That's why I appreciate what you've shared in your post and I applaud your success.Httpvhd://Why spring for a Wacom tablet when you can transform your existing unibody Macbook trackpad into a graphics tablet? For $24.95, Ten One Design will do just through their impressive Inklet OS X application. Although I'm continuing to pursue my place in the market, my personal view is that I refuse to give my talents and time away for something less than a living - a business cannot survive without a profit and my creative spirit cannot thrive if I undervalue it. It was frustrating, but I decided that I had just not found my niche. I found it tricky to balance out what the marketplace was willing to pay with what I needed to make it profitable to do. I have personal experience sewing for production for a small business (which translated into getting paid 75cents for my labor for an item that retailed for $13) and I have had the experience of selling my own "one of a kind" items using the FORMULA(as I want a living from my work - not a monetary "pat on the head"). Pricing handcrafted works is a hot topic and I was interested in hearing the comments from others. I enjoyed reading your post and the subsequent discussions it has sparked. See my comment above for more thoughts on that topic :) Anyone who knows us personally knows that we put a lot of importance on being inclusive and supportive in this industry, and this post is simply trying to help people. It upsets me to think that anyone would take this advice in such a way. There are many factors to consider.Īs for making people feel like they're an 'outcast' if they don't price our way, that was not my intention at all. Perhaps they don't draw a livable wage themselves. Our income is liveable and modest - some months are a struggle!Īs for those similar-but-cheaper textiles, who's to say the designers/owners aren't making compromises themselves somewhere along the line? Perhaps their basecloths aren't organic. Do you think we're profiting *too* much from this business? I can assure you that's not the case. I find it interesting that at the same time as saying you appreciate we need to make a living, you go on to say that you've seen textiles like ours but cheaper. In response to "I&S fan but not fan of The Forumla" 's comment: But the point remains that as long as there is a market for it, people will continue making crappy, cheap products. In regards to people making items for pennies a day: We may not like it. Can you blame them if they can reasonably afford to offer an item at a significantly lower amount? Absolutely not. He/She is able to produce the same item cheaper than someone who pays a mortgage or lease or lives in an area where utilities are sky-high. As far as considering the other poor souls in the handmade industry: Say that one business owner owns his building and lives in an area where utilities and supplies are cheap. If I included ALL my time in some of my pieces, my silver jewelry would be priced so high that not a soul would even consider buying them. Nobody would pay that much for a simple stacking ring. If I use this formula, ONE of my 14 gauge stacking rings would have to sell for $28. For some vendors it may work however I doubt it would be viable for metalsmithing. What do you reckon? Sounds pretty full on, huh? All those x2's! Well let me tell you, those x2's are there for a reason and without them we wouldn't be here writing this post to you today. The Formula (guided by this book) and made pretty by me If it wasn't for the wonderful book Craft Inc., we might never have known about The Formula (as we have dubbed it), and by now we would have worked ourselves into the ground.īut fortunately we did know about The Formula (said with a reverent tone) and would like to share it with you today: Since the very beginning, we've always tried to price our textiles correctly. And because people as whole have a mindset that cheaper is better and haven't been educated about the 'real cost' of their purchase. And the fact that in your own community there are people who will operate at a loss on a hobby basis because they don't depend on the income from the business. Like the fact that 99% of the products in your marketplace are manufactured overseas with poor ethical & enviromental standards and sold at a price that you'll never be able to match. there are so many things working against you when you're a small, local business trying to sell your wares. The thing is, pricing yourself correctly is HARD. Or we might be discussing a new venture for our own business (such as Inklet), trying to figure out if a product is actually viable to produce and sell at a reasonable price.
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