What Would You Pay for.... This?

[LAPat]

I think this is a fun idea for a poll or even a topic but I don't want anyone to get their feelings hurt so if you do this, be ready to be surprised -- maybe pleasantly!

I am posting a picture of something I made to ask you all what you think it would be worth if you saw it in a shop. Eventually I will tell you what i charge, and if you have convinced me that I need to change the price. It should be interesting to see how area, local culture, and true knowledge of what went into a piece affect what we think it's worth. I think it might help to do a ballpark of where such items are usually placed for a retail sale. For instance, leashes, including fabric ones, in L.A. are usually under a hundred dollars and no less than about twenty. Average cost is probably twenty eight bucks. collars have a broader price range.

If anyone has any ideas how to tweak this, tweak away. ALso, I don't know how to write this as a poll, so I hope this is okay.

This leash is about four feet long and 3/4 wide.

Pat

[Suze]

Middle of Ohio here and out in the tiny town area ---- rural, big time

you would be lucky to get $20 for that leash --- after all they can go to Wal-Mart and buy one for half that price >sigh<

nobody appiecates hand crafted - in tiny town area

get to the cities though and all bets are off.

[Jordan]

Human nature is to want something for nuthing, I would venture to say $49.99. But it would be extremely unlikely to get that behind the zion curtain,( no offense intended that's just what I call my little corner of the world after I saw that cult classic The day the mexicans disappeared.) LOL. Seriously though you probably get alot more than that if your clientel is used to paying 5-6 grand for a purse or some such frivolous accessory. But a good leash is not something to skimp on especially if you happen to have a huge dog.

[skipj]

If it were marked as coach or LV it would go for a couple of hundred .

SkipJ

[McJeep]

huge dog.

Thanks fer that ;0)

[rawhide1]

LAPat

I'll play!! I would say in this area $25.00-$35.00 range.

Mike

[Spence]

I'd have to say less than $20.

[wildrose]

What would I pay for it? 50.00 easily. My family has had Airedales for a while, and they can really pull you! A nice sturdy leash like that would be great. I might even go to 75.00. Like others have said though, depends on the clientele.

I like this post idea. Here's something I finished recently. It was a gift for my youngest nephew - I'd made boxes for my niece and other nephew, so was continuing the tradition. The box is oak (from Grandpa's Pastime, Dale Grabowski), so it's not my usual "cheapo" Michael's craft store box. What would you pay for something like this?

[LAPat]

Thank you all for your input, I found it really helpful for a lot of reasons. My store is in a middle class neighborhood but we do get drop ins from the ritzy areas -- Tanya Tucker was in the other day and I see my share of stars and titanium Amex cards. The leash is $69.00 in the shop and if I sell it at a dog show I will come down to about $48.00. I just sold one with a fur handle for $95.00. It takes about thirty minutes to make if I am not rushing things, I like to do them while I watch tv. My buyers don't seem all that at the top of the food chain, but they all fall in love with the leashes and some of them come back three and four times and then buy.

What fascinates me is that I sell more of these now that I charge more and I upped the price after a lecture from a friend about undervaluing my work. But those first leashes I sold for $40.00 got them out and about on dogs, and they are still leashes that have people calling me to see if I want to sell in their stores. In fact, my problem now is production work. Which is another story all together.

Now I have another friend who does incredibly nice porcelain pendants of dogs. She is new to selling and wants to get $90.00 a piece. I think that a better course of action would be to start selling them under $50.00 , get them on some necks out in the world, and then bring the price up. That's what's worked for me.

As for those areas where I would be selling for under forty dollars, I think I'd find something else to sell...

Thanks again,

Pat

Holly,

Can you say how big this box is and show it open? Did you line the inside? I think what I would pay would depend on the finish inside the box, although I very much like the outside.

Thanks

Pat

[wildrose]

That one is plain inside - you never know what a young boy would put in it! But I have one I'd made for myself, and it is lined with fabric.

These boxes measure about 10"x5", and about 4" deep. He also makes some lovely square ones. I appreciate the quality of his workmanship. This box cost me 35.00+shipping.

Here are others I've done with his boxes. Some of the pics were with my old camera and are not really clear. The last set was a custom box Dale and I worked out for a customer's flutes. It was lined with velvet and padded. One other is also velvet lined, and has a commemorative "plaque" inside (it was to be an anniversary gift)

[jbird]

Holly I think if I was buying one I would pay upwards of $60 for it.

Josh

That one is plain inside - you never know what a young boy would put in it! But I have one I'd made for myself, and it is lined with fabric.

These boxes measure about 10"x5", and about 4" deep. He also makes some lovely square ones. I appreciate the quality of his workmanship. This box cost me 35.00+shipping.

Here are others I've done with his boxes. Some of the pics were with my old camera and are not really clear. The last set was a custom box Dale and I worked out for a customer's flutes. It was lined with velvet and padded. One other is also velvet lined, and has a commemorative "plaque" inside (it was to be an anniversary gift)

[wildrose]

Josh, I'm with you....but my dilemma is that the box alone is costing me about 45.00 (with shipping and all), so it's unreasonable for me to price them at that after I've spent a goodly amount of time doing the leatherwork part (and lining it if that's merited). Which is why I've only done two for customers - the others have all been gifts.

I've mentioned my friend Yolanda Roots, who does Bible covers, in other postings. I told her I was going to start mine this year at 90.00 - that would be my base price. She STARTS hers at 300.00 WOW!!! I told her I could not imagine someone paying me that much for one. Again, it's all market - most of her business is website related, so she is pulling customers from all over. But it did encourage me to maybe start mine higher. What do you all think?

[TwinOaks]

Well, as I'm quickly learning, you'll never get more than you ask for it. For some folks, they like to brag about a $300 box they got. Some think recycled cardboard is fine. If you price your work for 'common folk', that's who you'll have as customers. If you price it for folks who have more money than sense, they will be your customers. It's a balancing act for sure, and I wish I could tell you where the balance point is. You just gotta find your niche and make your pile while you can.

[HorsehairBraider]

Wildrose, think of it this way - if someone saw your box and said, "Hey, that's really cool, how quickly can you make me up 500?" how much would you want to get for it?

Personally, I'd start at 125.00 or so.

As far as marking stuff up: This really does work to increase sales. Many times people are buying a gift for a friend, and they think well of the friend - let's say the friend is an "over 100.00" friend. So then your box would be perfect. (It goes without saying that if you do this it must be quality, as this box clearly is.)

I've got a bracelet I sell that I finally had to mark up to $150.00. It takes SO darn long to make. And it was SO popular, that I was basically a slave - I spent all freaking day and night making the darn things, with not much to show for it. I finally had to face up to the fact that I simply CAN NOT work 16 hour days every day with no days off. Much as I hated to, I raised the price, and glory hallelujah - I can finally get enough sleep!

[albane]

I think this is a fun idea for a poll or even a topic but I don't want anyone to get their feelings hurt so if you do this, be ready to be surprised -- maybe pleasantly!

I am posting a picture of something I made to ask you all what you think it would be worth if you saw it in a shop. Eventually I will tell you what i charge, and if you have convinced me that I need to change the price. It should be interesting to see how area, local culture, and true knowledge of what went into a piece affect what we think it's worth. I think it might help to do a ballpark of where such items are usually placed for a retail sale. For instance, leashes, including fabric ones, in L.A. are usually under a hundred dollars and no less than about twenty. Average cost is probably twenty eight bucks. collars have a broader price range.

If anyone has any ideas how to tweak this, tweak away. ALso, I don't know how to write this as a poll, so I hope this is okay.

This leash is about four feet long and 3/4 wide.

Pat

Pat,

I would make that leash for a minimum of $150.00

I get away with that kind of pricing for a couple reasons.

I am a custom specialist so the client wants it before I make it. The next factor is that as a custom the client views the product in a different light. Custom verses off the rack. Off the rack can be anything from Louis Veton to Walmart. Custom can not be treated like a commodity. You are in fact a hard workin joe who wants to get by doing what he loves.

When a customer comes in to your shop they know they can talk you down and they act like it's ok to ask for a deal. At that point I will reach in my pocket pull out a $20.00 bill and throw it at them, as i'm showing them the door....I will say "I don't have time to waste and need to get back to my life" If they are trying to insult your craft by not wanting to pay for it and compounding the insult by wasting your time they need to go and I figure I get off cheep for $20.00 . If they come back the first thing I tell them is consultations are priced at $250.00 per hour prorated to the second. They then are booked for an appointment a week out and we require a deposit. I love the look on there face when I sit in my chair put my feet up and relax. They want to know why they need an appointment if I'm just sittng and they are here now. I remind them if they want the best then they have to wait like everyone else. My approach is extreame you may want to have a softer touch. You only have so many days on mother earth and a limeted amount of products you produce in a lifetime you might as well get paid for it.

Best Regards,

Al Bane

[skipj]

I heard a story from someone who does craft shows, she does beadwork. A person with a table next to her's wasn't making many sales in the morning, but, when he doubled his prices after lunch, he sold out. So many perceive quality by price. If it's expensive, it must be good. Unfortunately, this has been taken advantage of by name designers by selling poor quality at premium prices.

I read a book, I think may have been recommended here called "Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster" about that.

SkipJ

[hivemind]

Josh, I'm with you....but my dilemma is that the box alone is costing me about 45.00 (with shipping and all), so it's unreasonable for me to price them at that after I've spent a goodly amount of time doing the leatherwork part (and lining it if that's merited). Which is why I've only done two for customers - the others have all been gifts.

I've mentioned my friend Yolanda Roots, who does Bible covers, in other postings. I told her I was going to start mine this year at 90.00 - that would be my base price. She STARTS hers at 300.00 WOW!!! I told her I could not imagine someone paying me that much for one. Again, it's all market - most of her business is website related, so she is pulling customers from all over. But it did encourage me to maybe start mine higher. What do you all think?

Remember, you're better off selling one item for $300 than you are selling five for $50.

[CitizenKate]

Holly, I think this one is my favorite of all the ones you've made that I've seen. May I ask how you created that bead around the inside of the inlay?

Kate

[budd4766]

Great looking stuff here.

Pricing is always a tricky subject...one I struggle with a lot. I love doing leather work, and it seems wrong to charge a lot for something I had fun making, but if the market will support it, why not? That way, I can afford to have more fun making the next thing..

My dad used to work for this old farmer in MS who told us the story of a fridge he was trying to get rid of. He'd put the fridge out on the curb with a sign saying $50, and it sat there for weeks. Then, one day he changed the sign to $100 and sold it the next day.

I had a similar incident with a hot sauce holster I was selling on Etsy. I'd posted it at $45 + shipping...sat there for weeks. Then, I changed it to $65 shipping included, and it sold within a week. Weird...but true.

The lesson I'm taking away is, never sell yourself short.

As for the stuff you guys have listed here, I'd expect the leash to bring between $50 and $75, and the box to be in the $100 range. Would I pay that for it? Maybe, maybe not. To be honest, I'd probably try to figure out how to make my own and not pay nothing...) (don't look at me like that, everybody who does this stuff does the same thing all the time...nature of the beast kind of thing). But, somebody who doesn't do leather will pay for what they perceive as a quality, hand-made, unique piece of work. So don't feel bad about charging 'em for it..

[CitizenKate]

The lesson I'm taking away is, never sell yourself short.

There is a perception of quality in that price tag. I would rather lose business to someone who thought my prices were too high - and I have, on many occasions - than someone who thought my price was too low. But no one will actually think the price is too low. They'll just think the item is not the quality they want.

Kate

[roo4u]

i got one for you...we were vending leashes at a dog show one time and a lady that bought her leashes from us was selling at the same show like 4 booths down from us. we kept our prices low cuz we made the stuff ourselves and therefore didnt think we had to mark up too high. some folks bought a leash from the other booth at twice the price of ours. then they came by our booth and looked around, looked at our leashes and said well the one we got is better. all came from the same dang hide. now if i was going to vend at shows id price my stuff slightly higher than others cuz im a trained professional(lol)

[Suze]

That same thing happened to us at Dollhouse Shows too.

There were a couple of dealers that Mom sold some of her crochet work to for them to resell.

since they had to "mark it up some" (they paid Mom's prices not a discounted one)

somehow those were "better" ????

[funnygirl62221]

I have a friend who plays the tuba in the air force band and he wanted me to make him a tuba strap. I got it finished and gave it to my friend. He loved it!He had asked for cartoon characters on it, which I was able to do and they turned out pretty decent. Sorry I dont have a pict of it. I did get picts with my new phone but don't have a usb cord to transfer them to my computer yet. Anyway, my friend wants to pay me for the strap and I am at a loss as to what to tell him. It was a major learning experience for me so it did take a lot of time but I have no idea of the going rate for such a thing. Thanks for any thoughts you all might have

Ellen

[cal429258]

That one is plain inside - you never know what a young boy would put in it! But I have one I'd made for myself, and it is lined with fabric.

These boxes measure about 10"x5", and about 4" deep. He also makes some lovely square ones. I appreciate the quality of his workmanship. This box cost me 35.00+shipping.

Here are others I've done with his boxes. Some of the pics were with my old camera and are not really clear. The last set was a custom box Dale and I worked out for a customer's flutes. It was lined with velvet and padded. One other is also velvet lined, and has a commemorative "plaque" inside (it was to be an anniversary gift)

HI Wild Rose

I am Brand New here so take this for what you want. But I would Pay $100 or a little over.

The whistle box I would pay up to $200 for sure. I think the best part of the whole thing is your leather work, the box/wood needs a little more

something? The wood looks cheap it needs more sanding, rouder the edges and better stain. for the wood worker it would be pennys more but for your

box sales its 100s . With the inprovements to the wood box I would pay 150- 200 each and if it had a custome name even more.

But what do I know I am just a consumer as of now.