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Pricing
Nov 23, 2010 10:37:29 GMT -5
Post by Tonyterner on Nov 23, 2010 10:37:29 GMT -5
Amber and I have spent the last few weeks getting ready for our first real show. The booth is all built, the tags have been made and most of the pendants are done (over 200 of them). The only hard thing left is pricing. I've always struggled with pricing my work but my woodturnings were easier to price. Obviously I'm going to have lots of different prices based on the quality of the material and the metal work. I guess my main question is what do you feel a good price would be for an average cab with a handmade sterling silver bail glued to the back? I know this is very subjective but just wanted to hear some thoughts from others. TIA
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Nov 23, 2010 11:24:46 GMT -5
Post by frane on Nov 23, 2010 11:24:46 GMT -5
I suck at that too Tony so I am of no help! I just hope you do really well at the show! Fran
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,466
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Pricing
Nov 23, 2010 12:45:57 GMT -5
Post by Sabre52 on Nov 23, 2010 12:45:57 GMT -5
Yeah pricing is tough for me too. Most folks don't seem to even want to pay what I put into a piece so now I only do stuff I donate to auctions etc. Silver is real costy now too. I really don't think I can even break even on a good hand cut cab of good size at under $10-15 when you consider time put into it. I notice most of Stoner's cabs are priced at $15 and up and he seems to sell a bunch. So, were it me, I'd figure a price for the cab, add in the cost of the silver fitting and then something for your time and profit. I guess that would put a lot of pendants in the $30-50 range depending on the size and rarity of the stone.....Mel
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Gem'n I
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2008
Posts: 980
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Pricing
Nov 23, 2010 13:13:58 GMT -5
Post by Gem'n I on Nov 23, 2010 13:13:58 GMT -5
Cost of materials time two and add time and profit...or see what the competition is selling for and come in just under that...course that may mean you lose money...so bottom line is whatever the traffic will bear in this economy...you don't want to lose but you also don't want to take home stuff that you could sell...good question!!! One that there is no one answer to but for me if I break even on materials then add a little I am happy and I have money coming in for more stuff I can buy and you have happy customers who may come back for more good deals...Larry
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dbrealityrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2010
Posts: 1,084
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Pricing
Nov 23, 2010 14:14:38 GMT -5
Post by dbrealityrocks on Nov 23, 2010 14:14:38 GMT -5
My mother who has knit all her life always said 3 X the material. I base my prices on the cost of material (a lot of my stones have $20 worth of silver which I don't triple) and the stone itself. A lot of my stones are what I consider the best out of 10-25 lbs of material so they're not just average stones. I'm cosidering roughing out the avg. stones and finish them in a vibratory tumbler which I feel I could sell for $10 or so. I'm not sure this helps any but I'd rather take home stones than sell for less than my time and materials cause somewhere down the road someone will help my 401k.
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catskillrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2008
Posts: 1,270
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Pricing
Nov 23, 2010 21:47:25 GMT -5
Post by catskillrocks on Nov 23, 2010 21:47:25 GMT -5
Don't know either, Tony, just don't sell yourselves short. Good Luck!
Don
ps: Cost of materials, time, profit, but also enough to recoup the booth fee.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,466
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Pricing
Nov 23, 2010 22:40:43 GMT -5
Post by Sabre52 on Nov 23, 2010 22:40:43 GMT -5
Tony: if I might make a suggestion, though you've probably already thought of it. Don't forget the big bowls of tumbled rocks. I used to have a swapmeet booth and they really attract the kids who drag along the parents. You can either give them away or sell them. I used to sell smaller stones at $1 per dozen and larger ones at 25 cents each. Made a lot off the sales and it seemed the level of the bowl didn't even drop at all. Even had tumbled slabettes which folks bought for use in everything from wirewrapping to decorations on fancy cowboy hats. More than paid for my booth costs just from sales of just those three items....Mel
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Nov 23, 2010 23:01:15 GMT -5
Post by johnjsgems on Nov 23, 2010 23:01:15 GMT -5
My wife uses 3X materials on her beaded jewelry as a start. Some things get moved up or down subjectively if it "feels right".. Mel's idea is great too. I have a friend that tried a juried arts/crafts show and could only sell things he made. He does stone and silver, wife does wire wrap. He took along tumbled stones since he tumbled them and sold out. I used to have tumbled stones for sale to adults, one free for kids. Kids would be delighted and parents would be trapped at the booth while they took forever trying to pick the best one.
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Nov 24, 2010 6:36:47 GMT -5
Post by Tonyterner on Nov 24, 2010 6:36:47 GMT -5
Thanks for your help. I don't think we can do the tumbled stones this time although we've done that at rock shows we've sold at. My display is all vertical to there'd be no place to set the bowl other than the floor. 3x times my materials would make the cabs less then $10 since there really isn't much material in them. One thing I have to keep in mind is the entrance fee was $150, that will add at least $3 to the price of every cab. Amber suggested a base price of $18. I might go down to $15 on some of the less flashy pieces. I'm thinking $30 for a groove wrap.
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Nov 24, 2010 6:41:40 GMT -5
Post by texaswoodie on Nov 24, 2010 6:41:40 GMT -5
The only thing I hate more than pricing is selling so I don't do either. Let us know how it comes out. Curt
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Nov 24, 2010 10:14:06 GMT -5
Post by johnjsgems on Nov 24, 2010 10:14:06 GMT -5
It is`always good to have a variety of prices. In this economy the $15-$25 range will likely pay your fee. My wife's jewelry sells to about $60. Everything above that travels with us a long time.
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Nov 24, 2010 12:06:22 GMT -5
Post by stonesthatrock on Nov 24, 2010 12:06:22 GMT -5
I would say variety of prices works pretty good. Ralph's range from $8 on up it depends on the material more then his time. I don't pay him well per hr. lol
mary ann
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Nov 24, 2010 18:01:14 GMT -5
Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 24, 2010 18:01:14 GMT -5
There have many good suggestions here. I`ll echo the suggestions to have a wide range of prices and a wide range of items. Humans are unpredicatable critters and there isn`t a whole lot of confidence in our economies anywhere. Kids love rocks and are often resticted to a dollar, or two budget. They will gobble up your loose tumbles. Many people are psychlogically restricted to a $10 to $15 budget, so you should have something for them. Fortunately, there are some that beleive they must spend $40 to $50 to get anything good. You should have something for them, and keep you fingers crossed.
Good luck and let us know what works (or doesn`t work) for you. As you can gather from the posts, many of us struggle with this.
Darryl.
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drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
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Pricing
Nov 24, 2010 19:04:34 GMT -5
Post by drjo on Nov 24, 2010 19:04:34 GMT -5
Don't forget PIX!!! ;D
And wear some of your own stuff.
Dr Joe
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rockncajun
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2009
Posts: 344
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Pricing
Nov 24, 2010 23:30:16 GMT -5
Post by rockncajun on Nov 24, 2010 23:30:16 GMT -5
I've done several shows and my advise is don't sell too cheap. I've seen times that my most expensive pieces sell better. My theory is if you sell something cheap, the customer feels they bought a cheap piece. If they buy a high dollar piece they feel they have a one of a kind item and leave feeling they made a deal. I don't worry about booth fee. I'll make it or not. But it is easier to make when my profit is greater. Some might disagree with me but it works for me. Oh yeah by the way, I've always made booth fee. Ray
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