Savannah Scroller Posted March 9, 2015 Report Posted March 9, 2015 Hey Guys, In 20 days I am going to try to sell some of my woodwork for the first time. What I don't know is what to price it at. Can anyone kind of give me a clue as how to price things where they will sell but not give it away. I will keep it before I will just give it to people other than Family and A Couple of friends. KEEP ON SCROLLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote
rjR Posted March 9, 2015 Report Posted March 9, 2015 That is probably the hardest question of all to answer! Look at local stores for any ALMOST similar items; read ads. Check etsy site and EBay too. Remember the state of your local economy can also affect pricing considerably. It is easier to start a little high and THEN have "Sale Prices" You can also do a Price with "offers considered" below the price. Hope this helps a little. I use a lot of salvage wood so do not have to consider that factor. You can not sell something for $10 that will cost you $15 to remake! But, I do try to make expenses and a small margin for new tools and shop use. I do it as a hobby though, not a business; so others may have more relevant answers! Good luck and keep us posted. Quote
LarryEA Posted March 9, 2015 Report Posted March 9, 2015 rjR covered it well. I take into consideration the wood, if I stacked cut, and how intricate. I once charged fifty cents for every hole I drilled and still think my work is worth that price. I quit that when I constantly lost track of how many I drilled. You can do a search on 'pricing' in the General Scrollsawing forum. This is a subject that comes up often. Quote
amazingkevin Posted March 9, 2015 Report Posted March 9, 2015 show us what you have and i'll give you ball park numbers! Quote
jamminjack Posted March 9, 2015 Report Posted March 9, 2015 These are all good answers. However one of the main factors to consider is the quality of your work... As Kevin stated show us what your are going to sell, and there are a lot of people who will give you their honest opinion Its almost impossible to price a item without seeing the product.. . Quote
ike Posted March 9, 2015 Report Posted March 9, 2015 Pricing is a big problem. a lot depends on the area that you live in.I have found that if you can hold the price at $20 or below it will sell. But if you have someiting that ted customers have never seen before you can get a lot more than $20.Charge what you think it is worth and watch the customers and they will let you know if you are too high just by there actions.. you can always drop prices. this time of the year it is a hard sell. Quote
dansnow Posted March 9, 2015 Report Posted March 9, 2015 Consider your audience and venue as well. If it's labeled a Craft Fair, people will expect to pay more. If the word flea is any where near the place people expect goodwill level prices. If possible, have a range of items from inexpensive to higher priced. amazingkevin 1 Quote
heppnerguy Posted March 10, 2015 Report Posted March 10, 2015 I do not do craft shows but I do know one thing from experience. Items that sell from $1 to $30 seems to go pretty well. Items that are priced more than that will sell if they are obviously different, very useful or just happen to fit a decoration theme that someone has in their house. A couple of eye catchers, even high priced probably would not hurt, if only to get some people to stop and look. If they don't stop, they don't buy. I believe that people are looking for an unusual item at bargain prices. This is my thoughts, but not being involved in these, I could be way off. From what I read it looks like most craftshow people have a couple of items that sells best for them and they always make sure they have plenty of those available. Experience tells you whet will work for you personally. Good luck, let us know how you do Dick heppnerguy Quote
ike Posted March 10, 2015 Report Posted March 10, 2015 I usually have plenty of Nativity scenes which well good. I had lighted ones last year and they sold for $30. It cast about $3.00 in material and about 1.5 hours cutting time. I did 5 shows last year and cleared $1000 doing them,.Most of my items run between $10 and $20. good luck Quote
Dan Posted March 10, 2015 Report Posted March 10, 2015 "I don't care about making money, I just love to sell carpet!" That was from a commercial many moons ago. That is my state of mind when I do craft shows. When I price items I put the price I would expect to pay plus a little more. I also have my rock bottom, cost of material price that I don't advertise. My bookmarks are priced at $2.50. I know I could sell them at $1.00 and still make a profit but people think $2.50 is cheap. At that price I make over $30 per hour. I've never had to sell anything at rock bottom price. I do the same for larger, higher priced items also. It never hurts to have a sign on the table that says discounts for multiple items. amazingkevin and Clayton717 2 Quote
OCtoolguy Posted March 10, 2015 Report Posted March 10, 2015 Ok, I've never sold anything that I made but here is what I'd suggest. Decide what the least price would make you happy and cover your costs. Put that price on a couple of things. If they sell fast, you are too low. Start ratcheting up until they slow down or stop. Then adjust downward and find your niche. JMHO. Ray Quote
amazingkevin Posted March 10, 2015 Report Posted March 10, 2015 "I don't care about making money, I just love to sell carpet!" That was from a commercial many moons ago. That is my state of mind when I do craft shows. When I price items I put the price I would expect to pay plus a little more. I also have my rock bottom, cost of material price that I don't advertise. My bookmarks are priced at $2.50. I know I could sell them at $1.00 and still make a profit but people think $2.50 is cheap. At that price I make over $30 per hour. I've never had to sell anything at rock bottom price. I do the same for larger, higher priced items also. It never hurts to have a sign on the table that says discounts for multiple items. Good one DAN! Quote
Scrappile Posted March 10, 2015 Report Posted March 10, 2015 I'm getting a lot of pressure from my wife to try to sell some of mine, but I do not have a clue what they would sell for. I look at Esty and the prices for like items are all over the place. I also know I need to make some things in the $10 - $20 range if I want to ever do a show. For the detail pictures, if framed and finish, I would want $80 - $100 and I know I would only sell one once in a great while if that. They are just something that does not fit in with most home decors. You know. "nice to look at but not hanging in my house." I just bought a new saw, so I am really getting pressure now...... the boss is not happy with me. Dick, you still have that little guest house........??? Quote
Clayton717 Posted March 10, 2015 Report Posted March 10, 2015 I don't do crafts shows and sell all my stuff by word of mouth. I have several people come back each year to buy gifts. When I start a new project I keep track of time and materials and charge for both. When doing intarsia and other such projects I charge $ .15 a minute which comes to $ 9. Per hour, then I add in the wood and other supplies used. For portraits I have a set price, unless it's really difficult. I'm not getting rich by any means which is why I still keep my full time job, but I do make enough that my hobby supports itself. My pens range from 20 - 80 No matter the price you sell for you will have some say "thats cheap" then the next will say " thats to high". No matter how you come about setting your price, make sure you are comfortable with it... woukd you pay your asking price. All in all it's my hobby if i sell something great, if not I will display it in my home or give it as a gift. Lucky2 and amazingkevin 2 Quote
Savannah Scroller Posted March 11, 2015 Author Report Posted March 11, 2015 Thanks guys All of you have given me a lot to think on. Quote
heppnerguy Posted March 11, 2015 Report Posted March 11, 2015 oh one more thought. print yourself some cards and ask people to please take one. Some times down the road, they just might see that card and call you for an order that you really did not see coming.. Dick heppnerguy Quote
Jim Finn Posted March 11, 2015 Report Posted March 11, 2015 I think it depends on why you are offering items to sell. My attitude is: I sell them so I do not have to burn them. I am going to make them either way. I sell at street fairs and festivals and at a weekly farmers market. Trying to sell this time of year is a waste of my time. I start selling in May and stop at Christmas for the most part. I keep my prices on most items under $30. Best sellers are $5 items.(My cheapest) I make enough to fund my hobby 100%, including all my wood working equipment. Life is good. Scrolling Steve 1 Quote
Travis Posted March 11, 2015 Report Posted March 11, 2015 Here's an article I wrote an while back. It's mostly things to take into consideration when pricing your art. http://www.scrollsawvillage.com/articles.html/_/business-side/pricing-your-work-r45 Quote
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