Pricing thoughts

[taimatsu]

I could do this as a poll but it would get way too complicated. I want to check that my ideas of pricing for tomorrow's stall are not crazy, before I spend all night writing price-tags.

So, I'm going to post links to pictures of some things I've made which are kind of representative of my stock, give each a number, and comment on the price I am considering charging. If you are someone who might buy anything like this for yourself or someone else, and you feel like it, you could make a comment noting the number of a picture and whether you think the price is just right, too low, too high, etc. Obviously no necessity to comment on everything. Other comments ("I like/love/hate that." "I think that looks really weird/good/interesting/crappy/amateur/like I could make it myself for way less." "Please explain why you chose that price." "I'd wear this/to a Bad Taste themed party." "I'd buy this as a gift/if I wanted to lose friends.", etc.) are also most welcome.

Since my camera had a close encounter with some champagne a month or so back it has been very unhappy, so the photos are not great. They are mostly for my reference, not advertising, though, so that's ok.


1.


This is a necklace made with copper wire, wooden and glass beads and soft white cord; it's probably one of the best things I've made, involving a lot of work, and I am considering charging £10 for it, or more if I can get away with it.

2.


This is a pendant in silver-plated wire and amethyst chips - again, among my best wirework pieces. I am thinking six or seven pounds for this.

3.


This is a cuff bracelet made with an awful lot of blue glass beads (and a few small plastic ones), plus two types of wire. Lots of expensive beads, a fair bit of work - if anyone actually likes it (I'm in two minds) I'd be charging a good eight quid if not more.

4.


Simple link earrings. For this sort of thing I think about £4 would be appropriate.


5.


A necklace done in tigertail with silver-plated clasp and (incidentally) platinum-plated crimps (those were all I could find), and garnet chips. Does six quid sound plausible? Seven?

6.


Some of my favourite earrings - tigertail loops with haematite and silver beads, silver-plated findings. Four pounds again, I think. I don't want to fuss too much about earring prices - I think they can all go at £4.

7.


My favourite style of bracelet - silver-plated links with rosequartz chips and silver-tone beads with charm-type dangles. Gemstone chips aren't cheap - the materials and my labour come to a fiver at least, so I think this has to go for £7 or more. Is that feasible?

8.

And lastly for now, how much would you pay for this? Elasticated wooden bead bracelet; I think this may be skewed by the larpers on my friends-list as I'm not sure many 'normal' people would wear it. Thoughts?

Give yourself a pat on the back if you got this far. Extra special kudos if you are actually considering commenting.

Comments

[mistress-carrot.livejournal.com]

The prices seem fair, but it's difficult to tell without pictures of the whole piece instead of just close ups of the detail.

Three or four quid for the wooden braclet, people would wear it.

[taimatsu]

They are thumbnails linking to the large-scale pictures - just click on them!

(It would've got huge if I had included the zoomed-out view for everything right here in the post!)

[marmadukesphinx.livejournal.com]

i'd wear the last bracelet - and i'm not a Larper!

[taimatsu]

Oh good :)

So, what price would make you think "That's too much!" and what would be good value? :)

[becky-spence.livejournal.com]

I think the prices seem more than fair, and I love the blue bracelet and the blue earings!

[arkady.livejournal.com]

I used to do jewellery making - both silversmithing and casting from scratch and wire/beadwork, so the stuff you've made is something I'm quite familiar with. I used to make and sell stuff at craft fairs on a regular basis and got used to what would sell, and at what prices.

So, with that in mind, my verdict:

Number 2 - You might get that price if it were strung on a silver trace chain; but not strung on white cord. Even black cord would be better than the white you've used, as to be honest it just looks like white string. The white also detracts from the effect of the contrast between amethyst chips and silver wire. Also, people paying that price would expect sterling silver wire, not merely silver-plated.

Number 3 - I think you're being overly optimistic expecting £8. £6 would be a more realistic price.

Earrings: £4 sounds a reasonable price.

Number 5 - £6 sounds reasonable. Again, if you were using sterling silver instead of plated findings, you could charge more.

Number 7 - again, being let down by using plated instead of sterling silver. Where are you getting your gemstone chips from? Rose quartz is an inexpensive stone; findings for that bracelet shouldn't have come to a fiver. £7 might be pushing it.

Number 8 - doesn't fit with the rest of your stuff at all I'm afraid; personally I wouldn't bother putting it out - it just jars too much against the silver and stones.

My overall opinion is that you have been overcharged for your findings and you need to find cheaper sources. Don't bother with the bead shops in central London - haunt charity shops and look out for interesting old necklaces. Ask to look through any bags of broken jewellery they might have - you can find some interesting beads and findings that way. Stop using plated findings and start using sterling silver instead; it honestly isn't that much more expensive. Check out eBay for gemstone chips - there are several eBay shops that do wholesale prices; if they're selling in quantities larger than you think you can use, find a friend who would be interested in pairing up with you for an order.

Hope that all helps - and that I haven't dispirited you too badly!

[taimatsu]

No, this is all very useful, thanks. Re. the wooden bracelet, I do have some other wooden pieces to sell so it shouldn't be too jarring. A fair bit of this pricing is theoretical anyway as I have had much of the supplies for years.

I'll re-string the pendant on black leather cord! I might put things at half-way between your price and mine, and reduce them in the afternoon if they aren't selling.

[arkady.livejournal.com]

Oh good - I didn't want you to feel I was being discouraging!

Think of the first time as basically feeling your way and seeing what will sell and what won't, and getting a realistic feel for prices.

Depending on how much stock you have, you may well find it's the smaller things - like the earrings - that are your best sellers.

Let me know if you need more findings BTW - I have quite a large stock of sterling silver ear wires and jumprings that I haven't gotten around to doing anything with yet, plus at least one roll of sterling silver wire! I also have large numbers of cut and facetted precious and semi-precious gems, but they aren't in settings and are mostly between 2mm-5mm in size, so possibly too small for your uses. I bought them for making doll-sized jewellery, like the rings in this icon.

[taimatsu]

Oh, and re. the rose quartz bracelet, the components probably came to around £3, at a guess - and then I'm adding my time in making it, at roughly £5/hour.

[arkady.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I discovered myself that I couldn't really charge a realistic rate for labour - I had to simply pick a price that people were willing to pay. That said, for most pieces I could usually get a pretty decent markup over material costs.

[taimatsu]

Well, I'll see how I manage! Because so much of the supplies are 'dead' things I've had for ages, I'm unlikely to actually make a major loss this time round, even though I have spent quite a bit on it. It's all a learning experience :)

[rainbowskye.livejournal.com]

I have no particular expertise here but I thought the same as Arkady about 2 initially, that it would be nicer strung on something else. Could you maybe try going with your initial prices, and then you'd have the capacity to lower them if things weren't selling, or if someone was expressing a real interest in something you could knock a bit off to encourage them if you'd started higher?

[taimatsu]

*nod* The white worked for me originally as I wore it the other day with a white blouse with purple embroidery - but I see the point, and will change it for black :)

[tartful-dodger.livejournal.com]

I'm going to say the same thing in regards to the white cord, but I really can't comment on pricing as I don't know where you're selling (which will impact the price you can sell things for vastly, I think). I'd consider scouting the competition when you're there and seeing what other people are charging for their items.

Other than that, I just want to say that these are really pretty (I especially like number two. :).

[ladyfrances.livejournal.com]

I dont feel I can comment on prices as I pretty much dont buy jewelry, and I've been a poor student so long my thinking on a good price is probably lower than normal peoples...

...but I wanted to say that the blue and white bracelets (3 and 7) are both super pretty :)

So, can I come visit your stall tomorrow?

[taimatsu]

You can indeed, I'd love to see you :) (Especially if you watch the stall for two minutes while I dash to the loo. God knows how bathroom breaks are supposed to work.)

[ashfae.livejournal.com]

I'd like a further back look at 5.

I would gladly buy about half of these, especially for the prices you're asking. Particularly the hematite earrings. =)

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

I can't really comment on the prices other than to say: pricing according to competitor items at wherever you're selling will probably be better for you than relating your price to your own costs. But another thing: from the name Hikari Arts, will people be expecting more Japanese-looking stuff?

[dystopiac.livejournal.com]

I can't really comment on prices, but I would definitely buy #2 (on black cord) and #6 if I were there!

I can't really tell what 4 looks like at all, as it is too close up, and several I have trouble seeing how the pieces would sit based on the photo.

[taimatsu]

4's too close up even in the linked larger photo (not the all-blue thumbnail)?

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

7) I think £7 is too high. More like £5.
8) I'd pay about £6.

Rest of your prices sound plausible.

[igniscience.livejournal.com]

can't really comment on prices, but as other people have said probably the best way to judge is by scouting out the competition (if you can get someone else to watch the stall for a bit) and seeing how well things sell !

general aesthetic thoughts: the green and the copper in 1 contrast really well, the fuzzy white cord lets 2 down a bit, i find 6 and 7 particularly pretty. hope it goes well...