A cheaper tub can cost more per gram: a landed-cost workshop

Write down the quantities before calculating

For each product, record the price, unavoidable shipping or extras, declared servings and collagen grams per serving. Keep the original label or source page beside the worksheet. If the label supplies only total powder weight and does not identify the collagen quantity, do not substitute one for the other. A flavored mixture may contain additional ingredients. The comparison should stop at the missing input rather than producing a neat number with an undocumented assumption.

Try two invented packages

Package A is $24, with $6 shipping, 30 servings and 10 g of declared collagen per serving. Its landed cost is $30 and its declared collagen total is 300 g. Divide $30 by 300 g to get $0.10 per gram. Package B is $36 with no shipping, 30 servings and 15 g per serving. Its total is 450 g, or $0.08 per gram. B costs $6 more upfront but 20% less per gram compared with A. These are teaching values, not offers or intake recommendations.

Notice why cost per serving gives a different impression

A costs $1.00 per serving and B costs $1.20 per serving. Both statements can be correct while B remains cheaper per declared gram, because B’s serving contains more collagen. A serving is a label-defined quantity, not a standardized clinical outcome. Decide what comparison you are trying to make before choosing the denominator. The tool shows both units so the smaller per-serving price does not quietly stand in for a lower per-gram price.

Keep promotions and currencies explicit

If you use a first-order discount, write down whether it applies once or repeatedly. If shipping is waived only above a basket threshold, do not treat the waiver as automatic. Compare actual payable prices in the same currency. The currency selector changes display formatting; it does not perform a foreign-exchange conversion. For a cross-border purchase, record any conversion and fees yourself before entering a common-currency amount. Leave uncertain future subscription prices outside a one-order calculation.

Understand what a percentage difference means

The tool compares the lower unit cost with the higher unit cost. In the example, the difference is $0.02 per gram and the higher cost is $0.10, so the saving is 20%. The denominator matters: dividing by the lower cost would instead describe how much more expensive A is relative to B. Keep the comparison direction in the sentence. “B costs 20% less per gram than A” is clearer than an unexplained “20% better.”

Keep the evidence decision separate

The worksheet cannot establish purity, safety, authentic labeling or benefit. NIH’s supplement overview explains that supplement decisions involve more than price and that supplements are not approved by FDA for safety and effectiveness before marketing in the way medicines are. Use the downloaded calculation as a reproducible price note. Put evidence, testing claims and personal suitability in separate fields, with their own sources. A correctly calculated bargain can still leave those questions unanswered.

Sources for this section: [1] NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — what you need to know