Friday 18 September 2009

help

yes its me being all needy again ... i am struggling with the old pricing monster again !
after much and i mean much research i am thinking of changing some of my prices on things like these





and these



and these



Now of course the " i heart cake" takes a fair bit of work well they all do but it is something i am very happy making and could spend all day cutting and stitching precious scraps of some of my fave fabrics .
Anyhoo back to the problem .... i have found similar and by that i mean little appliqued badges / brooches and they all seem under 5.95 ok some are more but not to many .

I want to ask what you think and please do remember that i have to offer a wholesale price too !!

So i thought if i did the unwritten brooches just for me as in not wholesale and then i can offer the others like the apple etc to shops and not lose out , if that makes any sense at all !

So what i want is for you lovely bloggers to tell me what you think is a fair price for the apples or hearts or cupcakes etc ?



10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Sara,

I have to admit I struggle with a similar problem myself, with my paper good and sewed bits & pieces. On the one hand, I enjoy making them, so I try to view any "profit" earned in return as a good way of supporting a hobby that I enjoy. On the other, you kind of think to yourself sometimes, that has taken me AGES so I don't want to give it away!
Especially if we are going to make a go of our little enterprises!

I don't think £5.95 is too much to ask for something so lovely, but I guess in these times of economic crisis people may not have as much "spare" money floating around... I have found sales a bit slow recently so am hoping this is the reason, and that things will pick up on the run-up to Christmas where people are looking for gifts and stocking fillers!

I do think though, that in the long run, someone who enjoys what they are doing, and has good, original ideas will be successful :-)

Have a good weekend!

Rose XXX

Anonymous said...

Oh pricing is just about that most difficult thing!! I don't think you should under price, you always have to remember that only you know how much time and love went into creating a special item.
I agree that if it's something you enjoy doing it's hard to price it on the higher end, but you do need to consider wholesale prices too.
In the 'real' mass produced world, most companies will sell things on for twice/three times what they paid themselves for it...they wouldn't charge less if they were manufacturing the product themselves, they'd just make more profit!!
Sorry not sure I've been all that helpful!

Petal Textiles said...

Hi Sara

This is such a hard thing, and I really struggle with this.

They are so lovely and you can see so much work had gone into them. I notice in your folksy store they are mostly £6.95, to be honest I think this is a resonable price and worth paying for a beautiful hand made peice. Its so difficult when other people are selling for much less. I think if you can still make money on them at £5,95 then change for the price for a trial time and see if it makes much difference to sales, but I still think £6.95 is very fair price as you can see all the work that goes into them. And as you say you have to allow for wholesale as well.
Ooh this subject is so hard.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

Cal said...

Considering the work in them and that they are unique, individual and handmade, I don't think you are overcharging. If people want to pay less they can go for an import from China ;> I doubt they would get the same quality for that and you do wonder about working conditions too when mass produced items are very cheap.
Have a great weekend. x

Pomona said...

The first thing is to do a costing - cost of materials even if scraps (because in the long run you will have to buy in), the cost of sourcing materials (eg petrol), time taken to make and how much you would charge your time out per hour (even if you enjoy your work, you are still aiming to make a living, and this is not unskilled work), holiday pay, tax, NI (so you are not worse off than if you went out to work), electricity, heating, etc. It might seem a big hassle, and will require estimating some things, but it gives you a benchmark for a wholesale price. And for direct selling there are sales costs like listing, craft fair fees, time spent on sales, pretty packaging.

You must be quite clear in your head that you are not losing money on each item, too. I am sure that you cannot sell these for less than £7 - and don't just look at the cheapest, look at the most expensive, too. Small extra details on the brooch or in your beautiful packaging might not cost you a lot, but can add greatly to perceived value. Commercial products are often priced not on labour/material cost, but according to which sector of the market they are directed at - low, midprice, high-end, etc. In this country we can't compete at the low end - this is the province of multinationals using developing world labour at 10p an hour - so mid upwards is really the best way to go.

Rather than make single items cheap, in general, try promotions such as free gifts with orders over a certain value, buy 2, get one free or cheaper. Limited special offers with closing dates can also bring forward purchase decisions.

Marketing is also key - and can help to build sales. Lupin has given some advice about all these issues on her blog. Possibly entering swaps so that the other swapper will blog about the product, monthly small giveaways to build traffic and encourage other bloggers to blog about the produce (Paper and String does this), sponsoring giveaways on other blogs with the right sort of readership.

Hope this helps - email me if you anything is not clear!

Pomona x

Jo said...

I know what you mean, I think £5.95is a fair price, I tend to price my stuff around £5 - £10 but then again I hardly sell anything, so it's difficult to know what to suggest....
Josie x

Hilda May said...

Well I'm not at the shop stage yet,but Pomona's advise sounds good...they are lovely though...wll done!
Rachel x

Dotty Delightful said...

i Can't add anything helpful Im afraid but you have made me feel a bit better by knowing that i a not alone in the pricing thing, I always feel a bit guilty and never know what to ask, but it is easier I think online as your not face to face with the buyer, when I had a shop I was just awful if someone asks how much something was, I got all doddery and said something like ohh 10p and hoped they would'nt think it was too much!!

saraeden said...

Thank you all for your advice , pricing your hard work is one of the most difficult things unless your mega confident ;)

I have picked up sooooo much good advice from bloggers .... i love ya all x x

Have a good weekend x x

Nicola said...

Hi there. you make very lovely little pieces that are can be very impulse buy in shops at the right price. There is something about £5 and under that makes it seam like its almost free. I think You have to work out exactly how much in materials you are spending and then exactly how much time it takes you to make each style.(which im sure youve already done) If you dont feel like hanging yourself at the end of doing that then your on to a winner! seriously though some pieces may be just 'break evens' but be really good at establishing you as a brand in the shops. You can always look to adding a pound or two on things that are more seasonal and as such more instantly desirable? ie christmas decs? bottom line is the reason your doing what your doing. Work out why your doing it and let that guide you. if you MUST make money from each piece then price acordingly, if you can manage to let some be just for the love of it then let that guide you, good luck . lovely stuff.