If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
pricing
hi all
I'm a small time fused glass hobbyist.. I have made several pcs. multi coloured tiles, wall vases, floral formers(i hope this is the right term for the slumped over stainless steel form). now, I'm planning to have a solo show. I'm at a loss as to the pricing of these items. I have heard that the basic rate for std stained glass is by sq foot, with a little extras depending on intricacy of the item. Is there any such ready reckoner for me to start off my business? thanks in advance nirmala |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
What works for me may not work for you. I like pricing by "time and
materials" although I have seen many, many hobbyists selling stuff and making way less than minimum wage. Ask some friends or coworkers what they would pay and you'll probably be closer to the ball park. Andy |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Pricing per square foot is the least accurate way to price stained
glass. Pricing per piece of glass is much more accurate. Here's an article you might find helpful. http://www.glasscampus.com/phpBB2/index.php As you do more work, you'll become more familiar with how long different elements of work take and then you'll be able to accurately determine your costs. It's important to differentiate between costs and prices. Cost is what you paid to make it. Price is what you can get somebody else to pay your for it. Cost will remain constant, but price will vary depending on where you sell. What it costs to make is irrelevant to your customers. They don't care. There's no such thing as real value - only perceived value. A customer will pay what they believe it's worth without consideration to your costs. The "trick" is to figure what they perceive it's worth. It's simple math to cost. It's an art form to price. If you're serious about building a business selling your work, I strongly suggest you ignore suggestions to "not sell cheap" but instead start by selling as cheaply as you can live with. That's how you start a business - by creating momentum. Your goal should be to sell enough work to be full time busy making work for sale. When you're selling everything you have time to make, you start increasing your prices - but never so much or so quickly that you're no longer busy full time. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
By "solo show", do you mean you have the opportunity to set up a display
of just your stuff in a retail space or someone who does retail sales is giving you a chance and wants to know what your stuff sells for or a school is giving a chance to show the stuff, etc.? Go shopping. If nobody is selling stuff like you are doing anywhere near, go to the internet. 3 or 4 times what Chinese stuff sells for, half what the best local stuff sells for. Time + materials + expenses verses retail and hope they don't overlap (too much). Perception is correct, so bigger things cost more, flashier may cost more in the same size. At least get your time back in money. Now you are probably making these things a few at a time in a small kiln. So the time firing and annealing is spread over a few pieces. If you get serious about this you will probably get a bigger kiln and make more at the same time, so the time will be more in the design and layout and less (per piece) in the firing and annealing. Also for some pieces, the process will become more automatic (as in I was making bowls from broken window glass for a charity event; after working out the bugs, even in my small kiln, I could layout 3 or 4 and run the cycle, walking away to other stuff, ignoring it for 6 hours. -- Mike Firth Hot Glass Bits Furnace Working Website http://users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/hotbit47.htm Latest notes "nimu" wrote in message oups.com... hi all I'm a small time fused glass hobbyist.. I have made several pcs. multi coloured tiles, wall vases, floral formers(i hope this is the right term for the slumped over stainless steel form). now, I'm planning to have a solo show. I'm at a loss as to the pricing of these items. I have heard that the basic rate for std stained glass is by sq foot, with a little extras depending on intricacy of the item. Is there any such ready reckoner for me to start off my business? thanks in advance nirmala |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
|
#7
|
|||
|
|||
glass campus.com is an amazing site...i'm beginning to see the end of
the tunnel !! thanx den, for ur time & inputs. |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
glass campus.com is an amazing site...i'm beginning to see the end of
the tunnel !! thanx for ur time & inputs. |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
yes, i do have an opportunity to have an exhibition of just my pcs. An
artist friend who's familiar with the art world & has had many shows(different medium) is impressed with my fused glass. she sez that she'll help me have a show.There's nobody in my city making stuff like mine, but, there's one gallery here which has some items in float..all are very functional. serving trays etc. no colored glass at all & none of them are art pcs. the 'perceived value' of an object is so vague & abstract that i'm finding it impossible to arrive at a conclusion. most of the glass & the kiln, I got imported from US to India. If I calucalate my costs & markup accordingly, taking into consideration the sweat, blood & tears, I wld'nt b able to sell anything here, in India ! :-(( thanks Mike |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
wrote in message oups.com... What works for me may not work for you. I like pricing by "time and materials" although I have seen many, many hobbyists selling stuff and making way less than minimum wage. Ask some friends or coworkers what they would pay and you'll probably be closer to the ball park. Andy I call it the "perceived value". If it looks like it's worth $50 and you can make it for $1.... sell it for $50 not $2. If it looks like it's worth $1 and it costs you $10 to make, you are out of business! -- JK Sinrod Sinrod Stained Glass Studios www.sinrodstudios.com Coney Island Memories www.sinrodstudios.com/coneymemories |
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Pricing & Photography (Was: Do a favor for a newbie?) | Lisa D. | Beads | 22 | July 3rd 04 06:08 AM |
Diamond Pricing Mystery | t0rk-- | Jewelry | 1 | February 11th 04 07:21 AM |
Determining fair 14K jewelry pricing | Bill | Jewelry | 12 | December 2nd 03 04:17 AM |
Pricing Question | Lisa Kisner | Beads | 6 | September 30th 03 11:14 AM |
Pricing help needed ... (corrected link) | Dr. Sooz | Beads | 5 | August 29th 03 07:57 PM |