First Belt!

[DJ1935]

Hello from New Zealand! I enjoy reading the topics on this site and have found it a great source, not only of leatherwork information but an insight into life in other countries as well. Great stuff, keep up the good work! I have fiddled about with leather since the 1970s with a lull in between but have got back into it in the past few years. Picked up the courage to make a leather lined belt which I finished yesterday. Was really pleased with the way it came out. Can someone advise me what price would a belt like this cost? I have real trouble pricing my stuff - always too low so I'm told.

Cheers

DJ

[Spider]

GOod looking belt. thank you for sharing.

[jbird]

great looking belt I would wear it nice work.

[leatheroo]

welcome kiwi, love your belt, sorry cant help you with pricing, i'm the same, always charging to little.

[Rawhide]

Very nice belt for a first one.

Wish I could say my first one looked that pretty!

Marlon

[TomSwede]

Nice belt, I like that buckle! Welcome to LW!

I feel the same as you with pricing, always to low but selling most stuff to people I know and at the moment all I do is for my portfolio and to develop new products and picking up more skill and those products therefore are sold with an discount. The receivers of my stuff right now are not allowed to tell what they relly payed me only what I would charge as full price and that full price is just what I demand to sit down and sacrifice time that I could use for more recreational activitys. Not saying this is not recreational but doing to much stuff for unknown people that do not realize the amount of time abour that goes into this, well i'd rather go fishin once in a while and skip such a customer and maybe make something nice for myself aswell.

One good thing with this is that I do get paid for development and demo stuff.

Sorry I can't really help you on the issue but at least some reasoning thought on things.

Tom

[Pip]

Someone did a peice on pricing your work some time ago, in the forum....... Lovely belt is that machine stitching or hand, either way is way neat.

[indypbear]

DJ,

That's a nice looking belt for a first try. A good start is 3.5 times the material cost and hold to that until your skill and reputation for quality gets out with the customers. The you can ask and justly get more for good quality work with your maker's name on it. Tom's right about telling the early ones NOT to tell what you charged them but what it would have cost if full price. Keep up the good work.

John aka Indy

[DJ1935]

Thank you all for your comments and help. I realised later (isnt that always the way!) that I should have asked if there was a formula for calculating costings. Thank you John for making life easier already! The belt was stitched on the reliable old Pearson No 6 then the buckle stitched on by hand. I've never liked using rapid rivets, guess they're ok in some applications.

Cheers DJ

[Windy]

Thank you all for your comments and help. I realised later (isnt that always the way!) that I should have asked if there was a formula for calculating costings. Thank you John for making life easier already! The belt was stitched on the reliable old Pearson No 6 then the buckle stitched on by hand. I've never liked using rapid rivets, guess they're ok in some applications.

Cheers DJ

[Windy]

The belt was stitched on the reliable old Pearson No 6 then the buckle stitched on by hand. I've never liked using rapid rivets, guess they're ok in some applications.

Cheers DJ

Stitching the buckle on is like gluing the handle to an axe head. If the handle or the head get messed up you have to throw both away. You could use screws or snaps. Then if one changes their taste in buckles or messes the buckle up while working, say laying brick, they can change the buckle without tearing up the belt or calling someone who can restitch the new buckle on the belt.

WINDY