So, I get a question: How much is that necklace?
my reply: £24, please.
Her reply: oh wow.. I did not expect that.. Sorry, but that is too much for me... and she walks away.
Leaving me shaking my shoulders, rolling my eyes and looking smilingly at the next person who scrolls to my table. I pull the price tag on the necklace and place it in a more visible spot.
It clearly says on my signs and description that this is a one of a kind necklace.... :(
The next lady picks up the necklace, holds it against her, I suggest she tries it on, take the mirror... and she loves it. She looks at the price and says.... wow.. you are priced too cheaply. The craftsmanship in this necklace is worth a lot more! She pays and walks away with one of my unique pieces proudly around her neck and a few business cards in her bag. She is happy, and so am I!
See, the problem is not the price of your piece. The problem is the people visiting your stall and how much they value handmade work. Obviously, if you are living in an area where a full profit ratio would leave you out of work all together, you need to adjust that. In other cases, you ask what YOU consider to be the correct value for your time and effort.
Below is the description of my "Soup of the day: Warm colours with yummy balls" board which I want to make for future fairs WITH pictures. (it surely gets the attention of potential customers!!!)
(Times are a close approx. for this rose cane bead necklace pictured above.)
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1: Picture of the ingredients
2: Step-by-step instructions
- - condition the clay(4 different colours + time it takes to condition properly time: 30 minutes
- - make blends (2 blends) time: 30 minutes
- - make the cane time: 2 hours
- - make scrap beads time: 20 minutes
- - apply cane slices time: 45 minutes
- - cure beads time: 30 minutes
- - let beads cool down time: 20 minutes
- - drill holes time:15 minutes
- - sand beads grit 2400 time: 30 minutes
- - sand beads grit 3200 time: 20 minutes
- - sand beads grit 3600 time: 15 minutes
- - sand beads grit 4000 time: 15 minutes
- - sand beads grit 8000 time: 15 minutes
- - sand beads grit 12000 time: 15 minutes
- - polish beads with dremel time: 20 minutes
- - string beads time: 20 minutes
- - take pictures time: 10 minutes
- - catalogue time: 5 minutes
- - package in jewellery box time: 5 minutes
total time spent: 9 hours at minimum wage rate: £6/hour = £54
and this is without adding the cost of the materials & usage of oven and electricity!
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So, you were saying? £24... tooo much !!!! IT'S A BARGAIN!
I may actually go back to my Etsy shop now and change my prices :)
But this is a UNIQUE piece for you.. as I will not make the same cane, beads, or necklace again.
Obviously, I can make cheaper items: I will need to make them in batches, and make simple shapes, and simple canes... or avoid the sanding all together and dip them in varnish instead.... if at all.
But I like making unique pieces in which I can pour my heart and soul. And I make them for YOU, the lovely person, who appreciates the time I spent on finishing the necklace to perfection, knowing that YOU will be feeling gorgeous when you wear a piece that was made with love. Not something that has been mass produced in a factory somewhere.
So next time you see a handmade item and look at the price.. think a few minutes before deciding it costs too much !
Moaning over and I hope I got my point across.
I found this interesting read on another blog:
http://www.thedesigntrust.co.uk/how-to-price-your-work-about-different-price-strategies-that-you-can-use/
Next time.. something less moany.. :)
Chris
I've noticed that too, people are so used to buy mass produced cheap items, that they don't realise what something like this is really worth. Luckily there are also people out there who do realise this. :)
ReplyDeleteIndeed! Thanks for responding Stef :)
DeleteFantastic post Chris! I love the idea of your Soup of the Day board!!!
ReplyDeletePricing is always such a tricky subject, there will always be some people who will only look at the price tag without thinking of the hours and hours of love and labour that have gone into the piece.
Luckily there are the others who will.
Your work is beautiful and there will always be customers who will appreciate just how wonderful it is and want to own it.
Thanks Pippa, and I am so grateful to have many friends who take the time to read my rantings of the day:) It is also very much appreciated knowing how busy everyone is!
DeleteGreat post Chris! Thank you for sharing your story... You're right when you say, "See, the problem is not the price of your piece. The problem is the people visiting your stall and how much they value handmade work."
ReplyDeleteSome people don't realize all the time, care (not to mention all the love) that goes into creating a handmade piece. Handmade pieces are unique and are made to be treasured for years to come. Pricing is always challenging... Your breakdown of time spent is quite an eye opener. All of that time and hard work MUST be considered when pricing a piece. And yes, I for one, think you should go into your Etsy shop and reconsider your prices! Your beads are gorgeous and Meticulously handcrafted!
Your necklace is absolutely lovely and I can see why your customer was so happy to have found you and your awesome jewelry! She is VERY lucky!
Thank you Trina! For both your opinion and your lovely words. I was terribly tempted to go and change my prices! but will keep them up for now. I am going to make an "online" board for people to check out before they buy something - the virtual equivalent of my "soup of the day" board.
DeleteHopefully that will make a difference.
The thing is that we are surrounded by clay addicts who KNOW how much work is involved whereas a lot of people have no idea what Polymer Clay is and need a bit of education :)
Working on that !
Thanks for sharing your time with me Trina.
Great post Chris. My heart weeps when I see hand crafted jewellery being priced too cheaply. £24 is indeed a bargain considering the time you put into these items. And working with polymer clay is really time consuming, because it's not an easy medium to work with (just conditioning each block takes ages!!). I think it's always nicer to sell your jewellery to someone who can appreciate the craftmanship and doesn't question the price. A personal trainer or coach charges so much more for their services and you don't get an end product you can cherish and keep.
ReplyDeleteThanks Helen! As said before, I think it is a matter of education as not a lot of people know what Polymer Clay is. Not in the UK anyway, and certainly not in Scotland where I live. The hours I have spent explaining tally up to a lot more than making items!
DeleteBut I think a board of work in progress in pictures... will give the customers a better idea of what is involved. And I will make an online one as well, for those customers with whom I cannot have the personal contact.
Now when you add the personal trainer in the mix, I fully agree!!! Should reconsider my prices :)
Thanks for reading my blog Helen and for taking the time to reply :)
Brilliant post and I can honestly say I have experienced the same thing many times. The first time I was quite shocked at how rude people can be but now I just smile politely and let them leave my stall with nothing.
ReplyDeleteI much prefer the customer who appreciates the hard work, care and attention that goes into my beads. Then I know my beads are going to a good home!
Just quickly .... spent the last two weeks making polymer clay beads with pre school children .... proving the theory we are all artistic to start with... xx
haha Sarah, yes.. thank you for proving my earlier post LOL. It is a shame that too many people lose their creative interest due to circumstances early on in their life.. Work and commitments take over and I guess that is why a lot of people revert to Arts and Crafts when they retire.
DeleteWe are the lucky ones who have it during our daily lives :)
Like yourself, I was pretty shocked when people picked up my items and "chucking" them back with a nonchalance that left the necklaces painfully hanging over their boxes.
But I got over that very quickly and the customers who DO appreciate the work, get a super duper smile and a wee freebie in the mix :)
Chris as usual I love looking at the pieces you make. Even as a beginner I can appreciate the time and skill involved. I am not at a stage of selling at the moment but even my husband appreciates that a lot of time and effort is involved in working with clay. I think your points about a lack of awareness and ideas to get the message across are spot on and your work is so beautiful you deserve to earn an absolute fortune as far as I am concerned. xxx
ReplyDeleteHi Dotty, thank you for your lovely comment. We need a new movement: the Polymer Clay Appreciation Society ! LOL.
ReplyDeleteI am sure we will all get there some day.
Glad you also have a husband who appreciates your work, that is a always a good start! (as they then also appreciate your need for more tools, magazines, tutorials and clay :)
Have a lovely day Dotty,
Chris
My husband is always telling me I underprice and I do find pricing to be the hardest part of making my jewellery. I love your idea for a "Soup of the Day" board. I think it will really give people a feel for the work you put in. Might have to do one myself :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Jo, thanks for reading my blog:) And yes, I used to underprice myself but am learning at astronomical speed how to do it right. It is not because us, addicts, know the work that is involved in making a piece, that "mortal souls".. or in other words, the general public, has a clue on how the items are made. For all they know, it might be a press moulded piece. The amount of times I need to stress that no paint was used!
DeletePlease let me know and come and show YOUR "Soup of the Day" board!
Have a great weekend Jo,
Chris
Thanks for the reminder that it's not the price that's the problem. Something I know but sometimes forget in the hard light of day - when selling. I am getting better at valuing my own work appropriately - my time and skill does have a value! My prices have gone up since I started and I am pretty sure sales haven't gone down - maybe I would sell more if it was cheaper but that just wouldn't be fair on me or the other people who make things for sale!
ReplyDeleteHi Cara, thanks for taking your time to reply :) I have had issues with people who make jewellery as a hobby and are then having stalls at fairs close to others who need to make a living from it. They put a price on it, winging it as they go and taking down the value of their own, and consequently your pieces. Not nice!
DeleteI think pricing really depends a bit on the situation and your market at that point in time. I guess it is a fluent thing really.
Unless you are very famous and can crank the prices to dazzling heights!! (stay with us for a little longer so we can afford buying from you :))))))))
Chris
Thank you for such a great post, Chris. This is really a subject worth discussing. I have experienced the same thing and in the end almost ended up paying people to buy my work. In addition there were all the things people wanted to get made. Well, as I see it I value my work too low. Handmade is sort of not good enough unless one have a "name". But I think we all should value our work a lot higher and take the price it is worth. But for a lot of artists it is about getting some money in. So this is difficult.
ReplyDeleteAs I knit a lot people often ask me to knit for them. "I will of course pay for the yarn" they say. Acting like they do me a favor! Well, I do not knit for anyone because all the hours and the work is not paid for. Handmade is not valued as much as I think it should be. But in the end I have to start with my own pricing - taking good prices for good quality.
Hi Lone :) It is a constant dilemma. In the craft world, you need to do "production" work in order to be able to sell at a viable rate.. and provide with a steady income, next to the unique pieces that cost a lot more to make.
DeleteI think you are right in not knitting for anyone unless they value the work you put in!
I LOVE your knitted goods Lone, you really are a star with those colours !
Hello, Chris -- Your blog popped up on my Facebook, having been posted by Alice Stroppel. I really appreciate this blog post! Having a "Soup of the Day" board is a fantastic idea! Even if people are not questioning your prices, it doesn't hurt for them to learn what it takes to make a finished necklace. And you didn't even account for designing the necklace, just the stringing part. And then there are the materials... This is a beautiful necklace. I am off to visit your Etsy Shop!
ReplyDeleteHi Marty !! thank you for your lovely words. I just popped over to your Etsy shop and my oh my, you would not tell you have only "recently" started playing with Polymer clay. Your jewellery is beautiful!! Love all the swirls and the structural more contemporary pieces!
DeleteHave a lovely day Marty,
Hi, Chris -- Well, to be honest, I wrote that profile statement in August, 2009, when I first opened my Etsy shop. By now I have 5 years' experience playing with polymer clay. Since that writing, I have been through Lindly and Maggie's book cover to cover, Julie Picarello's book, Dan Cormier's e-book, 2 of Jana Benzon's DVDs, and lots of smaller tutorials. It was funny to see your Arabesque cane! I just finished mine a couple of days ago! It's just amazing all the things one can learn about polymer clay!
DeleteI tried to subscribe to your blog, but I don't think I succeeded. There was a question that popped up that I couldn't answer. I'm not very good at blogging yet! I will keep up with your blog somehow!
Best wishes,
Marty
Hi Marty! Well, that explains it! Got all the books and dvd's you mentioned. I am a book junkie and since discovering Polymer clay, I can't have enough of them. Although lately, I find that there is a lot of repetition in them.
DeleteOh yes, the Arabesque cane.. the first cane I ever made... rather than trying a simple flower cane BUT I did learn a lot from that DVD:)
To be honest Marty, I do not know what the difference is between "Joining", "Subscribing", "Following" a blog. I usually get to see the blogs when new posts are linked to Facebook. I am honoured that you like to follow my blog and shall do my best to keep up writing.
Enjoy your day!
Chris