jacket potato Report post Posted July 31, 2013 Hi, I have a possible order coming but I can not figure out the price I should set for my customer. He needs a leather desk top 100cm x 70cm. Well, he need 50 of them. Each will be carved with a picture he provides (the same one on all 50). My problem is I can not give him a price for one desk top as I can not find a decent option for leather. Sides are quite expensive and wasteful so I would go for shoulders. I can make only one top out of one shoulder. There will be waste but I could use it for handbags probably or something.. 70cm x100cm is around 8sq.ft - DID I count right? I have problems with this metric system.. If yes, then 50 desk tops take 400sq.ft of leather. I think it should be 3mm thickness and not less so I can carve it and it looks ok on the table but this is just my guess. Do you think thinner leather would do? The carved picture would assume some volume. So, shoulders seem like the cheapest option but if I need 50 covers then I need 50 shoulders. Does anybody know any other option to cheap down a bit such a purchase? I would appreciate any advise please. The desk top should be one whole piece with no seams (otherwise there would not be a problem). Also, do you have an idea how much such thing would cost? I can not find prices in the internet, only desks with leather tops but not leather tops separately. How should I calculate this? Please give any thoughts you might have as I am really stuck with it. Thank you very much in advance! Regards, Era Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lightningad Report post Posted July 31, 2013 (edited) Looking on your website, its obvious you know how to do the carving, and so probably already know the correct thickness of leather you will need. As you need to work out a price, find the cost from your leather supplier for 50 shoulders (hopefully you will get a discount for such a large order, then add the amount you want paying for the time spent carving and finishing. That will give you the overall price. Also for such a big order, i would want a large portion of the money upfront. You dont want to buy all that leather only to find the client changes his mind. If the price is too much for them, then so be it. You need to make a profit too. Good luck - sounds a plum job ! Oh - i would not lower the cost for each shoulder either. Just because you might get some use from the offcuts, you would not have had to buy it in the first place were it not for this job... Edited July 31, 2013 by lightningad Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jax Report post Posted July 31, 2013 Hi Era, your shoulders should be sold by the square foot so you can work out the material costs from that, then you must add on what you are comfortable charging for your time & other consumables, ie dyes, finishes etc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jacket potato Report post Posted July 31, 2013 Thank you guys! Thank you for your advise! Also, what finish should I use considering it will be on a desk and constantly rubbed ? Would resolene be good? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LNLeather Report post Posted July 31, 2013 These are just some ideas of mine - I am no expert - but after reading your post I had some thoughts... Your customer should answer some of your questions... and it seems like you should get a lot of it in writing, before you start buying leather... You ask - "Does anybody know any other option to cheap down a bit such a purchase?" What does you customer want? Quantity or Quality? Why are you concerned with "the cheapest option"? If you have to buy a shoulder to make a top, then that is what you should charge for the leather for that top. What does the customer want - Cheep leather, or Quality leather? Your customer must have an idea that this is going to be expensive.... They must expect to pay for what they are getting. Don't apologize for the price of the leather... it is what it is. Cost and waste should not be your problem. You need to buy the best shoulders you can - if that is what the customer wants. Dose the customer want perfect leather? Or do they mind slight flaws. Maybe they don't mind a slight flaw or a brand on the piece. Talk to your customer about what they expect. Talk with your customer and ask how thick they want the tops to be. Explain what they need to know about the quality of leather, thickness and tooling needs. Are you able to pick the leather up, or do you need to order the leather? I would make sure to talk with the folks you order the leather from and make sure they understand what it is you need. 50 shoulders is a lot of leather to order sight unseen... I can imagine a definite problem if flaws are missed. Return shipping could get expensive if needed… Then, as Jax mentioned "then you must add on what you are charging for your time & dyes, finishes etc." * Make a list of of your questions and talk to your customer about them - get it in writing * Don't apologize for the price of the leather or the price of your work. * They must have seen your work and want the quality you can provide. ...Some folks understand they need to pay good money for good quality work Don't sell your self short... Your work is worth it. Your leatherwork and tooling is excellent! Get it in writing and get them to buy the leather - I am sure there are other ideas about how to protect yourself - concerning payment... Don't let anyone pressure you to do something if it doesn't seem right. I am sure there are others here that can provide other ideas from their experiences... jmho - Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jacket potato Report post Posted July 31, 2013 Thank you very much Cheryl! I think you are right and I should talk through all the details with the customer to make him clear about things which might go wrong (you never know).. And yes, for me it is hard to ask a real price - I always think it is too much and my work is not worth it. I think it is in my head, I need to overcome this thing. In the end of the day veg tanned leather IS expensive so no matter what you make out of it - it will cost money.. Thank you again guys! You gave me some emotional support! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
