Pricing Work

[Julie Tanner]

How do you folks go about setting pricing for your work? ( Im sure this has been asked many times, sorry) :rolleyes:

I make pens and have started making bowls.

[Bill Wyko]

By the wristwatch the customer is wearing:DJK

[Steve Trauthwein]

Pens-$30 and up.

Bowls-$40 an up.

Regards, Steve

[Curt Fuller]

From my very limited experience at trying to sell my stuff I've found that the buyers very rarely have any idea what goes into turning a bowl or pen. What will catch their eye is the wood. So the prettier and flashier the wood, the more you can charge. Steve's prices are a pretty good example of where to start though.

[Ben Gastfriend]

There's a formula that I always go by.

Material cost+Labor+Overhead+Profit=Cost to customer

I charge $20 and up for pens and $40+ for bowls.

[Dwight VanSickle]

I charge $18 for my pens and if it is a repeat buyer I charge little less. I will make a deal if people bring me Birdseye then I will make then a few pens for the wood if it is usable. That works good for me. I have gotten lots of offers for wood but only a few is usable. The price of the hardware for pens to give away is cheaper then to buy the wood. I find it hard to sell my bowls because my wife has first choice. She keeps a lot of them. I can't fight that because she bought me my first lathe...she can keep anything I make for that.
Dwight

[Raymond Overman]

Pricing isn't easy and is driven by market rates and perceived skill level. Here is a starting reference but is definitely not a hard and fast rule.

For pens:

Slimlines $25-$30
Cigars $30-$50
Baron Rollerball $75-$100
Baron Fountains $85-$125

Price depends on type of wood and inlays or embellishments.

For Bowls/vases there are a couple of different formulas:

(width x height x skill modifier) + Material = price

material + hourly rate = price

the amount you want to make + material + gallery % (if applicable) = price

[Bill Wyko]

Segmented turnings start at 2 dollars per segment and up to 5 dollars a segment. Like i say " If it doesn't sell....it looks great in my house"

[John Hart]

Just my impression...but....if you take a gorgeous turning and put it in a high-end art show....$250

Same Piece....Juried Craft Show...$150
Same Piece...Consignment Store...$125
Same Piece....Craft Show............$100
Same Piece....Flea Market...........$75
Same Piece...Internet...Great Pics.$50
Same Piece...Internet...Bad Pics...$25
Same Piece...Gift to Mom.............$Priceless

Just my impression...I'm in the same boat Julie...ain't really sold nuthin' yet.:)

[Christopher K. Hartley]

I'm by no means trying to be an expert here but It's funny you asked. I was just at the Gallery that carries my work and we were having an Artist's Night. A number of us were discussing this same thing. Now keep in mind that we were all producing our craft in different mediums but all of us were faceing the same issue, "How do I price my work?" Here were the factors that came to light and some other things as well.

Pricing Considerations
Material and supplies cost
Studio overhead
Artist's time
Quality of the piece
What is the place where being sold (Gallery; Flee Market; Craft Show)
Uniqueness of the piece
Who are the target buyers? What is their mindset.
Creating value for the price

Placement and presentation
Uniqueness and quality of the piece
Information about the piece
Information of the artist
Reputation of the artist
Opportunity to meet the artist
What is your buyers expectation for their purchase
Things to be aware of

Do not prejudge your client
Do not sell out of your own wallet
Sales are made primarily on emotion
Do not fail to close (in person or in written materials)
John gave a pretty good outline, I would only add that there are a number of craftsman who charge considerably more and quite successfully. Ask yourself, "Who am I marketing to? What are they looking for? What is their mindset about price?

Just some things to ponder...:)

[Tom Keen]

What works for me. Depending on the wood and the form

For bowls and vases: Simple, plain..easy to make: $8/inch. Complicated, difficult to make $10/inch. I add a premium for the real pain-in-the-butt stuff such as osage orange, or the hard-to-come-by of 10%. I dont buy exotic wood, but if I did I would pass the cost directly on to the customer.

Tom

[Frank Kobilsek]

Julie,

I have said this before. Find 2 or 3 professional artists in your area and ask thier assistance pricing work. You'll get great insight on the art marketing parts of this hobby that you can not learn at the lathe. I had a pizza party at the house before my gallery 'coming out party' where a bronze sculpture and a fabric artist helped me. Their suggestion were much higher than mine. So I spilt the difference and did well.

Also as John said venue makes a huge difference, but there will be surprises at every venue. (some of them not happy surprises)

Good Luck
Frank

[Mike Vickery]

Julie,
I am not an experienced seller but here is what I did for a show for my bowls
height x width x 3
This gave me a baseline then I adjusted the price from their. Usually increaseing for figured wood or burl, difficulty of piece, pyrography, ect.
I am pretty much in line with the others on the pen priceing.

[robert hainstock]

Dwight,
Do you have pix you could send to my email Rbobbyh@chartermi.net? I will reciprocate.
Bob :)

[Brian Weick]

don't give it away! You put your time and effort into a piece and should be compensated for it accordingly. I don't do bowls or pens ~ just architectural pieces such as columns and hand carved items- and they are expensive- I just finished a table- but this is a gift to my girl friend. If I were to sell this table I would probably have asked $22-$2500 for this table, 32"w x 42"L x 34"h , small yes , but the character and attention to detail is justified ~ I really don't care what people think as far as price, when they start to want to barter with me ~ have a nice day, I have no patience for that mentality ~ it's not a used washing machine ~ they have no idea what goes into making a piece like this , http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=69782 . this table has 84 hours of labor , all solid wood maple. Now if it were a simple table - probably 1/2 the price or less- What helps with a selling items like this is attention to detail and the character/look of the piece- if it is a real eye catching piece of work - that helps immensely.
just remember not to cave in to price haggling ~ I have a a low tolerance level for that type of mindset ~ :mad:
Brian

[Dean Thomas]

Good post, Brian.

Don't give it away and don't sell yourself short. Don't whine or waver. "Gee, will you come down on that?" The answer is "No. My cost of materials did not come down and the number of hours that I have in the piece did not come down. If you want cheaper, I'll make you one cheaper, but it won't be of quality wood and I won't put as much time in it as it might otherwise deserve. Do you want a quality piece or a cheap piece? You can't have both."

You don't have to be arrogant when you say this, but you have to let them know that you do NOT have a fleamarket mentality.

And don't forget the cost of materials. I have a friend (who has already commented on this thread) who sells pens made from amazing things and finished superbly. Alligator jaw, rattlesnake skin, corn cob, those "wow" acrylics, and a variety of other interesting things. Expensive kits that are quality stuff and unique materials mean expensive and exclusive items. And if they are signed that should also increase the $$. And if they are numbered, that would also boost the bucks. 3/10 means "it's a series of 10 items and this is the third. No others in this series will be made." That frequently means something special to serious collectors.

Hope it helps.