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This question has been asked a million times and what I find is it really depends on WHERE you live and what type of embellishments you put into your card. HOWEVER I have read a rule of thumb for the sale of handcrafted items is to double the cost of your supplies and add 10 dollars an hour for how long it took you to make...
Sorry I can't be of more help!
My mother in law who is a HUGE craft fair BUYER always tells me, "price the item so it will sell, but make sure you price it high enough or someone will think there is something wrong with it" So you will know what a good price is when you sell it all!!! LOL
Don't know if this will help you, but over the weekend I saw a beaded pen "kit" that was being sold for $10. It had three or four bic pens (the cheapies), seed beads, and plenty of tape (the package claimed enough for a couple dozen pens).
Maybe a better question would be, are these prices fair?
Cards (see my gallery for quality reference): $3-4
Candels: $4-5
Pens: $1.50-2
Tiles: $6 each or 4-for $20
This is my first craft fair and I'm so worried I've made too much, or worse, not enough... and then I don't want to prices myself out of the water... but I want to make a profit... UGH!!! Who would have guessed it'd be this much worrying!!! I just signed up cause it sounded FUN!!!
A good rule of thumb is 2-3X's your cost of materials - that way the "extra" accounts for your time
Stamped Candle? - in most cases the candle will cost $1-2 - tissue paper - a few cents, ink a few cents, wax paper a few cents...so on a $1 candle I usually charge $4 and go up from there mainly based on the cost of the candle...unless you have added extra to the candle...embellishments, ribbon, glitter - if so add an extra $1
1/4 Page Card? - once again it is going to vary based on the card - most cards with a layer or 2 is going to cost under .50 to make...for your average card $2 (include a stamped envelope too) - if you do cards with nice embellisments - brads, buttons, charms figure out how much those cost and multiply that by 2 or 3 to add to the $2 base price. I am doing a bunch of 6 card sets to sell rather then a bunch of individual cards (I will have individual cards too) and I will be charging $10 for them (fairly "quick" to do in a assembly line fashion - i.e. 12-18 cards in about an hour)...some people sell their cards upwards of $3 and $4 - I don't know about you but no matter how pretty a card is I don't think I would spend more than I would at the Hallmark store - KWIM...by selling in sets people might buy them to give as gifts....
Beaded Pen? - never done these don't know the cost basis...
Stamped Tiles? - I have sold tiles in the past for $4-5 each - my price per tile is under $1 and the ink used is only a few cents...
BTW - I usually package my candles and tiles in Cello bags with some paper shreds and tied closed with a piece of coordinating ribbon...and usually attach a To: From: tag to it so it can easily be given as a gift
You don't want to sell yourself short but you also don't want to set your prices to high so people walk by and say "that's so pretty" and then keep walking...
Last year when I made up a bunch of things I did things that I would love to give as gifts - so that way if things didn't sell I had my X-mas gifts all ready to go - I am doing the same this year as I am planning on doing at least 1 possibly 2 craft shows in November...doing things that I would give as gifts - if they don't all sell less work for me in the month of December...if they do great!!!
__________________ Jenni -Happy SU Demo - MY GALLERY & MY CHAOTIC LIFE One kid makes you a Parent - Two makes you a Referee
I've been doing local craft fairs for the past six almost seven years. Your pricing seems pretty fair, but again as everyone wrote, it depends on how much time you spend making the items and your cost of materials. If you can quickly whip them out, then your pricing is good. If it takes you more than 20 mins to make one item, then you need to up your pricing. Here's what I've charged and made money on.
Candles $6 - $8 depending on what you put on it
1/4 page card - $5 (less for sets of multiples)
beaded pens - $2 (especially if you're using inexpensive pens)
stamped tiles - $4
Package your items neatly. Don't just leave your cards hanging out in a basket. If you leave them blank on the inside, you can seal them in the clear envelopes and keep them clean. No messy fingerprints. If you sell the tiles in sets, tie them with raffia and attach a gift tag. Do the same with the pens and add a stamped postit pad (3 x 5). That set could be sold for $7 or more depending on how many pens you package.
Also, make signs that reiterate that the items are hand-made/hand-stamped and fairly unique. Makes people less inclined to worry about the pricing.
Hope this helps.
BananaJane
__________________ :cool: A clean stamp is a happy stamp, but one that's used often is ecstatic. ;-)
Last edited by Bananajane; 06-21-2005 at 10:04 PM..
A good rule of thumb is 2-3X's your cost of materials - that way the "extra" accounts for your time
Stamped Candle? - in most cases the candle will cost $1-2 - tissue paper - a few cents, ink a few cents, wax paper a few cents...so on a $1 candle I usually charge $4 and go up from there mainly based on the cost of the candle...unless you have added extra to the candle...embellishments, ribbon, glitter - if so add an extra $1
1/4 Page Card? - once again it is going to vary based on the card - most cards with a layer or 2 is going to cost under .50 to make...for your average card $2 (include a stamped envelope too) - if you do cards with nice embellisments - brads, buttons, charms figure out how much those cost and multiply that by 2 or 3 to add to the $2 base price. I am doing a bunch of 6 card sets to sell rather then a bunch of individual cards (I will have individual cards too) and I will be charging $10 for them (fairly "quick" to do in a assembly line fashion - i.e. 12-18 cards in about an hour)...some people sell their cards upwards of $3 and $4 - I don't know about you but no matter how pretty a card is I don't think I would spend more than I would at the Hallmark store - KWIM...by selling in sets people might buy them to give as gifts....
Beaded Pen? - never done these don't know the cost basis...
Stamped Tiles? - I have sold tiles in the past for $4-5 each - my price per tile is under $1 and the ink used is only a few cents...
BTW - I usually package my candles and tiles in Cello bags with some paper shreds and tied closed with a piece of coordinating ribbon...and usually attach a To: From: tag to it so it can easily be given as a gift
You don't want to sell yourself short but you also don't want to set your prices to high so people walk by and say "that's so pretty" and then keep walking...
Last year when I made up a bunch of things I did things that I would love to give as gifts - so that way if things didn't sell I had my X-mas gifts all ready to go - I am doing the same this year as I am planning on doing at least 1 possibly 2 craft shows in November...doing things that I would give as gifts - if they don't all sell less work for me in the month of December...if they do great!!!
I agree with all of these prices, and they're prices I would happily pay.
The post above me stated about $5.00 a card, not to be contrary, but I would not spend $5.00 on a card, and i'm in Canada... ;)
__________________ ~It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got~ Sheryl Crowe
Okay, $5 a card may seem pricey to you, but I do cards which reflect the local culture and those are hard to find around here. I have no trouble selling my cards at that price. I was even told to raise the price to $6 (or even higher). It could also be because I tend not to duplicate my cards (unless they're in sets). I don't believe I'm fleecing anyone because I actually think my time and labor are worth something. Don't mean to sound arrogant, I just do a lot of other things (worth more money) and for me to sit and create stamped items just takes a lot of my time. Does that make sense?
BananaJane
__________________ :cool: A clean stamp is a happy stamp, but one that's used often is ecstatic. ;-)
What would you charge for...
