Pricing your work

[budd4766]

Got a question...or a gripe, maybe..

Why is it, that people will pay $50~$60 or more for a machine made leather product, but they expect you to hand make one for them for $20, and you almost have to dial 911 when you tell them what you'd really charge them? I get that a lot.

I suppose because I know what goes into making stuff, I'm more willing to pay for the craftsmanship of a hand-made item, but not everybody "gets it" I suppose. Just frustrating.

[fred3777]

You will find that your work is not monetarily appreciated by your customers like you think it should. Dont worry about it. Price it fairly, they will either pay you for it or wont be back. You could also implement a deposit on all orders. I do and it takes the guess work and hard feelings out of it. Custom work is custom work, you do it because they want it made. Also friends and family will never want to pay what it is worth for your time and effort. just my opinion

[Bree]

Got a question...or a gripe, maybe..

Why is it, that people will pay $50~$60 or more for a machine made leather product, but they expect you to hand make one for them for $20, and you almost have to dial 911 when you tell them what you'd really charge them? I get that a lot.

I suppose because I know what goes into making stuff, I'm more willing to pay for the craftsmanship of a hand-made item, but not everybody "gets it" I suppose. Just frustrating.

Machine made products are typically very precise and repeatable. People often see that as valuable. They see the machines themselves as valuable and expensive. They sometimes don't see people as having the same worth as a multi-million dollar machine.

Custom work is sometimes viewed as imprecise since two different pieces of the same kind will exhibit variation... like knots in boards. What we often view as prized features, the public rightly or wrongly can view as flaws.

[MaddCelt]

This is one of the reasons a friend of mine stopped making leather items to sell. He would watch people buy cheap made items that weren't anything close to the quality he did. As he put it, he cannot compete with India, so he stopped.

[Suze]

Got a question...or a gripe, maybe..

Why is it, that people will pay $50~$60 or more for a machine made leather product, but they expect you to hand make one for them for $20, and you almost have to dial 911 when you tell them what you'd really charge them? I get that a lot.

I suppose because I know what goes into making stuff, I'm more willing to pay for the craftsmanship of a hand-made item, but not everybody "gets it" I suppose. Just frustrating.

I saw this a lot in the miniture and craft world - I put it down to the attitude that if it comes from the hands of someone you can see it is "homemade" (They don't see "handCRAFTED")

Homemade is not "nearly" as good as what you can buy in the stores....(Riiiight)

then there is the attitude that "I can get that at "X-Mart" for half of what you are charging - why should I pay YOU more - it's homemade you should charge LESS than the store.

BAH

I charge what I think is a fair price for my time and talent (in the dollhouse world - materials are almost not worth figuring in) If you don't want to pay it - go to "X-Mart" there are enough others that ARE willing to pay it, I don't need you.

The hard part for me though is that I look at so many projects that are at craft shows and say to myself that "you know you CAN make that if you wanted to" (not that I could do half of the things you all do, but turn a piece of leather into a circle pouch......how much skill does THAT take? Cut circle out of leather - cut a few holes around the edge and stick a string in them $20.00 for a 8 inch circle.)

I would rather pay the person sitting behind a booth - than X-Mart - or a party plan (I'm thinking of a company that makes baskets)

[Wyvern]

I think that if people have never actually made something themselves, they have no appreciation for Hand Crafted products.

[budd4766]

I feel I must make a confession, however.

While walking through one of the shopping areas in Santa Fe at Christmas last year, I came upon a glass case with various leather goods displayed for sale. Of course, the prices were astronomical...muy expensive stuff.

While I was looking closer at the items for sale, I noticed...the were all finished Tandy kits items! And, while I can't knock somebody who finishes a really good kit item...these were not, let us say, of any extraordinary quality workmanship.

First thought I had was, "Pffft, Amateur!" I'm sure he did get a tourist sale every now and then, but I wouldn't have paid much of anything for the things I'd seen there.

Honestly, I hope they do well, there, because it's a fellow leathercrafter, but I wouldn't have bought any of it, personally...because I know it wouldn't take much effort to have done better work.

I guess it's all a matter of perspective.

[Suze]

I think that if people have never actually made something themselves, they have no appreciation for Hand Crafted products.

And there it is in a nutshell - people

If you have ever tried a craft - no matter how BAD it came out, you at least have some CLUE as the effort that it takes to make something.

There are tons of crafts that I tried over the years and decided that they weren't for me. (I really should get rid of some of the "debris" of them)

[Windy]

I feel I must make a confession, however.

While walking through one of the shopping areas in Santa Fe at Christmas last year, I came upon a glass case with various leather goods displayed for sale. Of course, the prices were astronomical...muy expensive stuff.

While I was looking closer at the items for sale, I noticed...the were all finished Tandy kits items! And, while I can't knock somebody who finishes a really good kit item...these were not, let us say, of any extraordinary quality workmanship.

First thought I had was, "Pffft, Amateur!" I'm sure he did get a tourist sale every now and then, but I wouldn't have paid much of anything for the things I'd seen there.

Honestly, I hope they do well, there, because it's a fellow leathercrafter, but I wouldn't have bought any of it, personally...because I know it wouldn't take much effort to have done better work.

I guess it's all a matter of perspective.

How do you know it would not have taken much effort to

have done better? Do you know this person?

WINDY

[budd4766]

How do you know it would not have taken much effort to

have done better? Do you know this person?

WINDY

Nope. Have no idea who made the items I saw...and there's nothing personal in that assessment on the quality of the work. The only basis I had to judge it by were the items on display themselves, and that's what I based my critique on. They looked like somebody bought a tandy kit and just threw it together and jacked the price up because it was in a tourist-y spot.