Pricing custom saddles

[okiwen]

I find great value in this thread. I am at the beginning of this road. I am just learning and want to be the best possible, yet I don't want to "take it in the shorts" either. I believe in paying my due but when there are those that are faster full time and more qualified making less than I would think they could eat for, I feel funny telling those that want a saddle from me that my time is worth more than the "saddle master". I am in the process of purchasing the items that will make a premium saddle (and paying double the price from my wife), and it looks like I will never be able to pay for it. Thank goodness I have a "real job".

That brings me to friends. They all want what I am turning out but know I have just begun to learn and want the cut rate. Leaving me to decide, do I earn next to nothing and learn giving opportunity for word of mouth to help in the long run or raise the price loose the "customer" and find a store to put what I am making in on consignment and take a fraction of what they are making on it?

I came up with a great idea to solve a problem that I've had for the whole of my career in law enforcement and then look at the great holster makers like Tucker and Bianchi and the numerous others I have recently seen here, and see that I cannot charge enough to compete with them and still pay the bills.

Boy, that turned into a rant. Thanks for listening. I have to go to work now.

Kevin

I hope that new sewing machine (if I ever receive it) sews really, really well.

[raftert]

The one thing I am learning is that the Craftsman on this website give the best advice and put out products out that are truly amazing. My family has been in the saddle and tack buisness for over a hundred years, and I have learned as much from them about the buisness and craftmanship as I did watching my Father in his shop. It is like going back to collage without the crap. It inspires me to build much better products and charge what I should for my skills. Many thanks to all of you and I hope you can put up with my advice( wich is worth as much as you paid for it).

Tim

[raftert]

Kieth,

Thank you for your reply. I think I am reaching that point in my buisness where I have that hump, buy equipment to make your products faster but with the same quality, but you are nervous about the money that you are spending. My customer base is expanding just by word of mouth. Every day more people are coming into my store that I have never seen before ( the regulars come in every day because I make good coffee). I have seen your work and it is a honor to visit with to you.

Tim

[Windrider30]

First I want to say that I have never made a saddle, the only thing I know about saddles is that when doing a pony express mount, wear a cup that damn western saddle horn hurts like hell when you sit on it!...Now that being said I have seen some things that have been mentioned by Keith and a few others that is great advice. And yes I know this is an older post but thought I would add to it as its a great posting. What I wanted to mention is the marketing side of things. Which I do hold a Master's degree in so hope this helps and gives a few of you some ideas out there. First something that was touched on a couple of times, know your customers. Are you going after the "true cowboy" or are you going after those that jump horses or show horses, or are they the Urban cowboys and girls? By knowing what kind of customer you want to attract will help you make the saddle or products (belts and what not) that they will truly want. Now people are talking about base price, which by the way I have learned a lot already that can be applied to other aspects of the leather trade thank you very much! It's better to set a higher price than a lower one. Sure you will miss a few customers but what you have to remember is that you can make a great product, as a mater of fact you could make a saddle that the Gods would knock your door down to get, but if you sell it at a cheap price then you and your products, no matter the fine quality, will be labelled as a cheap product in peoples' minds even though its not a "cheap" product that is how it will be perceived as.

I am not suggesting setting your prices so high that only a millionaire could afford it, but I am also suggesting not to set your prices so low that the Walmart crowd can afford to hassle you day and night. The first thing that you should truly ask yourself is who do you want your product to be seen with...and be realistic about this, we would all love to see some famous person wearing or using our products but when you are first starting out that is more than likely not going to happen. If you are going for lets say the cowboys and girls that do the rodeos then price your saddles with in their budget range. Word of mouth is a great tool to use when marketing your products but you need to always keep in mind who your customers are. I mean you will not see a Rolex on some hillbilly's wrist that is because Rolex does not advertise at the five and dime stores, which means advertise in places that the customer that you are aiming for will see your products. Always remember it's a little easier to lower your prices if its not selling then it is to raise your prices and running your customers off.

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

Great Thread, with even greater answers from some of the best. I agree with most of the comments made here and "feel " them all. I make custom saddles, anywhere from base to well dressed saddles, usually 2 / 3 a year, as I am only by myself and like it that way. I do not have to make a living at it I am retired from the auto industry and this is my sanity check. With that said, I do not make it if I cannot make it right , however; I live in Michigan, and here I am hard pressed to get much more than $2800 for a base saddle since most of the horseman up here are weekend riders with limited discressionary income and will buy an off the shelf saddle at the drop of a hat, rather than one that is made to the standards that we make our saddles to. My saddles are first rate for fit and function with top quality materials, my tooling is good, but; not quite to the level of Keith, or Bobby, or Steve Masons (I am going to get there some day). Since I cannot move to an area where people know the difference in off the shelf and really hand made quality, I am relegated to work in the market that I am in. Else where I would not think twice about my base being $4000. But, it what it is. Thanks to all who have made this thread so interesting.

Bob