Buying for a season
Packs vs cases: cost per foot for installers
Enter the footage you expect to install this season. See the cost per lit foot if you buy everything in packs, in cases and spools, or as C9 installation kits.
Unit cost: pack vs case
Every item below is priced from the Christmas Light Supplier catalog (snapshot September 27, 2026). "Case saves" is the per-unit difference; "case wins at" is the number of packs at which a single case becomes the lower total.
| Item | Pack | Case | Case saves | Case wins at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C9 LED bulbs | 25 for $19.95$0.798 / bulb | 500 for $319.00$0.638 / bulb | −20% | 16 packs (400 bulbs) |
| All in One clips | 100 for $17.99$0.180 / clip | 3,000 for $549.00$0.183 / clip | +2% | n/a |
| C9 O clips | 100 for $24.95$0.249 / clip | 1,000 for $228.00$0.228 / clip | −9% | 10 packs (1,000 clips) |
| Magnet clips | 100 for $79.99$0.800 / clip | 2,000 for $1,545.00$0.772 / clip | −3% | 20 packs (2,000 clips) |
| Shingle tabs | 100 for $19.95$0.199 / tab | 1,000 for $219.00$0.219 / tab | +10% | n/a |
| 8 in. light stakes | 25 for $21.50$0.860 / stake | 250 for $199.95$0.800 / stake | −7% | 10 packs (250 stakes) |
| Male plugs | 50 for $37.99$0.760 / plug | 1,000 for $699.00$0.699 / plug | −8% | 19 packs (950 plugs) |
| Female plugs | 50 for $37.99$0.760 / plug | 1,000 for $699.00$0.699 / plug | −8% | 19 packs (950 plugs) |
| Photocell timers | 1 for $11.00$11.00 / timer | 4 for $43.00$10.75 / timer | −2% | 4 packs (4 timers) |
| 4 in. LED mini strands | 1 for $15.00$15.00 / strand | 24 for $295.00$12.29 / strand | −18% | 20 packs (20 strands) |
| 6 in. LED mini strands | 1 for $14.50$14.50 / strand | 24 for $260.00$10.83 / strand | −25% | 18 packs (18 strands) |
Socket wire and kits
Socket wire only comes by the 1,000 ft. spool: 12 in. spacing at $275.00, 15 in. at $240.00 and 24 in. at $289.00. C9 installation kits come in 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000 ft. sizes at 12 in. and 15 in. spacing; for example the 250 ft. 15 in. kit is $425.00 and the 1,000 ft. 15 in. kit is $1,299.00. The season calculator picks the lowest-cost set of kits that covers your footage.
How the season comparison works
- Packs: bulbs in 25-packs, clips in 100-packs, plugs in 50-packs, socket wire by the spool (there is no smaller unit).
- Cases: for each item, the lowest-cost mix of cases and packs that covers the quantity, so a case is only used when it lowers the total.
- Kits: the lowest-cost set of C9 installation kits covering the footage, plus plugs for each run. Kits include wire, bulbs and hardware; check each kit page for its contents.
Quantities: sockets = footage × 12 ÷ spacing; wire = footage × 1.05 + 3 ft. per run; plugs = one male and one female per run, and runs = jobs × runs per job.
Cash flow vs unit cost
Cases lower the unit cost, but they tie up cash in stock before the first job pays. A common approach is to buy the items you use on every job (bulbs, clips, plugs) by the case once your booked footage passes the break-even, and to buy slower-moving items in packs. Because orders ship free the same day with no minimum, topping up with packs mid-season adds no shipping cost.
Frequently asked questions
When does a case of C9 bulbs pay off?
A 25-pack is $19.95 and the 500-bulb case is $319.00. Once you would buy 16 packs (400 bulbs), the case costs less even with bulbs left over. That is 500 ft. of roofline at 15 in. spacing.
Are cases always cheaper per unit?
Not always. At the snapshot prices, All in One clips and Shingle tabs cost less per unit in the small pack than in the case, so buying packs is the lower-cost option there at any quantity. For the other items the case lowers the unit cost, by very different amounts. The break-even column shows how many packs you would need before the case is the lower total, which is the number that matters when cash is tight early in the season.
How do installation kits compare?
Kits bundle socket wire, bulbs and install hardware at a set footage. The calculator above prices a kit plan next to buying packs and buying cases, per lit foot, so you can see which way your season's footage points.
Does leftover stock count against the case price?
In the season comparison, the full price of every case, spool and pack you buy is counted, and the cost per foot is taken over your season's footage. Leftover stock lowers next season's cost, which the job price calculator reflects by pricing each job per unit.