first sale adsvice

[pixy]

Hi all I have been displaying some of the things I make on the border terrier website, and to my surprise I have had an e.mail from the USA to see if I would be willing to ship my work there.Now I have had my sticks ant segmentation and pyrography on the sight the same as I put on here, and only found out today that the work I do is called sculptured segmentation, how do you price such an item, help.
Mal

 

[Gill]

First - congratulations !

Secondly, I reckon pricing has to be one of the most difficult tasks we face. I'm lousy at it, which is why I rarely sell my stuff. You'll need to cover the costs of your materials, blades and finishes, plus a bit for wear & tear, and an element for the pattern. Then there's the time it took you to cut the project plus shipping costs. I daresay there's other considerations which I've completely overlooked, too :? .

Gill

 

[pixy]

Thanks for the reply Gill, Can you remember the boxer dog I posted on here well its that. I have it painted and just give it it's first coat of finish. I am really Pleased with it,as soon as it is completely finished I will post a picture of it including a stick I have just finished with handle copied from my younge border terrier. Mal

 

[chrispuzzle]

pixy -

I would say don't be afraid to put a reasonable value on your time, on top of the costs of materials etc. The sort of money other people will pay for a beautiful piece of craftsmanship is always far more than those who make the stuff would be prepared to pay!

 

[tanyabub]

I agree with Chris, don't forget to give yourself a 'wage' as well as recouping the cost of materials

One of the best ways to price something up is to make use of the web and search out similar items and see what they sell for. Although it can be tricky if what you are making is pretty unique.

Also ask around, do a bit of market research with friends and family. What would they be prepared to pay.

As Chris says the amount you'd be prepared to part with for a similar item will never be that much because you are bound to look at something in terms of materials. And if you're anything like me you'd be muttering 'I could make it for half that'