is this to much to charge

[sfgwife]

A lady wants me to make a pillowcase doll. They have them at mary maxim and herschnerrs for $20. Mom told her 50 fro the doll. It is embroidered, sewn, and crocheted. The crochet doesn't take that long but the other parts do because I have to cut the pattern and sew it and the embroidery is very time consuming. The lady told my mom that was highway robbery basically. And that there was no way she was going to pay that fro something like this because it isn't that large and doesn't take but a week to finish. UGH! I usually don't sell my work for this simple reason. Like I can finish that in a week. Yeah if I worked on it all day fo several days maybe but I can t do embroidery like that. I do have to take breaks from it.

 

And on the other hand I have another lady who wants one and was like that is all she wants for making this doll? So she is ok with that price for this.

 

So gimme your opinions on pricing for this please. I don't feel like that is too much for the owrk involved but what do you all think. Mom even told her that I "may" would go to $40 for it but no cheaper.

[ErinLindsey]

because of all the work involved, I dont think you should charge much less than $130. If she doesnt want to pay that much, then she can go to walmart and buy a barbie doll from China and a pillow case and some superglue

[eebrs]

That's why I've never tried to sell crocheted items. $50 may seem a lot for something that "doesn't take but a week to finish", but who would work for $50 a week? You can make more than that at McDonalds and there's no skill needed.

[JoAnn]

It's not enough! I would not do it for $40-$50. Did you figure out what materials would cost? Add in your time and expertise. I agree with the $125-$130.

[Amy]

A lady wants me to make a pillowcase doll. They have them at mary maxim and herschnerrs for $20. Mom told her 50 fro the doll. It is embroidered, sewn, and crocheted. The crochet doesn't take that long but the other parts do because I have to cut the pattern and sew it and the embroidery is very time consuming. The lady told my mom that was highway robbery basically. And that there was no way she was going to pay that fro something like this because it isn't that large and doesn't take but a week to finish. UGH! I usually don't sell my work for this simple reason. Like I can finish that in a week. Yeah if I worked on it all day fo several days maybe but I can t do embroidery like that. I do have to take breaks from it.

 

And on the other hand I have another lady who wants one and was like that is all she wants for making this doll? So she is ok with that price for this.

 

So gimme your opinions on pricing for this please. I don't feel like that is too much for the owrk involved but what do you all think. Mom even told her that I "may" would go to $40 for it but no cheaper.

 

Please remember to respect copyright law when selling something made from a pattern or a kit, and our forum guidelines when discussing selling something made from a pattern or kit. As a general reminder:

 

If you are instigating the sale, you'll need to make sure that the pattern or kit instructions give you permission to sell the item you've made. If they don't give that permission, you'll need to contact the pattern designer for that permission.

 

If this other person is instigating the sale, then THEY can purchase the kit or pattern and materials, so that those things belong to them. They can then commission you to make the item, compensating you for your time. Then when you're finished, all leftover materials and the pattern get returned to that other person.

[alibra]

Honestly, the nerve of some people...$50.00 is a steal, not highway robbery.

[sfgwife]

AMy I did tell her that she had to order the doll for me first and I would get it when I came to town soon. So I am not selling something that I bought first.

 

I also said that she would have to pay part of the fee for making it before and then the other part when I handed it to the lady. That wya I would at least get something for it if she decided that it was too much after thinking it over while I was making it. So basically if she decided otherwaie she would be out the money for the doll pattern and the advance for making it. Which would not be my problem.

[catlyn]

No, I agree that you should get no less than 125-130 dollars.

People want you to do the work for nothing.

If they don't want to pay for the work then let them learn to crochet and do it themselves.

 

My boss wanted me to crochet this decorative house for her once, for her Christmas collection of decorations.

She confronted me with this while I was on the job.....took me to her office and said, "I have something I want you to make for me."

And showed me this house, crocheted in tiny, some kind of shiny metallic thread. VERY detailed and involved looking.

She then said what she'd pay me.........she said, "You know your time is only worth about .25cents per hour."

 

I said, "No, I can't make that for you. That's looks too hard and I can't do it."

[ferretlady]

........she said, "You know your time is only worth about .25cents per hour."

 

 

She actually SAID that??????!!!!!!! Or, do you mean, the price she wanted was basically implying that was what your time was worth?

 

Either way.... SHEESH!!!! Good for you, for turning her down!!!

 

I used to 'undercut' myself when people wanted me to make them things - I finally got tired of it & if someone asks me to make something, I quote what I feel is a fair price & that's it. If they don't like it, tough tacos. If people don't want to pay an appropriate price for a handmade item, then they can go buy the cheap cheezy made-in-china version for less money...

[catlyn]

She actually SAID that??????!!!!!!! Or, do you mean, the price she wanted was basically implying that was what your time was worth?

 

Either way.... SHEESH!!!! Good for you, for turning her down!!!

 

I used to 'undercut' myself when people wanted me to make them things - I finally got tired of it & if someone asks me to make something, I quote what I feel is a fair price & that's it. If they don't like it, tough tacos. If people don't want to pay an appropriate price for a handmade item, then they can go buy the cheap cheezy made-in-china version for less money...

 

Yes, Ma'am, she actually said that. That's what she said my time was worth....25 cents an hour.

 

That has made me so mad every since then, I wish I had said something else to her. I may yet bring it up again. She's retiring in December.

 

She likes to bring up old stories that someone has done something to her.

A co-worker once, had been harrassed by this boss over little things, and apparently she was going home and complaining to her husband how the boss was treating her. So one day, this co-worker's husband wrote a letter to this boss......the same one, that offered me .25cents/hr, and told her she was the west end of an east bound donkey. And she has brought that up several times since then. She has not forgotten it.

 

So before she retires in December, I may bring it up that she offered me .25cents an hour to crochet that house. But I will wait until almost the last day.

[Amy]

I also said that she would have to pay part of the fee for making it before and then the other part when I handed it to the lady. That wya I would at least get something for it if she decided that it was too much after thinking it over while I was making it. So basically if she decided otherwaie she would be out the money for the doll pattern and the advance for making it. Which would not be my problem.

 

Way to go!!! But I'd be sure to get this part of the agreement in writing just to avoid any problems for yourself. Because technically, since she's the one who will have bought the stuff, the materials would legally be considered her property and you'd have to give it all back to her if she demanded it back. So if you think there's even a slight chance she would flake out on you and not pay you the full amount, you might want to have her signature on something that states you keep everything until such time as she pays you in full as per your agreement.

 

THEN you could stand firm and refuse to give her the stuff until she paid you in full. And I fully support you in making her agree to something like that so you don't get stiffed for your time!

[shelly_bean]

I have a question what is a pillowcase doll?? or can someone link me? either way, totally undercutting yourself. .25cents an hour. ridiculous.

[Amy]

My boss ...took me to her office and said, "I have something I want you to make for me."

And showed me this house, crocheted in tiny, some kind of shiny metallic thread. VERY detailed and involved looking.

She then said what she'd pay me.........she said, "You know your time is only worth about .25cents per hour."

 

Oh, I would have had steam coming out my ears. It wouldn't have been pretty!

 

I think I'd have said something like, "My time may only be worth 25 cents an hour to you, but it's worth much more to me. Crocheting is a skill that takes time and effort to learn to do well. My rates for this skill range anywhere from $25-$50 an hour, depending on the difficulty level of the project. If someone is not willing to pay my rates, then I'm not willing to do the work for them. So I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline this job."

 

I'm also serious about those rates. I will NOT sell my crochet time for anything less than that. Which may be why I never bother to try to sell anything! I firmly believe that's what the skill is worth (and I crochet very fast and very well), but I know nobody will ever pay it. But if somebody were to try to insist on me making something for them to buy, I would insist on being paid those rates. But since that's never happened, I just make stuff for the love of the people I'm making it for, and give all my work away!

[catlyn]

Oh, I would have had steam coming out my ears. It wouldn't have been pretty!

 

I think I'd have said something like, "My time may only be worth 25 cents an hour to you, but it's worth much more to me. Crocheting is a skill that takes time and effort to learn to do well. My rates for this skill range anywhere from $25-$50 an hour, depending on the difficulty level of the project. If someone is not willing to pay my rates, then I'm not willing to do the work for them. So I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline this job."

 

I'm also serious about those rates. I will NOT sell my crochet time for anything less than that. Which may be why I never bother to try to sell anything! I firmly believe that's what the skill is worth (and I crochet very fast and very well), but I know nobody will ever pay it. But if somebody were to try to insist on me making something for them to buy, I would insist on being paid those rates. But since that's never happened, I just make stuff for the love of the people I'm making it for, and give all my work away!

 

I agree. I have wished since then I had said something to her.

But I was fairly new on the job and didn't want to say anything about anything. She was my boss, but if I had been thinking straight, she should not have been asking me ON THE JOB to do work for her like that. They have policies against stuff like that. She used to do alot of things, and get by with it because she's the boss in the department.

 

And my time is worth alot to me, Maybe not to someone else, but it is to me. So............if they don't want to pay the rate, then tuff. Learn to crochet, sew, paint, knit, whatever they're wanting and do it themselves.

[Trinket]

I dunno what your boss does for a living, but... wow, that was nasty to say. I guess if it'd been me, I'd have demanded to know why she thought so little of what my time and efforts were worth. But I can be snappy like that when somebody does stuff like that to me...

 

This is one of the reasons I never try to actively sell my work. People always say they wanna buy it, but when I tell them what I'll accept for it, they balk and say it's too much. And, you know, I'm really cheap compared to a lot of other crocheters. I even got told that about a scarf I made, and what I said I'd accept to make one on commission. I tend to only price $5-$10 above cost for what I do. I know I probably oughta charge more, but if I do, then nobody wants to buy it. Soooo... I just make stuff, and then say, "If anybody wants this, I'll take x-amount for it, plus x-amount for shipping. Lemme know!" I don't always make a sale, but it works enough for me.

[Super Granny]

My mother sews beautiful quilts she once had a woman ask her to do a King size quilt, matching bed skirt and pillow shams.. when my mother told her it would be $300 if the woman bought all the material the woman was not only happy to do so she even gave my Mom an extra $100 when she was done... then this other person complained when my Mom was going to charge her $50 for a baby quilt...Mom has it figured out just how long it takes her to make something her basic rate is double the cost of materials if it's something she can do quickly...

[catlyn]

Some people just think that someone else's time is worth nothing.

I have a friend who does alot of crocheting, in fact, I taught her to crochet many years ago, and she just went with it. She's better than me, now.

She really got into it. Anyway, she crochets alot but she doesn't charge much for her work. I think she's too cheap, but she charges what she wants.

I guess she's happy with it. She also makes and gives away alot of crocheted items. Afghans, dolls. she used to make alot of crocheted dolls.

Remember those dolls that came out, I think one was called Strawberry Shortcake, there was a series of them, about 12 I think.

[athena]

a lot of them seems to forget that hand-made items are really worth much more than the mass-produced ones. the cost of the material for one wud be more since we are not buying them in huge quantities....not to mention all our 'training' investments.

[ErinLindsey]

My mother sews beautiful quilts she once had a woman ask her to do a King size quilt, matching bed skirt and pillow shams.. when my mother told her it would be $300 if the woman bought all the material the woman was not only happy to do so she even gave my Mom an extra $100 when she was done... then this other person complained when my Mom was going to charge her $50 for a baby quilt...Mom has it figured out just how long it takes her to make something her basic rate is double the cost of materials if it's something she can do quickly...

 

$300 + $100 tip?!?! For a King size?

 

Wow! We used to have a king size quilt that my aunt got for us from the Amish at the Amana Colonies (aunt used to take care of the Amish when they came to Omaha for illnesses at one of the hospitals) My dad paid my aunt for the quilt, aunt gave the money to the Amish, and about a year later we hade a really beautiful hand quilted Pie Plate quilt.

 

I think my dad and my aunt said it cost my dad about $600, but that the Amish usually would charge over $1000 for one of their quilts.

 

When I say that we used to have this quilt...about 10 years ago, my dad was just getting home from the store and noticed a kid standing at our front door with a box. He got out of the car, and all of a sudden there was a second kid at the door. They wanted to sell my dad candy bars or something. He didnt buy any, and the kids left.

 

Later that night, my mom was getting ready to re-make the bed, and went into the spare bedroom to get the quilt off the bed. It wasnt there. Apparently those kids stole the quilt along with some other stuff (dad's coin collection, MY coin collection, and a few other things)

 

My mom had been in the backyard with my dog TinyMonsters the entire time (Tiny is the dog in the corner of my post). It's just too bad that Tiny didnt come into the house when that kid was in there...he'd have put the fear of really big dogs into those kids. Probably good that he wasnt inside. We have no idea if those kids had weapons. I could have lost my dog a lot earlier than I did, or my mom could have been hurt. Or my dog could have been blamed for eating an intruder who was trespassing and taken to the pound.

 

I just hope those kids realized just how much that quilt was worth...I would hate to think they threw it into the back of a truck for the next time they went on a date with their girlfriends.

[Super Granny]

the $300 was only for labor.. the woman supplied all of the material for the stuff..

 

 

I believe the Amish quilt would have been ALL hand sewn... Mom uses a sewing machine to make hers

[mythunderbird]

i find that woman totally an idiot, where does she get off telling you your time is only worth 25 cents a hour, which century is she living in the 18th? sheeesh give me a break i often undercharge mostly because i love to make and give people things. but i also know if its to much they won't pay it, on the other hand i find some people think i charge to little and when finished they often give me a nice "tip" lol i am presently in the begining of making a quilt for my daughters boss and she knows up front it is half down non refundable and it will be in writing.i supplied all the materials and i sure as heck am not going to give it to her for nothing, as it is she is getting it cheap, only 150.00 for a twin size, but i know she can't afford anything more (i know what she makes cause she told my dd) plus my dd works there and this gals wages aren't much more than hers lol, but she has bought several tote bags from me and depending on the level of work i charge from 20 on up 20 is for a tiny one. and she has no problem with that, where as a few years ago a lady asked me to crochet her a quilt afghan well you all know how much work those are was the wedding ring one so lots of diff colors, and i told her my fee was 300.00 this was for a queen size you would think i told her 30,000.00 she started ranting and raving and saying i was a thief ect,. so i calmly told her, i was not going to make it for her at any cost, she then whined but you have to my gd wants one for a wedding present and i told her you would make her one, i said tough noogies not happening, later this gd approached me and made a comment about how i tried to rip her grand mother off by charging her so much so i asked her well what price do you think it would cost to make, she looked at me and said umm around 500.00 i told her i was going to only charge 300.00 she turned red and blushed and apologized. then she ordered it from me cause she realllly wanted one and she paid me 500.00 cause that was what my times worth lol:lol it pays to stand your ground:devil :clap