riverrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since April 2010
Posts: 1,395
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Post by riverrock on Jun 18, 2014 8:09:22 GMT -5
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Jun 18, 2014 8:42:12 GMT -5
you didn't mention what wire you used but I figure $10-12 in wire for my solid sterling wraps. I know a bunch of these are tumbled preforms so maybe value the stones at lets say $5 each. So if the wire costs $10 and the stone was worth $5 that leaves $10 for labor. If your using plated or filled wire then my numbers are off but same concept.
You seem to do a whole bunch at a time so I bet you get them done faster that way. When I sit down and get everything out to wrap just one stone its usual about 45 minutes to an hour before I am done and have everything cleaned up again.
Good luck at the show!
Chuck
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Thunder69
Cave Dweller 
Thunder 2000-2015
Member since January 2009
Posts: 3,105
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Post by Thunder69 on Jun 18, 2014 17:10:00 GMT -5
I would agree with Chuck...I think 25 is a good deal....John
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 18, 2014 17:42:47 GMT -5
Please don't take this the wrong way.... I think you are selling too cheap. You have to keep in mind the wear and tear on your equipment, the price of tools, the time you spend setting up to sell.... every little thing needs to be figured into the price.
If you go to a show and sell that cheap, you will make a lot of other wrappers really angry. Have you every been to a show and seen what those people are asking for their work? It ain't cheap. You have great stones and a unique style. Don't under cut yourself and bring everyone else's prices down. There are places and ways to sell that cheap, if that's what you want to do, but (depending on the show) a show isn't the place for those prices.
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 18, 2014 17:53:26 GMT -5
Here is a cut and paste from a rant that I had on etsy about this matter. It had very, very positive responses. I am guilty of charging too little, too. I think I charge a lot, but I have heard from several people that I should charge more. It's hard to be a Self Representing Artist. Very hard. Just food for thought. @shotgunner should like this- in fact, I think he could have said it himself.  |
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 18, 2014 18:08:23 GMT -5
For a little more about the labor end of things, I wrote a blog article you might want to check out.I'm sorry if I am over doing it here. In all honesty, I think 25 is SO cheap that it would actually turn people off. They will wonder why it is so cheap. There is a thing called perceived value. That is the value that people place on things, not the actual value. I would say that your pieces have a higher perceived value than 25.00. I know you are new to this. As a newbie, you can't, realistically, charge top dollar. But, you can definitely charge more than 25. I would pay more than that for some of the cabs alone. When I first started, I sold really cheap. What I found out was that some people were buying my pieces to take apart to use the stones themselves. You bet your a** that happens!!! Not only have I seen it, but I have been VERY tempted to do it myself. |
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deserthound
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2013
Posts: 390 
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Post by deserthound on Jun 18, 2014 19:29:05 GMT -5
wow those are outstanding..i have to agree with rockjunquie might be a bit too good of a bargin..put some on a chain and charge double...i havent a clue on all the sales stuff,but know what i would buy and how much i would pay...i like them ready to wear...and some of those could go double what you are asking with a nice chain i was thinking...and my wife actually agreed with me..  |
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Post by phil on Jun 18, 2014 19:53:45 GMT -5
$39.95 with cheap chain easily!
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Don
Cave Dweller
He wants you too, Malachi.
Member since December 2009
Posts: 2,616
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Post by Don on Jun 18, 2014 21:12:32 GMT -5
It's funny that the more shows i do these days the higher my prices go. $75 - 125 is what i get for a typical sterling ww. I've sold wire work pendants for $300 and more. Don't undervalued your work.
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riverrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since April 2010
Posts: 1,395
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Post by riverrock on Jun 19, 2014 8:16:08 GMT -5
Thanks for you input , I guess I look at some members work and than look at mine in a different way. And thanks for the link to the blog.
After reading it and thinking about the amount of time and labor and money that goes into one piece, you are right.
I will up the price and see how it goes.
Again thanks
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2014 9:50:52 GMT -5
rockjunquie - Tela, I am so proud of you. You are a premium maker. I hope you are/will see yourself as one of the best. Then it will be easier to ask premiere pricing. riverrock - I think you need to do a better analysis of what is involved in your product before you go off selling those gems for $25. Please fill in the blanks, all are per end piece Cost of silver (include scrap and discards) - Cost of stone slab - Time spent with stone, slabbing & cabbing (be careful here, set and cleanup is included) - Time spent wrapping - Now look at those numbers and decide what you want to make per hour. Then add 25% for overhead. Show costs, expendables costs, machine wear and tear..... Then add some profit. Where are you now?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2014 10:30:30 GMT -5
It's funny that the more shows i do these days the higher my prices go. $75 - 125 is what i get for a typical sterling ww. I've sold wire work pendants for $300 and more. Don't undervalued your work. That is what I want to see!! Don please show us a pic of a $100++ piece. |
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junglejim
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2014
Posts: 344
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Post by junglejim on Jun 19, 2014 10:58:11 GMT -5
My wife just received a wrapped cab as a gift from her sister. Later, when I asked her how much she paid for it she said $25 and your wraps are much nicer. That said I'd take a couple for $25, I'm crazy about that Lace. 1st and 3rd one's are my favorites.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2014 14:29:42 GMT -5
I am going to my first show in Aug. Is $25.00 a fair price? Not trying to pile on. Just another thing to consider. How much does it cost do go to this show? Travel expenses and booth space cost money. How many of those have to be sold to just pay the booth rental? How many more have to be sold to cover the cost of making those that have sold? This describes how many you must sell at this show, just to not lose money. ========================================= As an illustration. My wife once did a "yard sale". It was the weekend after July 4th. She put out a bunch of crap we had laying around. Dishes, toys, clothes, shoes... salvation army stuff she wanted the money for instead. She marked them all for like $0.10 or $0.25 ea. I woke up late that day, and went out to see what she was doing. I saw the price tags and about feinted. I counted her entire inventory value. She had $13.00 worth of junk. I asked her what she sold already and said $3.65. Speechless, I went inside. She spent 6 hours in 110F heat to sell about $9 worth of junk. She was happy as hell!! I never pointed out that she spent 6 hours in the heat to make two cups of starbucks. Plus, she still had to go to the goodwill store and donate the unsold cr@p. ========================================= As Tela's blog points out, most forget to consider ALL of the things that go into producing a product. Don't work for Starbucks money!! |
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Don
Cave Dweller
He wants you too, Malachi.
Member since December 2009
Posts: 2,616
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Post by Don on Jun 19, 2014 14:31:43 GMT -5
It's funny that the more shows i do these days the higher my prices go. $75 - 125 is what i get for a typical sterling ww. I've sold wire work pendants for $300 and more. Don't undervalued your work. That is what I want to see!! Don please show us a pic of a $100++ piece. Here's a few of them that I've sold in the past. $400 sold  $300 sold  $250 sold  $125 sold     |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2014 14:40:22 GMT -5
Exquisite work Don. Really super clean.
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Don
Cave Dweller
He wants you too, Malachi.
Member since December 2009
Posts: 2,616
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Post by Don on Jun 19, 2014 14:48:39 GMT -5
Thank you Scott.
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 19, 2014 14:49:50 GMT -5
I agree! Don does very nice work! I have never done a show. I know there is way more overhead than there is selling online. I think the highest priced thing I've sold online was probably 350 ish. Here is my shop sorted high to low. |
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unclestu
Cave Dweller
WINNER OF THE FIRST RTH KILLER CAB CONTEST UNCLESTU'S AGUA NUEVA AGATE
Member since April 2011
Posts: 2,298
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Post by unclestu on Jun 19, 2014 15:40:01 GMT -5
Don your cabs and wraps are fantastic. Don't sell yourself short. People expect to pay a premium for hand made pieces. No one would expect you to be only making $10 for a hand made piece selling for $25. When it comes to selling I have sold thousands of dollars worth of antiques and collectables on Ebay. However I have only just started selling some of my cabs. I have found that people are more than willing to pay up for good quality material and or workmanship. I purchased one slab of Pietersite for $150. It was the most expensive slab I ever purchased. It made 5 cabs. One which my wife claimed and the others all sold. The last one sold for $179 plus shipping to Holland. After the cost of shipping and customs fees the total price to the buyer was close to $300. That was just for a cab of Pietersite. The point being don't sell yourself short. Most people think jewelry has a 300% mark up anyway. Perseption is reality. If you make your presentation as if you are selling at a yard sale you will not get a good price. Perhaps display your wraps on black velvet, wear white cotton gloves when handling them. Give the impression that they are not jst any old wraps but fine pieces of art. People eat that stuff up. Give them a show for their money and you will get a better price.
Good luck with your show and I wish you GREAT success.
Stu
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dbrealityrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2010
Posts: 1,084
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Post by dbrealityrocks on Jun 20, 2014 9:37:45 GMT -5
No one offered a penny for my thoughts so thought I would offer my 2 cents worth. 1st great work Don and rockjunquie!!! My shop prices are very similar to rockjunqies. Just wanted to say about perceived value. Time and time again when I have had pendants that don't sell I raise the price and then they do. Often times people w/out $ will think it's too much and those w/$ think it's not worth buying. I had a MT agate @ $85 for a couple of years and lots of people looked at it but didn't buy it. I raised the price to $185 and it sold. One has to show that their work is valued by themselves or else no one else will think it's worth buying. That said if you came to a show I also have copper and brass wrapped ammonites and other stones for people starting at $35 so those with less money can have something. Course I also have my walmart line @ $5-$20 on the tables. Dave  Not as good as I like the booth to look but was a quick set up in the rain last week |
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Nov 15, 2024 17:44:51 GMT -5
Nov 15, 2024 17:44:51 GMT -5
