Sold This On Etsy

[Chief31794]

I opened an ETSY site with just a few (9 I think) of the kinds of things I make and I've been getting quite a bit of traffic and sold two items already, hopefully those customers will give positive feedback and that will make other buyers more comfortable with my shop and buying from me.

I had never carved a crown of thorns with three nails, but the lady who bought this Bible Cover asked for it so I got two separate line drawings together, combined them and created this graphic on the front cover. I kind of like it, I normally carve a cross on the back of these with the praying hands on the front. I think these crown of thorns carvings may sell as well.

Let me know what you think.

Ken

Edited July 13, 2012 by Chief31794

[serena]

Beautiful work, Im sure the customer will be very pleased.

[WinterBear]

So you going to post us a link to your etsy store?

[Chief31794]

So you going to post us a link to your etsy store?

Sure,

Thanks for asking. I had it in my profile, but probably good to post it here as well.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ChiefsLeatherWorks?ref=si_shop

Ken

Beautiful work, Im sure the customer will be very pleased.

Thanks Serena.

Ken

[WinterBear]

Ooh, thanks. I couldn't get the profile page to load. Gonna go gawp.

[morgans leather]

great work i really like the three nails and thorn crown carving .

[Anacott Steel]

Some really nice work Ken. And given the work you must have put in tooling these, they're a steal !

[Chief31794]

Some really nice work Ken. And given the work you must have put in tooling these, they're a steal !

Thanks, I'm retired and love to carve leather so I decided early on that I wouldn't be able to recover the cost of the labor. I want to be able to make leather projects and have the hobby pay for itself so I set my prices reasonable thinking that they would; 1) Sell Better, 2) Provide a quicker turn on investment, and 3) Provide me a reason to be in my shop and not bothering my wife.

My thinking is that on this Bible Cover the actual cost is:

Hermann Oak 5 Oz (Springfield splits it to exact weights on request, what a great place to do business): 1.3 sq ft at $7.69 per sq ft = $9.97 (Includes 10% waste factor)

Inside flaps from 2/3 oz Oak Leaf tooling leather: .84 sq ft at $5.35 per sq ft = $4.50

Pigskin Lining: 2 sq ft at $2.29 per sq ft = $4.58

Leather Lace: 14 yds at $.36 per yd = $5.04

Materials Cost = $24.09

Incidentals (knife blade wear, dye, finish, rags, sheep's wool, etc) = 5% of Material Costs = $1.20

Total Cost = $25.29

To set my selling price, I double the cost and round so my selling price is $50.00 (prices are reduced for July on the ETSY shop sort of a grand opening sale) that allows me to recover my cost and sustain cash flow, it also increases sales in that I will sell more Bible Covers at this price point than I would at an actual cost price point.

If I were to recover labor it would be:

Layout, Cutting, and Leather Preparation: 1 hour

Carving and Tooling: 4 hours

Dying and Finishing (Not including drying time): 1 hour

Assembly (Lacing): 2 hours

Packaging and Shiping: 1 hour

Total: 9 hours

So even if I set my pay rate at $10.00 an hour, which is a steal the Bible Cover would price at $115.00

If I were to set it at $30.0 an hour which is a modest wage for a craftsman the Bible Cover price would be $295.00

I don't think I would sell many at those prices so I made a decision that I could probably sell 10 at $50 and would probably not be able to sell 2 at $295. If the orders get to flowing too much, I'll raise my prices and try to keep my hobby going while maintaining my retired life style.

Thanks,

Ken

Edited July 13, 2012 by Chief31794

[Chief31794]

great work i really like the three nails and thorn crown carving .

Thanks, I wasn't sure about it when she requested it but I kind of like it too. I carved a sample on scrap and sent her pictures, she approved, said she loved it, so this was the 2nd time I carved the design, I think if I continue to do them, they will get better and more detailed.

Ken

[J Allen]

As you can see your not doubling your material cost... your loosing money.

I have no problem with you giving your stuff away, just be aware when you and others sell your stuff at a loss it makes those who are selling their stuff at a fair and reasonable price have to explain why their stuff is priced the way it is. If they even get the opportunity to explain, as most folks just move on. I despise the idea that craftsmen should have to explain why they ask a fair and reasonable price for a quality item or lower their pricing or compromise quality to "compete".

Just saying