Need help regarding pricing.

[Plo0t]

Ok, I just finished a blanket that I want to sell on ebay. I'm kinda lost as to what price to start it at. It's the size of a typical throw blanket, and it was done in all Caron Simply Soft yarn.

 

Any advice?

[secretstasher]

See what the others are selling at, I am thinking of making some blankets to sell and some have gone for (£60 large ones). If you start to high then pple will be put off. I will be making huge bed sized ones and putting a reserve of £40 on them. and starting the listing at 99p that way if I dont get at least £40 for it then it wont sell. Put loads of information on the blanket like the colour what they could use it for ie snuggling in front of the telly and tell them how lovely it would look on the sofa etc. try to convince them they really need it.

Put it in two catagories, blankets and crochet items more people will see it.

good luck with putting it on oh and make sure it finishes in the evening when people get in from work or at the weekend mabey sunday afternoon more people will see it towards the end. xx

[Adii]

I didn't sell anything yet, but I was interested in such, so as I can tell, you should sum up the material cost and triple it (X3), that should by the approximate price.

I would add to that what secretstasher said - check out the prices of similar products

[Barbara]

There is no way I would ever sell anything handmade for as low as 3x the cost of material. (That particular formula actually came from the construction field, as my husband informed me.)

 

A person ought to charge the cost of material, plus the cost of selling, plus an hourly wage. Decide for yourself what your time is worth.

 

As long as women keep perpetuating the "3x cost of material" rule...we will never get paid what our crafts are worth.

[Auntie Kellie]

Barbara has some good advice. Use the 3x cost of material as a base price then add in the cost of all the extras, time spent making it, difficulty of the pattern, how many times you had to restart it because your 4yr old DD decided to be helpful... Okay, that last one is just a joke but she has done that to me a few times.

 

Hugs and Cookies

Auntie K

[faedragon]

I sell things I crochet, both at craft fairs and individual sales. Pricing can be a real problem. I work a full time job, also and crochet only during non-work hours. I know what I get paid per hour at my job, and no one would ever pay me that rate to crochet. I by yarn on sale, or on ebay if I can get a really, really good deal. Since my crocheting is done while I watch tv, listen to music or would otherwise be doing nothing..I base my price on the" how much do I want to be paid for watching tv" theory. I can make a scarf and a hat before going to work, I have to be at work at 1 pm, and that is after waking up, having breakfast and putting a load of clothes in the washer. I'll charge $18.00 a piece for these or $30.00 if bought as a set. If I am making something to order(usually sweathers or wraps), I'll have the customer provide the yarn,( I give them a crash course in yarn, first") then charge $30 to $50 dollars to crochet the item, depending on how much "mindless" crocheting is involved. There is no real "formula" for determining what to charge. Take a look at the finished item, decide how much money you'd be satisfied with getting for the item , and charge that. On something I can work on "mindlessly" and enjoy making, I may charge one price, for something I don't really "like" to make, if I decide to make it for someone, I'll charge more.

[yarncat]

I sell things I crochet, both at craft fairs and individual sales. Pricing can be a real problem. I work a full time job, also and crochet only during non-work hours. I know what I get paid per hour at my job, and no one would ever pay me that rate to crochet. I by yarn on sale, or on ebay if I can get a really, really good deal. Since my crocheting is done while I watch tv, listen to music or would otherwise be doing nothing..I base my price on the" how much do I want to be paid for watching tv" theory. I can make a scarf and a hat before going to work, I have to be at work at 1 pm, and that is after waking up, having breakfast and putting a load of clothes in the washer. I'll charge $18.00 a piece for these or $30.00 if bought as a set. If I am making something to order(usually sweathers or wraps), I'll have the customer provide the yarn,( I give them a crash course in yarn, first") then charge $30 to $50 dollars to crochet the item, depending on how much "mindless" crocheting is involved. There is no real "formula" for determining what to charge. Take a look at the finished item, decide how much money you'd be satisfied with getting for the item , and charge that. On something I can work on "mindlessly" and enjoy making, I may charge one price, for something I don't really "like" to make, if I decide to make it for someone, I'll charge more.

 

This is what I do.

[truckin Patty]

I'm glad I found this thread as I have been asked how much I would charge for an afghan. Now I at least have an idea on how to go about it. I like the idea of having them purchase the yarn.

 

Patty

[Plo0t]

Thank you all for posting. I'm gonna keep all your ideas in mind from now on.

 

And Barbara, sad as it may sound, I don't think we'll ever get pad what we deserve for our handmade goods! I've noticed time and time again that people just don't appreciate the time and hard work put into each piece. It's a shame, really.

[WendyLee]

And Barbara, sad as it may sound, I don't think we'll ever get pad what we deserve for our handmade goods! I've noticed time and time again that people just don't appreciate the time and hard work put into each piece. It's a shame, really.

 

I agree. It is to easy to go to a department store and get something similar for a lot less money. I don't think it is because they don't appreciate the work that goes into a piece, they just can't see the value when they have to buy school clothes or something for the kids!

[Barbara]

Thank you all for posting. I'm gonna keep all your ideas in mind from now on.

 

And Barbara, sad as it may sound, I don't think we'll ever get pad what we deserve for our handmade goods! I've noticed time and time again that people just don't appreciate the time and hard work put into each piece. It's a shame, really.

Well....I will have to disagree. I generally see people shell out large amounts of money for handcrafted items and I certainly don't live in an upscale part of the country.

 

It depends on what sort of crochet items one is trying to sell. If it's something like a chapstick holder, cell phone cozy, child's hat....yes, I will have to say that people will probably not see the handcrafted value of it, because they can go to a discount store and get something cheaper. But as far as decorative items for the home, afghans, pillows....if made in trendy colors and modern patterns....they go for pretty nice chunks of money. Crocheters would need to keep an eye on which colors are in vogue at the time and try to find complements for those. This spring yellow and blue seem to be big from what I've seen in decorating magazines.

 

On the cover of the March issue of Country Home they are featuring a periwinkle crochet throw (great color to go with current fashionable yellow walls) for $ 178....and believe me, there will be plenty of people wanting that throw for their cottage style homes.

 

But if women don't want to do a bit or research into trends, etc. and continue to give their stuff away, that's alright with me. I've tried convincing them at least.....lol.

[tracyleigh]

I've been struggling with this topic lately myself.

 

I have a few of my finished items that I would like to sell.

 

One person was interested in my Tiger Butterfly blanket (on my Photobucket page). When told what I was asking for it ($125 CDN)...he said that was too much (he expected to pay $30-40 for it).

 

My husband just kind of looked at him and told him he was nuts to expect me to sell my stuff for that cheap.

 

Scott sees how much time and effort goes into making these things and he appreciates it.

[Barbara]

I've been struggling with this topic lately myself.

 

I have a few of my finished items that I would like to sell.

 

One person was interested in my Tiger Butterfly blanket (on my Photobucket page). When told what I was asking for it ($125 CDN)...he said that was too much (he expected to pay $30-40 for it).

 

My husband just kind of looked at him and told him he was nuts to expect me to sell my stuff for that cheap.

 

Scott sees how much time and effort goes into making these things and he appreciates it.

What a gorgeous blanket!!!! Wow!!! I envy you. You are a patient person. That blanket is worth a small fortune.

 

PS: I like your husband.

[Plo0t]

Oh my gosh, tracyleigh! Those afghans are gorgeous! You have some serious talent!

[Kiirs]

I agree with the person who said people can really appreciate handmade things, but have to choose between those and things for the kids...I'm in the same position. If I was loaded, there is nothing better I would like to do (after paying all my debts and providing for extended family, I mean) than buy lovely hand-made items that so much time and love has gone into, and pay fully what they're worth. But I could never afford it so I just have to sigh and admire from afar and continue to buy factory-made things for what I can afford. I certainly love looking at all the gorgeous things you ladies make, though!!

[cateyesmd]

Great thread.....I don't have anything to add unfortunately. I've never seriously considered selling for the very reason many have stated here.