Scrollsaw Workshop Community -Please register to enable posting.
General Category => General Scroll Saw Talk => Topic started by: Shogun on January 15, 2013, 06:51:08 am
-
I"m having trouble deciding how to determine a fair price for selling my work to sell at the flea market. This plaque is about 9"x9" and took about 5 hours to make. I priced it at $40. last week it didn't sell bacause a guys wife thought it was too high priced. What are your thoughts?
-
This partiular piece has a very limited customer base. The customer must be a Marine, and must like scroll work, and must be where you were selling last week, and must like the price. Apparantly, you had a customer with all those things, plus a 'financial advisor' with a different opinion.
The point I am trying to make is, just because someone doesn't buy because they feel the price is too high doesn't mean the item is overpriced. After all, there was a husband there who felt it was not overpriced.
Here is a great opportunity for you to grab one of your business cards, write on the back "christmas list Marine plaque" and hand it to the customer with a smile. Everybody needs suggestions for their family for Christmas and nobody has a list. My guess is that he will end up with your work on his wall if he truely did like it.
P.S. Never consider your hours and materials in pricing. Always consider your hours and materials in figuring profit. (The price is always "what ever the market will bear")
-
you listen to most of the people on here and they well tell you to stay away from flee markets and go to craft markets you get better sales at them.
-
First of all, I think the piece is very very well done!! Is it worth $40.00? I think it is even though I'm retired from the Air Force, LOL. Probably only us scrollers know the time and effort it takes to make a piece like that and we should be getting $100 for the piece! But, our efforts come from the love of the hobby and we don't get paid for Love! :)
I say keep the price where you feel comfortable, the right person will come a long and buy it.
Again, GREAT work!
Tommy T
-
Keep the price at $40.00. I had 4 portraits of Native Americans listed at $40.00 and it took three crafts shows but I did sell all of them, three to one lady. So, you just have to have the right person to find them. She even suggested I was too cheap. Those who appreciate scroll art and the time spent cutting it are willing to pay the price, knowing it is hand cut and not massed produced in a foreign country!
Tony,aka,Toneman
-
I agree with Newfie. Around here ( Eastern Virginia) folks that go to flea markets tend to want a bargain. Thrity Fourth and up handmade items of any kind do not usually do well. My last show in 2012 was a craft show and I had some military plaques on display. For some reason the interest that day was Navy. didn't sell any but gave out a number of cards. A "Procrastinator" called and finally picked up a Navy plaque 2 days before Christmas. The plaque is the self framing type and I sell them for $25.
-
Thanks you all for the advice and compliments on my work. I eas considering dropping the price but I was also thinking that this plaque, as well as the other branches of Service ones I made are worth $40 if their worth a nickel so after reading you're advice I think I'm just going to price my work and not worry about it selling. Like Tommy T said: I do this because I love to scroll.
-
I like your attitude Shogun. Selling is like scrolling. The more you do it, the better you get at it.
-
Your work looks Great. I also vouch that FM are only for people looking to spend a buck and hope to come home with 10 worth. A well established Craft Show will bring
all kinds of people that are there because only Hand Made Crafts are for sell. I am down here in Alabama and do a craft show in Nov. and some years are better than others. Have learned that people around here are Leary about spending a big dollar.
Have members here that live in different cities that tell of selling real well. Anyway
I would say your Plaque is well worth $40 Plus, but around here maybe I would get $25. My 3 cents worth.... Danny :+}
-
Shogun here is a link to read. It deals with pricing your work.
The women who thought your work was over priced did not see something she wanted. If she did then she would of thought that $40 was a good deal. Sometimes the spouse will think the other does not need something they don't like or understand.
You noticed I said spouse? I have seen it work both ways. It's like the plot in the movie A Christmas Story "Ralphie you'll shot your eye" Mom hates it and Dad gets the bb gun because he understands........
http://www.scrollsawgoodies.com/2012/04/how-to-price-your-scroll-saw-work/ (http://www.scrollsawgoodies.com/2012/04/how-to-price-your-scroll-saw-work/)
-
Time to do a little Marketing...
Label it at $59.95, then mark it on Sale for $45. Everyone is looking for a bargain these days and will buy Sale items more voluntarily than full price.
Consider putting up a sign that 5% of all proceeds will be donated to the Veterans fund. Mark your item up accordingly and put the donation on Your taxes at the end of the year. People buy things more voluntarily when told that they will be helping others.
Put up a sign that your products are all Hand Crafted in the USA by Americans and put up a big American flag. Your customers will have already looked at 50 other vendors before you. Make sure your stand, STANDS Out and gets the buyer's attention. Banners, Colors, how about a video monitor showing a clip of yourself making the items. Maybe play military recruitment commercials (I'd check on the legally of doing this last one, but the local recruiter may appreciate free advertising and give you some video clips to use).
John
-
You are dead on John. Companies spend millions upon millions to promote their products. In a past life I managed a Jewellery store, part of a national chain here in Canada. One day a man came in and inquired about a particular jewellery box and asked what was the best peice he could get it for. Being manager and a little fool hearty I said, "For you, today, you can have it for $100.00 tax included". He was as pleased as punch as he wanted it as a gift, and he saw the value in the deal. When I saw his delight I had to come clean and tell him the regular price was $80.00 and tax would make is about $90.00. Everytime after that when man came into the store he would come to me, but he always wanted to see the sticked price first. We don't have to spend big bucks to promote ourselves but presentation is everything.
-
All I can think of after reading JOHNS post is Wow! This just could be the way....
Would take a lot of Prep., but I can see Positive things that could happen.
Thanks for giving me some New Ways of Dealing with the Crowd.... Danny :+}
-
See, I did pay attention in Business School ;-) But it's also common sense. I went to a crafts show last month and thought to myself, whoa, it's like going to table after table of the same stuff.
The booths that got my attention were the ones with interesting looking displays, cool signs and such.
-
I never discount my stuff. I work too hard on it and try to price it fairly. The venue you sell at is partly what dictates what you can sell it for. A cross I sell at a craft fair for $40.00 will go for $80.00 at a christian book store, gift shop or gallery. I had a guy come by a show once and said " I'll give you $35.00 for that right now." It was close to the end of the day and I think he thought I would give in. I told him I appreciated the offer, but it was not for sale for $35.00 it was $45.00. He came back while I was packing up and bought it for $45.00.
-
I was told by another crafter at my first show the best trick yrt to get people looking at your work. He told mt to pick a large item that I thought wasn't even worth putting on display and put it on a raised platform in the centre of your display marked up at a ridiculous price eg ?600.00 He said someone would look at it and go off to tell his/her friends about a piece of work that they saw that is so bad and so overpriced. The friends in turn all come back to look at the item, at which point you explain it is only there to get them looking and you show them your normal pieces of work. I tried it and it does work, at one point I had 27people at my stall looking at a large bowl with a huge crack through it and a price tag of ?600.00. about half of them bought something before moving on.
-
Keefie A similar way is to carry a fairly large piece ie a 24 inch clock and put it in predominate place with a fair price . maybe a little marked up. that will also attract attention. Worked for a friend last year at a show we did together. Thing was he sold the clock!!!!!
-
Should have told them it was the second of a commissioned piece art that you did not want to sell anthe first one went for 1000. ;D
-
Technically, I'm not suggesting discounting your prices. If you look at my post, I suggested marking your items higher than you expect to sell them for, then discount that amount to what you wanted in the first place. That way, when people come up and say, I'll give you 35 cash for that item right now, you can say, sorry, I've already deeply discounted the item from what I normally get just to lower my inventory before starting the new year. My math is that if you want $30, you mark the item $39.95. TODAY'S LOW SALE PRICE $30.00. Or, take your 30 dollar item, mark it $32.00 and put up a banner that $2.00 of every sale will be donated to (charity of your choice). Document the money you donate and declare it on your Income Taxes.
I'm suggesting that people will buy things because they are on sale, or are being sold for a good cause, not necessarily because of the great deal they are getting. Just make them feel like they got the deal of the century. Those big (Going Out of Business) signs are like a magnet. Let's face it, Consumers are Vultures for deals.
-
I worked a lot of flea markets in my time. What I found is that it's best to hold firm on pricing. Once you give in and drop your price it's a slippery slope.
My reply to the lady in your scenario would've been, "Everyone has prices. What's marked on the plaque is my price." Then, let her talk. If she insisted that she could buy it cheaper elsewhere you could simply state, "Well, then I guess that person has made a sale."
At that point, the husband will (hopefully) chime in with, "Honey, I've never seen one as nice as this one before." Just look at the lady and raise your eyebrows - the hubby has just made the sale for you. If the hubby says nothing just hand him your business card with a smile.
-
I went to a flea market this weekend and sold $465.00 worth of stuff. I guess it depends on the area that you are in for sales.
gene
-
In my opinion: Pricing is determined on why you are at the sale. I go there to get rid of the stuff I make. The more I sell the more I get to make without throwing it away. When I like making a certain item I sell it pretty cheaply so I get rid of it and can then make more. I have NEVER had anyone tell me my price was too high. Too low yes. I sell at craft fairs and flea markets and see almost no competition there. I have made some $125 trunks (about 50 of them) but no longer make them because I grew tired of lugging them to and from the sales. (I do about 25 sales a year). They eventually did all sell. I now make smaller items mostly because of the transportation hassles of larger items. My prices range form $5 to $40 now. Some items I earn about $20 an hour making and others only $3 per hour but I am sure having fun with this self funding hobby.
-
I agree with IBMer. While new to scrolling, I have 26 Yrs. doing major shows with other crafts. Mark up the item, put a red line through it, lower the price, and it will sell. The public likes a perceived value.
Puzzlemaker (Pat)
-
Flea markets are a hard place to sell hand crafted items. These are the places that people are looking for a bargain and will try to talk you down on price. She may have thought you price is too high, but that is her loss and like everyone else stated, probably not something she was really looking for. I have done these myself and I only ask 25.00 and that is with it personalized.
I price my work according to area and economy and what i have in a piece. I cannot put my time into anything because I jump back and forth from one thing to another all the time. Anyone that knows me on Facebook knows that I have much to keep up with let alone my own group to keep going.
Your piece is priced just fine, it will find a home to someone who really wants it someday, just give it time. :)
-
Keep the Price, people like to look for bargins, I stand firm on my prices, eventually they will sell. Edward
-
How many times has your spouse or significant other gone to the store to buy product "A" and come home with a box of product "B" as well, because it was on sale. Not because you needed the item, but hey, it was on sale... I bet that Sales and Deals sell over half of the items purchased in this country today. Just the perception that you are getting a "DEAL" may be enough to sell you on an item....