Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Neck More or Necklace?

Christie: Omg I crack myself up with that title... but seriously.
A friend of mine makes our size necklaces...
but has no idea what to charge for them.

What do you think a fair value would be for these?
What if they came with earrings?

Christie: Each necklace has a handmade clasp in the back, so you don't have to remove heads XD

Nikki: I should be a model...

Christie: Does that mean you'd move far away to NYC?!

Nikki: You wish. I'm here for-eeeeev-er.

Christie: Damn.

Niki: A valiant try sis, but there's no escaping.

Christie: *sigh* Please tell me what you think on pricing these guys :)

21 comments:

  1. For a set like the one in this blog post I would charge $25. If that will help? It takes me around an hour to make and about $1 for the materials. That means for your necklaces expect to charge around $5. Too expensive???? http://daniel-s-world.blogspot.com/2013/01/tiaras-and-trinkets-on-tuesday-empress_28.html

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    1. Thank you for your input :) I'll pass this on to my friend.

      The only thing I'm not sure of is how much her beads cost... I know she often uses more expensive beads and crystals. Is that something that isn't worth it in 1/6 jewelry? Or are people willing to pay more for the more expensive materials?

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    2. Marerials do play a role but remeber we are using miniscule ammounts. So yes it becomes almost neglegent. Also people would rather pay for quality than trashy but on our sclae its the look that counts not the cost.

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  2. I think it depends on the materials too. Maybe take that into consideration and look on Etsy or similar sites to get an idea what people charge? It's always a toss up as to what you should charge and what people will pay. They are really gorgeous. Those are some amazing pics of Christie and Nikki modeling too. I would pay $5.00 for those but maybe round out with some earrings and you could sell a set for $15.00? Individually, I'd say $5.00 to $10.00 depending on where you sell and if you have to pay a fee once the item is sold.

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    1. Yeah, I've been surfing etsy and I've found some simple necklace/earring combos made from plastic beads for $3-5... but then at the same time I've found people selling a single plastic bead on elastic bracelet for $3... not including shipping! LOL... then there are other pieces made from higher quality stuff that range from $8-35... it's so all over the place. It's kinda wishy-washy on which ones sell more too... it seems to hinge on what other kinds of things you have in your store as well (I see more jewelry sales in stores where they show it pictured with outfits they're selling XD... which I totally get, that strategy would work on me too, hehe) And thanks, I had a ton of fun taking these pics :)

      Nikki: Please, it's not like it was hard for you, I'm totally hot, I'd look awesome no matter what.
      Christie: -_-;;

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  3. I would say 6,95 for each piece, but The Duke has the best knowledge in this field, so I have to bow down.

    I can't see some blogs, it says error 404 and yours Daniel is one of these, hope they fix this issue soon. Miss you Daniel :-(

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    1. Christie: EEP! I hope my blog doesn't 404 on you!!

      This is all very excellent information, thank you all for answering!!

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  4. Seems like you are doing the right thing searching Etsy and other sites to see what the competition is doing. Pricing really should be ultimately figured out by cost of materials+ what your friend wants to make for her labor costs. Simple necklaces like this probably wouldn't get in the $20+ range. Not by themselves.

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    1. I agree... and yeah... I've been doing research, as has my friend who actually is making the necklaces (... if she'd just use her blog I could stop calling her "my friend" and link to her XD)

      I really appreciate the feedback from everyone though. Even though there are a lot of folk out there selling jewelry, it's good to hear from real people about what they think the value of something is. :)

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  5. I love these necklaces, but I have no idea how much one would charge for them. As Vanessa and others have said, research is the way to go. You would think you could charge more for more expensive beads and materials, but then again, you can only charge what people are willing to pay for them. And it might be better to make a set out of them i.e. include a necklace, matching earrings and perhaps a bracelet. :-)

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    1. Thank you so much! I really appreciate the feedback, and I agree, I think they should come as a set too... it seems right that there should at least be a set of earrings to go with it.

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  6. I agree, research is definitely the way to go. I also wanted to mention how beautiful the necklaces are, I can definitely see my girls wanting a few of these. Your friend does lovely work. :)

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    1. Thanks!! I'll pass along the compliments :)

      I also wanted to mention, since so many people are suggesting I do research... I absolutely am, as is my friend who is making the necklaces... this wasn't a question posed to be lazy, I just wanted some real folk, straight forward, "Here is what *I* would pay" answers. :)

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  7. Funny you should ask this question now. My daughter has been doing an email "Set Up Shop" course with Jess from Epheriell on Etsy and they just covered pricing. The basic formula she gave them was materials + labour x 2 = wholesale price x 2 = retail price. Of course, you also do need to do the research to see what others are charging as well as that gives you an idea of what the market will pay.

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    1. That is an interesting formula... the question is, what do you value your labor at? If I valued my "craft" labor at what I make hourly... these would be some mighty expensive necklaces, LOL!!

      I've absolutely been doing research... this was more of a "What would *YOU* pay?" question. I was looking for some real folk feedback :)

      I mentioned in one of my responses above that the research on this is kind of all over the place. You've got people paying what I think are crazy prices for simple pieces, where elaborate, well priced pieces go unpurchased. I've noted jewelry pieces also tend to sell better when they're pictured with an outfit that is also available for purchase.

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  8. Wow these necklaces are gorgeous!!! By researching you can deside a price,the price of the materials do matter on the selling price! I guess they can be for 8-10 dollars :) I followed ur blog,you have nice posts. It would be great if you could follow me back at-http://aggirlforever.blogspot.in/

    -Asmit

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    1. Thanks so much for your feedback! This is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. We've definitely done a lot of research into pricing... but often times I sit and look at doll items (jewelry, clothes, shoes, etc) and just think, "Wow... they're charging HOW MUCH??" Heck, even the stuff I sell I feel like it's pushing it price-wise (my 1/3-American Girl scale purses)... but at the same time, I also feel that for the labor that goes into them, they're dirt cheap... it's such a conundrum!

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  9. I love the necklaces, but I'm afraid I can't help you with the prices, I'm not very good at that! I love your two Steffies, they both look soooo gorgeous!!!

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    1. Thank you so much! Just knowing you like the styles is a help as well :)

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  10. Let me be completely unhelpful to you: As an artist I would charge $10 for the necklaces you have shown and if they came with earrings I would charge $12.50 or $15 if they also came with a bracelet. Now, as a buyer, I wouldn't pay more than $5 for a single necklace or $8-10 for a complete set. ^____^

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    1. Haha! No way, this was absolutely helpful! See... that's the kind of thing I'm talking about, I mean, I know when I make stuff there's the price I *wish* it would sell for... but unless you've really made a name for your product, that's just not plausible. I agree with you 100% on pricing. I think $5 for a single necklace is about what I'd pay too... and to be honest, when I start thinking about adding shipping to that, it makes me nervous. XD Although you could *probably* mail these in an envelope... although I'd still be terrified of them getting crushed.

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