Pattern prices

[Daydreamer-girl]

I have just looked at some to buy patterns at ravelry. I see that the price scale is from cheap to quite expensive. And many of the expensive patterns aren´t that complicated (both knit and crochet).

Am I just being cheap, or is many of the patterns overprized?

[mellybelly]

I have no problem admitting that I'm cheap! I hate to pay for a pattern at ALL. I recently spent $5.99 for a pattern on epatterns, and for me, that was a luxurious splurge, throwing all caution to the wind. I'm a WILD WOMAN!

Then again, I'm still learning alot about crochet, so I try to stick to easier stuff, for which I find free patterns everywhere. The one I bought is more challenging, so heaven only knows how long it will be before I work up the nerve to actually attempt it.

As far as things being overpriced, I really have no idea as to what is 'reasonable'. And I'm REALLY clueless about ravelry. I guess it all boils down to what price range you're comfortable in - and that varies for everyone.

[jheatherley]

Many patterns are way overpriced -- but so is everything else these days. Everything but my income keeps going up, up, up.

[Karen C.]

What is considered expensive? I don't mind paying upwards of one to six dollars for a pattern. However, I will be very upset if I receive the pattern and it is written badly. I have a couple of patterns in my library that I've purchased online that I'm disappointed with.

[kazily]

I'm cheap (& a little poor these days). I don't usually buy individual patterns. Once in a while I will buy one that jumps out at me or make a perfect gift for someone I know but I have limits to what I will pay for one pattern. As much as I might love the project... & understand the work that goes into creating patterns is not easy... I have to pass up most of the patterns I really like. Sometimes I come back later, either hrs or days & if I still feel the love for it, I'll get it. I have only had a problem with one or two of them but one of those was a $7 pattern, EEK.

 

And then there are the things I wish I could buy a pattern for & would probably go over my personal limit to get LOL (crocheted things I see & fall in love with that don't have a pattern written for them lol).

[Ruthie629]

Hi Everyone: Yes I have to agree, that some of the patterns are quite pricey in PDF Formatt comsidering it is my ink and paper that I am using, and do the math and you might as well go out and pay for a whole book on patterns.

[Miss Crochet]

I guess there are different things at work here:

 

1. If a pattern is too cheap, the buyer underestimates its value. In other words, a 99c pattern is just a 99c pattern. But an expensive pattern could lead you to believe that you are buying something more exclusive and upmarket.

 

2. The designers are often private individuals who are looking to supplement their income by selling patterns or finished products. The effort of setting up an etsy store is probably not worth it if you sell your pattern too cheaply. (only guessing - have no etsy store).

 

3. I could make a good effort at reproducing something I was interested in, just by looking at it (needless to say, I like to make easy stuff!) so I never buy patterns. The final version of what I make is usually very different to the original because I have adjusted it to my taste or (ahem) "improved" it, so I wouldn't be bothered to buy a pattern. On the other hand, I love books - I just love to flick through the pages and admire pictures of all the things I'll never make and pretend I will, haha.

 

4. But I think that sometimes the price of a pattern is justified because it reflects the amount of work that a designer has put into it. A case in question is the Babette pattern, which I bought for my sister for her birthday. Because it was a special occasion, I didn't mind buying it for her. Of course, if it hadn't been a present, I wouldn't have bought it. I would have made my own version and (ahem once again) "improved" it . I could have easily made a Babette blanket myself - in fact, long before I had ever even heard of the Babette, I had made something similar. It's not rocket science, honestly. What IS work is the planning and the graphing and the colour coordination, and that's what I didn't mind paying for.

[amdm]

One factor is how much you like the pattern. If you really like it and can't replicate it , even an apparently high price may not seem too much.

[Daydreamer-girl]

One factor is how much you like the pattern. If you really like it and can't replicate it , even an apparently high price may not seem too much.

 

No,you are right. I have bought one pattern which I thought was so special and really wonderful that I simply had to have. I haven´t finished the piece though, since it was quite complicated.

[Amy]

There are a lot of very well-known, extremely talented designers who post patterns on ravelry, and their patterns are priced accordingly. There are all sorts of expenses that must be covered, even when a pattern is available via pdf instead of print form.

 

Designer's time in thinking up, designing, and writing the pattern, often in multiple sizes

 

Pattern testers

 

Technical editors and copy editors

 

Hosting costs for website to promote their business

 

Credit card/ravelry processing fees

 

 

Those are just off the top of my head; I'm sure there are more. When you factor in all these expenses, I don't think the prices many people are charging for their patterns are at all unreasonable.

 

Now, if somebody was charging $8.00 for a pattern for a basic shell stitch scarf, I would think twice about paying it, only because I can make something like that myself without a pattern. But there are also many people out there who aren't comfortable yet trying things on their own, and are willing to pay that price for a very well-written pattern that will walk them step by step through the process so they will be successful.

 

We all have to decide how much we're willing to spend on patterns. But we have to realize that if nobody's going to pay $5-$10 for a well-written, complicated sweater pattern, then the talented designers won't be designing fun, innovative, beautiful patterns for us anymore. You can't sell patterns like those for $2-$3 and make any kind of living wage.

[PBLKNP]

This is why I like to hunt on-line for free patterns instead, or make up my own. I have the Encyclopedia of Crochet, which has a ton of stitch patterns to aid a person in this...

[Chiscrochetcrazy]

I have no problem paying $5-8 for 1 pattern since I've bought many magazines for 1 pattern I like & usually never ended up making anyway. Same with books lots of times I just buy those to look at for inspiration. All I know is I'm certainly not getting rich off selling patterns since I've only sold 1

[jura2908]

pdf patterns give me the versatality that printed leaflets do not. i can print the pages i want (usually on draft setting is perfect) and not feel upset if i fold it, write on it ect. where i would never fold up my leaflets, make notes on the pages ect. for this i am willing to pay the same for a pdf that i would a leaflet. i may not have the resale rights that i do with a leaflet but for me the convience outweighs it.

 

i think that on a whole if we want designers to continue to produce high quality patterns we should be willing to support the bit higher prices. if we want yard sale prices we should only expect yard sale quality.

[Krakovianka]

There are so many factors involved in pricing a pattern. Ultimately, the seller of the pattern wants to make the most money they can (wouldn't you?), and the price has to both be high enough to make it worth the trouble of selling and low enough to attract the optimum number of buyers.

 

One of the factors to consider is that pattern sales only appeal to a very small demographic--crocheters (or knitters). That is by no means the population at large, and makes it impossible to have *really* high volume sales. Crochet patterns are not iPhones. So...if you are pricing a pattern, you have to try to hit that magic price will give you the largest number of buyers.

 

If your pattern is $7 or more, some people who might want your pattern will almost definitely not buy it.

 

If your pattern is $5, some people who might want your pattern will still not buy it.

 

If your pattern is $3, some people (but not all who like it) will go ahead and buy it even if they aren't sure about it because that's a bargain price for most things.

 

If your pattern is $1, some people will STILL not buy it because it is a lot of bother to pay $1 for something.

 

You have to hit the price that will give the biggest of number of sales among those who want to have your pattern. And all the time, you are competing against the hundreds and hundreds of designs and patterns already out there and available for free from libraries, the internet, friends, etc....

 

If there is a magic formula, I don't know what it is. But I do know that I have my limits. I am MUCH more likely to pay $3-4 for a pattern than $7 or more, but I don't rule out paying more for a pattern that I really want. At that pricing level, you are also competing against other high-end patterns that are very desirable, too. Nobody gets rich from selling patterns, just like nobody gets rich from selling finished crochet items. It's a hobby, and most hobbies cost money.

[Mom's Crochet]

I agree with Krakovianka's assessment. Something I always think about when I see a discussion about patterns, whether it be copyright issues or the prices charged, is that our grandmothers and great grandmothers created beautiful patterns and passed many of them on mainly through memorization. I certainly couldn't do that.

 

I am happy for people who can create patterns and I am glad they are able earn a living selling them. However, some of my most used patterns and my very favorites were free.

 

Happy Crocheting

MC

[Empress Busy Bee]

I think it depends on who the designer is, how well they are known/liked, and what you get for your money. Not to mention how much you want it.

I like Crochet Garden (Lisa). With her patterns you know you're getting well tested patterns that usually are pretty easy to read, you can sign up to the forum if you have problems or PM her through here or probably Ravelry, and you usually get more than just a pattern for a skirt. A lot of times you get an outfit or a sweater or headband or something. It makes it worth paying the money for.

I have no idea what all you get with the Babette but it seems like just instructions and bottom line is it's just different sized solid grannies that I can look at the photo for placement and color. Not worth $6 to me but it might be for someone else.

I got a pattern for a skirt from someone I don't know and I paid $8 because I really wanted it. However the first copy I got was not clear so I emailed her and got a revised copy. Her pattern isn't written in the professional manner I would expect for a spendy pattern that came with no extras, no support, and really very little for sizing and materials guide.

I still haven't finished the skirt partly because I've gotten busy doing other things and partly because I down right nervous about trying it again.

[Cliffnote]

Many patterns are way overpriced -- but so is everything else these days. Everything but my income keeps going up, up, up.

 

LOL, aint that the truth!

 

Kim

[Craw]

Hi Everyone: Yes I have to agree, that some of the patterns are quite pricey in PDF Formatt comsidering it is my ink and paper that I am using, and do the math and you might as well go out and pay for a whole book on patterns.

 

Yup, what she said!

 

I might be willing to pay for individual patterns if we had an option to sell the items we created, but since you can't do that with most patterns and can't turn around and sell the PDF pattern on ebay when you're finished using it, it's just not worth it.