goods, downloads, services billed per unit.

#Options

Options are customer-selectable attributes that modify the base price. Customers can choose from dropdowns, checkboxes, or radio buttons, and the price adjusts based on what they select. Options can increase or decrease the base price.

Common uses include engraving, rush processing, warranty upgrades, and material selections.

Best for: Products with configurable add-ons or upgrades that affect price, while the core product stays the same.

Not for: Fully distinct product versions with their own stock — use Variants instead.

#Variants

Variants are separate versions of a product — each with its own price, stock level, and SKU. When a customer selects a variant (such as a size or color), the displayed price updates to match that specific version.

Common uses include sizes with different pricing, colors with varying costs, and combined attributes like scent and size.

Best for: Products available in multiple distinct versions where each version is tracked separately.

Not for: Quantity-based pricing — use Bulk Pricing or Tiered Pricing instead.

#Managing Variant Merges in Admin

From Variants in the admin panel, you can merge duplicate or overlapping variant definitions.

• Select at least two variants before using Merge Variants.
• Choose one target variant to keep; other selected variants are merged into it.
• Matching option values are combined automatically during the merge.

When editing a single variant, you can also use Merge Options to combine duplicate option values within that variant.

• Only options from the current variant can be merged together.
• Select at least two options, then choose which option to keep.
• Products using merged options are automatically updated to the kept option.

#Tiered Pricing

Tiered pricing automatically reduces the per-unit price as the customer orders more. The customer enters a quantity, the system identifies which pricing tier applies, and the total is calculated in real time.

For example:

• 1–9 units: $10.00 each
• 10–49 units: $8.00 each
• 50+ units: $6.00 each

Best for: Wholesale products, raw materials, and bulk goods where the per-unit cost decreases with larger orders.

Not for: Products sold in fixed packages at a flat price — use Bulk Pricing instead.

#Bulk Pricing

Bulk Pricing is for products sold in pre-defined quantity packages at flat prices. Instead of entering a quantity, customers select from a list of packages (for example, "25 for $40" or "100 for $120"). There is no per-unit calculation — each package has one all-in price.

The standard quantity input is automatically hidden when Bulk Pricing is enabled.

Key difference from Tiered Pricing: Bulk Pricing requires selecting a package; Tiered Pricing uses open-ended quantity entry with automatic per-unit calculation.

Best for: Print shops, promotional products, branded merchandise, and any product sold in set package quantities.

Not for: Open-ended quantity ordering.

#Dimension Pricing

Dimension Pricing calculates the total based on measurements the customer enters. The standard quantity field is replaced by measurement inputs, and the price updates as the customer types.

There are two types:

#Linear (by length)

The customer enters a single length. The total is calculated as length multiplied by the per-unit rate.

Used for: Fencing, piping, trim, rope, fabric sold by the running foot or yard.

#Area (by length and width)

The customer enters both length and width. The total is calculated as length times width, multiplied by the per-unit rate.

Used for: Flooring, carpet, turf, fabric panels, window film, vinyl wrap.

You can set minimum dimensions to enforce order minimums.

Best for: Products priced by physical measurement rather than countable units.

Not for: Countable unit products or fixed packages.

#Subscription Pricing

Note: Subscription Pricing is currently in development and is not yet available.

When available, Subscription Pricing will allow customers to purchase a product on a recurring billing schedule — weekly, monthly, or annually. This is designed for consumables, memberships, club programs, and corporate supply arrangements.