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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 5, 2019 17:03:14 GMT -5
Making a bezel is a fairly simple unless the cabochon is very large, however fabrication is not the time sink. The bulk of my labor goes into finishing and polishing work. Pricing is complicated, but things to consider are cost of materials, shipping costs from your supplier for materials, tools/equipment used to produce the piece, overhead (electricity, water, gas, etc), labor, listing fees, selling fees, processing fees, fees calculated listing shipping price, packaging supplies, gift boxes, bags, shipping costs to the customer, fuel cost for delivering the package to the post office, etc., and then multiply that by your margin/markup multiplier. How much profit do you want out of the product? If you're selling at cost, you're not making any money or not properly evaluating your costs, you're probably losing money. There is so much that goes into pricing. Most people never really consider everything- as you have listed- and I'm sure there are more. For me, I have to count time sourcing material, too. But, that's one of the fun parts.
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Post by stardiamond on Apr 5, 2019 17:54:32 GMT -5
rockjunquie provided an excellent for a making cabs to sell model. I have over 50 Riker boxes full of cabs. They were created as a hobby. Pricing would include fees, packaging, shipping and time. The cabs are a sunk cost. I don't need 2000 cabs. 70 percent could get sold off in bulk for a very low price. There is still work and costs in selling. I need to figure out how much time do I need to spend to convert something I don't need to cash for something else. The benefit was in the creation. The remaining 30 percent would require a lot more effort and would expect a larger return. There may be no solution for me. I might try listing a small number of better cabs and price what I think is fair and gauge the reaction. A special creation shouldn't be sitting in a Riker box.
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Post by fernwood on Apr 5, 2019 18:26:47 GMT -5
Agree that something special should not be sitting in a box.
There is a solution out there. Lots of good advice here, but it will take some time and research to determine what is best for you.
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Post by Rockindad on Apr 5, 2019 18:41:34 GMT -5
I'll also add again that there are other niches where your cabs could be used and sold at higher prices than necklaces and rings. They can be used to embellish and take to a whole 'nother level things like boxes, cases and other containers (wood or metal), implements (such as executive desk sets), furniture and cabinetry, hardware (such as pulls and knobs), architectural ornaments, insets for custom tile or stone backsplashes, cane handles, and whatever else your imagination can conceive. Several years back, Chuck Drummond Island Rocks made some drawer pulls to match his new kitchen countertops. Some of the photos are AWOL, but enough there to get the idea. taken for granite This is a project you would most likely do for yourself, or (good) friends and family. Very time and labor intensive, most people would not understand what is involved, and wouldn't want to pay you what it cost for you to make them. In regards to your last sentence- this is true in many, if not all, areas where a crasftsperson is making one off items. I had a small GC business that started morphing into a lot of custom woodworking (built-ins, pantries, furniture, etc.). While some people were willing to pay for the craftsmanship involved to get a superior product, many more people did not understand why my hand-built items were so much more than the particle board furniture that comes in a box from Walmart, Target, Ikea, etc. The closing rate on those jobs was a fraction of things like bathroom/kitchen remodels, etc. and to be honest I was probably a bit low on my pricing because it started as a hobby and never really priced it in line with my other work. Al
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Post by stardiamond on Apr 5, 2019 18:56:59 GMT -5
There's a big difference between funding a hobby and generating income.
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Post by Rockindad on Apr 5, 2019 19:59:31 GMT -5
There's a big difference between funding a hobby and generating income. Huge difference. Also a big difference between making money and just losing less money. Don't get me wrong I still made money with my woodworking, I just did not always charge what I could/should have because I enjoyed that work more and also had the convenience of working out of my home shop. What really opened up my eyes was a period of time that I was very busy so I was going to have some cabinets fabricated for a customer so I measured them up and got some quotes. Took a harder look at my pricing after that. You have been on here a long time so I am sure you have seen a lot of people come and go who wanted to sell their goods. I lurked her for months reading old posts before signing up. There are countless links that take you to defunct Etsy, Ebay, etc. stores. The overwhelming majority of people are not going to price their goods to cover everything mentioned in prior posts- makes it real hard for people that do. In my opinion if someone is not interested in studying what it takes to run a business they should remain a hobbyist, it will save some heartache. Didn't mean to get off on a tangent, as I think you are just looking to sell items here and there and not go full time, I just spent many years on my business plan and saw so many who didn't fail. However you proceed Best of Luck! Al
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Post by stardiamond on Apr 5, 2019 20:20:31 GMT -5
Pure hobbyist. When I was working, I had little leisure time and spent it doing what I enjoyed. I spent my time creating not selling. Selling is time consuming. I've sold non lapidary on ebay and sold lapidary on this site, for the hobby not to make money. I'm retired now and have more time but I still value my time. Anything I make selling cabs would go toward equipment and material. I'm not looking for more activities that are time consuming. When I am motivated I'll attempt to sell cabs and possible pendants,
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Post by Rockindad on Apr 6, 2019 4:05:44 GMT -5
Amen to that, NOTHING is more valuable than your time!
Al
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julieooly
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2018
Posts: 714
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Post by julieooly on May 3, 2019 17:03:56 GMT -5
Do it because you enjoy it first, just like making the cabs. Don't forget you're going to spend a ton of time (and maybe money) on photography also.
Whether a hobby or an occupation, lapidary and jewelry just isn't paid by the hour. If I cut a cab that turned out exactly like a cab an expert made I couldn't charge more just because it took me longer to do it and my equipment wasn't depreciated like theirs might be. It's the same thing as if you buy your material at a higher price doesn't mean you get to charge more for the finished piece.
I'd try really hard to market your cabs as they are before I jumped into something which will be time consuming and may be costly as well. There's also the artistic element to consider, there's a lot of really great talent out there to compete with.
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Post by taylor on May 3, 2019 21:58:29 GMT -5
It is important to learn your market. We sell locally at an open air market in a small town and online. It is exceptionally rare for us to sell a cabochon at our local market. I put a few on the table simply to see which ones draw interest. If there is interest, then that cab may chosen to be made into jewelry. It has taken time with consistently being available to develop a following which I attribute to being in a very small economically challenged town. Pricing can be interesting. Obviously you want to recoup your costs and all of those other elements people have already talked about. If your price is too high for the local economy it doesn't sell. If your price is too low it also doesn't sell because of perceived lack of value. Sometimes we make jewelry with cabs that have more value than will sell locally, so those pieces are sold on Etsy. Some pieces I have listed on Etsy are also available locally, but at different prices. I don't even bother with jewelry on eBay because I can't compete with the imported stuff. Based on the pictures that I see your cabs are nice and will draw interest. Have fun smithing!!!
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