I figure the A price is a good price to start, and the B price would serve as a sale/special price. I also realize the venue makes a huge difference. At the moment, I'm still undecided what a good venue would actually be. Because of the eclectic nature of these things, I've considered a place like Canton (where prices might be expected to be lower), but a specialty gift shop like Spice would also work (where prices would be expected to be higher).
So here they are. I'll number them, then you can fill out your comment as follows:
1 a) 10.00 b) 7.50
2 a) 12.00 b) 8.00
I'm afraid some of them don't justify the production cost and time, so they would never make it, but I'm interested to see what you think!
1. Topiaries: ready-made, with many options to choose from
3. Frosted Glasses: ready-made, set of 4
4. T-shirts
5. Magnets: ready-made, set of 7
6. Coasters: set of 6
7. Embroidery kits: customized with your choice of fabric/ribbon
8. Family Trees: special order with your choice of frame and color scheme
9. Draft stoppers: customized, your choice of fabric (the things that you put at the bottoms of windows and doors to keep cold air from coming in). I haven't made this, so no photo
10. Aprons: customized, your choice of fabric, and maybe even design. I haven't made this, either.
I have lots of customized things, and Leanna (my business partner in crime) suggested we have a "Custom Creations" section. We could also just make a variety of styles, and not offer customization on anything but the family tree. So there you go! It's really a huge help to me to know what you think, so I appreciate your comments! Thanks!!
i had a long comment on all of these...then blogger made it go away...because its the devil. sorry
ReplyDeleteAw, sorry about that! Blogger can be dumb like that. I've gotten into the habit of hitting Command/Control C to copy everything before posting, in case anything goes wrong. That's pretty sad.
ReplyDelete1. a. $25
ReplyDeleteb. $20
This was a lot of time to make, at least the ones I helped with. If the twigs had been easier to work with, that would have cut it in half though.
2. a. $40 for special order
b. I would only pay like $20 tops for a cat bed since it will get hairy and such, but that is just me. People whose pets are realllly important to them would be willing to pay more.
Also might be harder to make if it wasn't already a comforter.
3. a. maybe $20
b. $20
mab mentioned that monogramming would be cool and personalized.
4. a. $20
b. $12
5. a. $22
b. $15
6. a. $40
b. priceless!
7. a. $15
b. $12
8. a. $28 (they were expensive in that magazine)
b. $25
9. a. $12
b. $12
10. a. maybe like $15-25 depending on the style/fabric
b. $15
I am glad you thought of spice, I think that would be a good place to sell stuff, especially since you don't have to be there. There is another store sorta like that called "The girl next door" on Bosque.
You are so multi-talented!
You know, I've been meaning to check out The Girl Next Door for a while now. It looks like such a neat place! If I do, Lyd, I'll keep a look out for ya!
ReplyDelete1. a) $20 b) $12
2. a) $30 b) $20
3. a) $20 b) $15
4. a) $18 b) $12
5. a) $10 b) free for my birthday!
6. a) $20 b) $20
7. a) $12 b) $8
8. a) $30 b) $30 I wouldn't sell yourself short on the custom items. Those will be more time consuming, and people pay more for personalized gifts.
9&10... I think I'd have to see it first. :-)
This is exciting!!
Lydia, kind of what I said yesterday...maybe we should cull down to one theme...like kitchen or fabric or patterns...just thinking a way to simplify for now! =)
ReplyDelete@Leanna: Yeah, I think you're right. I don't think I enjoyed the topiaries enough to make a lot of those (Teresa reminded me of that!). And the cat bed took a very long time to make, though it would get faster.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think about limiting it to magnets, coasters, and aprons? Maybe the glasses, too, if they're cost-effective. And I could make "coasters" from larger tiles, and then they're trivets!
Though we couldn't really call it a "kitchen theme" because people will expect whisks and pans. But I don't know...it actually might work with the glasses, trivets, and aprons. If we could find an old refrigerator door to display our magnets on....that would be cool! :D
I went to that girl next door store today. It's not really like Spice, it just has the two vendors... the owner with her antiques and crafts and a clothes line. Speaking of, they had these really cute dresses that looked like they were made from very simple sewing patterns, but they were made with really fun printed fabric. Anyhoo, they were $150!! Something you could consider if you wanted a new sewing project.
ReplyDeletehey did you know you spelled opinion wrong?
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Nope, sure didn't! Well, at least I'm not trying to spell for a living!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Leanna. Of course, I noticed the misspelling, too! haha
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of the coasters, aprons, glasses, etc. ...your kitchen theme. Perhaps just 3 or 4 designs?
I think the price suggestions above are too low, though. If you're selling in a specialty shop, the prices are higher because the items are exclusive and hand-made. You should figure your materials cost, double or triple it, then add a small percentage for advertising/overhead. That way, when you put something on sale for 20% off, you're still making money.
Look at your business savvy momma! =)
ReplyDeleteHI LYDIA:
ReplyDeleteFOR WHAT EVER IT IS WORTH, HERE ARE MY THOUGHTS .....
#1A )$32.50 B)25.00
#2A )18.50 B)15.00
#3A) 34.95 B)32.50
#4A) 43.00 B)30.00
#5B) 25.00 B)19.95
#6A)22.95 B)17.95
#7A)29.95 B)22.95
#8A) 43.95 B)43.95
IF YOU PRICE OUT OF THE REALM WITH OTHER SHOPS, EITHER TOO HIGH OR TOO LOW, PEOPLE WILL PUT A "TOO HIGH "OR "TOO CHEAP" LABEL ON YOUR ITEMS. I AGREE WITH CAROLYN'S COMMENTS. ADD UP YOUR COSTS, WITH A REASONABLE FIGURE FOR YOUR LABOR AND PUT A MULTIPLIER OF 1.21% TO ARRIVE AT YOUR PRICE. WE NEVER USED LESS THAN .21% X COST FOR OVERHEAD AND PROFIT.
GO FOR IT LADIES; I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT !!!!!!!!!
GRANDPA
Grandpa, thanks for your comments. It's good to know concrete numbers, like adding 21% onto the cost.
ReplyDeleteBased on all the great input, I think I've come up with what I'd like to sell. Like I mentioned before, I will go with a "kitchen theme," though I may not call it that.
Of course, all this business building takes time, so you may hear more about it in the weeks/months to come. For now, Leanna and I have to figure out all the nitty gritty stuff, and I have to figure out how I'm going to make all this!
Thanks for everyone's input!
Lydia, you totally need an etsy store!! That is where genius artsy crafty people like you sell their stuff to make money! I think it is etsy.com but let me know if you can't find it.
ReplyDeleteI love your stuff! My personal faves are the coasters, magnets, and embroidery kits, but I like it all.
I like the idea of kitchen themed stuff and then going from there. You don't want to overwelm yourself. And as far as pricing. At the gift shop I used to work at...original cost X 2 & sometimes rounding up a few dollars after that. In denistry...X's 2 or 3! So thus, people are willing to pay higher, so try it. If it doesn't sell...then consider lowering. Don't sell yourself short. It is personalized and its handmade...that counts!
ReplyDelete@Rachel: Thanks for the link! It looks neat, and I'll have to look through it more in depth.
ReplyDeleteWoohoo! Isn't this exciting!!