Yellow/orange Backpack

[MonicaJacobson]

Hey all,

I just finished this backpack. Tell me what you think!

8 oz. veg tanned leather for the bottom, back, and front flap (all one piece), and Minelli leather on the front. Yes, my color tastes are loud. I also lined the straps with Minelli leather.

I've been trying to figure out pricing, so I actually kept track of how long it took to make this bag, and it came out to about 23 hours. I'm torn between actually charging per hour, and wondering if people should actually have to pay for all the hand sewing I do. Hours and materials (and I'm being generous) bring it to $540.00, which seems a bit ridiculous. Any advice would be welcome.

[Solofalcon]

That looks well constructed, smart, and spacious. Very cool. Is that your own pattern? Nice work. I know what you mean about the hours. I hand stitch all of my work too. I think it's a reasonable price. You just need to find someone who can truly appreciate the time and effort you put into it.

Edited February 5, 2014 by Solofalcon

[BigGriff]

Where are you located in Georgia?

[MonicaJacobson]

Thanks a lot, SF - yes, it's my pattern. I'm probably too much of a chicken (and can't invest enough in materials) to actually charge that price for it - I was thinking more $450, but I had read some other comments on here about people saying you should actually stick to your man-hour guns and wondered what everyone thought. I suppose I would be more comfortable selling it for 500 - 600 if I used top quality or bridle leather, but my leather has some scars.

BigGriff, I live in Smyrna! Who knows, we might have passed each other at the Norcross Tandy.

[electrathon]

First off, your bag look great. Here is the trouble though with pricing by the hour for work. It took you 23 hours to make it. That translates to $540 price range. Once you do 10 more (and get better at them, both in speed and quality) will they be worth less (you were faster) or more (you did better work)? In a year you buy a sewing machine. You trim 10 hours off the construction time, are they now worth 30% less?

Products are worth whatever people will pay for them. That may mean $200 or $2000, but it is not directly relevant to how long it took you. What is relevant is are you are willing to spend the time to do the job to sell it for what it is worth.

[BigGriff]

I'm in Cumming. Haven't been to the Tandy in a long time. Need to get over there, but it's good to see someone local. I wish there was a leather craft group around here.

[skylarkjv]

Take it from someone who knows folks with a bit of cash - if they like it (and its quality), they will pay for it. I'd personally say you might be selling yourself short at $540. I might be new to the craft side of leather, but I know retail and commerce. You can always lower a tag price, its pretty hard to raise it though.

[GamberLeathercrafter]

I usually let people salivate over something I make by carrying it to the local flea markets and watch people react to it. You'll be surprised at how many people ask where you got it and then wham, the door for a sale is opened. Just make sure you have some business cards with you, it sure works for me.

[Chris B]

Very nice bag/backpack!!!

Chris

[MonicaJacobson]

Once you do 10 more (and get better at them, both in speed and quality) will they be worth less (you were faster) or more (you did better work)? In a year you buy a sewing machine. You trim 10 hours off the construction time, are they now worth 30% less?

Products are worth whatever people will pay for them. That may mean $200 or $2000, but it is not directly relevant to how long it took you. What is relevant is are you are willing to spend the time to do the job to sell it for what it is worth.

Yes, that's definitely something to think about. I quit doing bone pendant carving because it doesn't matter if you make it in an hour or six hours, you still can't sell it easily for more than $45.00(unless you're spectacularly good). The supply is too high and the demand is constant but geared towards low prices. So the real question seems to be how long are you prepared to wait to sell something at the price you want, rather than the price you can easily get. And yes, as you were saying (I think), you have to make it worthwhile enough to yourself to bother making it again.

Perhaps the paid-hourly argument only applies to those who do leatherworking as a full time job. After all, my designer husband charges $50.00 per hour in his line of business. In any business where you've reached a certain level of expertise and recognition, you get to charge more because people know what they're getting from you. But until you get there, you can't expect people to pay you like you're famous.

SkylarkJV, thanks!

And GamberLeather, that's a great idea. I'll have to try it.

BigGriff - there are more people on here from Atlanta than you might think. I've run across three or four other people already, and I'm still new to the forum.

[Fullmetalsam]

It 's a pretty nice bag - very well executed !

On pricing, while I agree with what Electrathon said, unless you've got 10 of those limed up right now for you to "test the waters" and come up with the "real price" people will be willing to pay for this item... I say, pricing based on man-hour is a pretty good start point. At least, you know you're paying yourself adequately for the work that you've put in.

If you do me more and get better at it, or acquire some new tools/machine and shave a little or a lot from the time required to make that first bag... just keep the price the same. If you've done more bags, it's because they are selling and if they are selling them people are willing to buy them at that price point... it's a no brainer - reducing costs should mean more money in your pockets.

If it's not selling at all, the this become a whole other question - but regardles, I'm of the ones that believe you shouldn't undersell your work... ever! You're creating or "feeding" expectations that everything can be acquired cheap even if it's quality work. That's a perception we all have to work against if we want to make our craft "worth it" money-wise.

[MonicaJacobson]

Thanks Chris!

Thanks also, FMSam! That's what my husband thought. You sell it for as much as you can, and when you really get the process down and you can make it faster and better, you call that profit. And that extra padding can help average things out if you loose money somewhere else, which frequently happens.

[SLudlow]

The only critique I'll ever give another leathercrafter is selling too low. Stick to your guns, price it at what it's worth, and you can always lower the price in the future if it doesn't sell. As others have mentioned, it's much easier to lower prices rather than to increase them.

That and, just by looking at it, it's very, very nice!!!

[OdinUK]

That's a very nice bag. Yep, you must charge for your time if doing it to make money. I tend to give the first few of anything I make as gifts to friends and family and as a result other people have asked me to commission some projects. But now I will charge for my time to the general public even though its a hobby and not my day job.

[MonicaJacobson]

Thanks very much, for both the compliments and the advice, SLudlow and Odin!