On Startnext, there are three ways to support a project: free support, a donation (for nonprofit projects), and a thank-you gift. Each follows different rules. Understanding this helps you plan your project on a solid foundation from the very beginning.
1. The minimum amount: 5 €
On Startnext, contributions start at a minimum of 5 €. This threshold protects you, as the project creator, from a cost trap: Every transaction costs money—regardless of the amount. Payment providers like PayPal charge 3.5% + 0.45 € per transaction. With a €1 donation, nearly half would be eaten up by fees; with €5, the costs are still manageable.
2. Donations: starting at €5, amount of your choice
Anyone who would like to make a donation without receiving a thank-you gift can choose any amount starting at €5. This is particularly useful for nonprofit projects or when supporters want to give more than the cost of a thank-you gift. For fundraising projects, we recommend specifying a concrete guideline in your communications—for example: “€50 makes X possible.”
3. Thank-you gifts: Don't skimp on them!
A "thank you" isn't a promise—it's an actual product or service. Before you see even a single euro from it, five types of costs are deducted at the same time:
- Production costs (printing, materials, manufacturing)
- Shipping costs, including packaging (must be included in the price—there is no separate shipping field)
- Transaction fees (PayPal: 3.5% + €0.45 | Credit card: 2% + €0.25 | Direct debit: 0.5% + €0.35)
- Startnext Success Commission (3–14%, depending on the plan)
- Value-Added Tax on Commissions and Transaction Costs (19%)
Example: Postcard + sticker set for €10
Thank-You Prize: €10.00
- − PayPal transaction fees (3.5% + 0.45 €): − 0.80 €
- − Startnext success commission (5%, base plan): − €0.50
- − VAT on commission & transaction (19%): − 0.25 €
- − Shipping costs (letter/small package + packaging): − 2.50 €
- − Production costs (printing, materials): − €1.50
What you'll actually pay: ≈ 4.45 €
Out of 10 €, less than 5 € remains—and that’s only if production costs are low. Anyone who produces at a higher cost or ships heavier items will lose money.
Work backward: production costs + shipping costs + about a 15% buffer for platform fees = minimum price. Anything above that is your profit.
- Physical thank-you gifts: no less than 15–20 €
- Digital thank-you gifts (downloads, acknowledgments): starting at 10–15 €
4. The typical shopping cart: 35–75 €
The average contribution on Startnext is between €35 and €75. This isn’t a coincidence—it reflects the crowd’s actual willingness to pay. Plan your most important thank-you gift to fall precisely within this range: this is the sweet spot where most backers are willing to make a purchase.
Here’s a rule of thumb: Funding goal ÷ 50 € = number of backers you need. For a 10,000 € goal, that comes to 200 people—a realistic number.
Anyone who sets a €5 “thank you” as their main offer is hoping for a lot of support. The reality is different: People tend to go with the lowest amount listed. Those who were willing to give 30 € often end up giving only 5 €—not on top of that, but instead. Setting the price too low reduces the perceived value of your project.
A fairly priced thank-you gift in the range of 35–75 € will benefit your project more than five small, symbolic contributions.
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