Is it too expensive?

[miniandmestudios]

Not sure if it is entirely the right thread but I’ve started making hats by hand to try make some money - I’m a stay at home mum of 2, can’t afford childcare to go to work but can’t afford to not work. So I’m a bit stuck (DP works) and there is no one else I have to watch the kids.

My friend told me she would never pay £15 for a hat but it costs me £5 in materials and 3 hours roughly to make so it’s £3.33 ish an hour. I really don’t want less than that as working for £2 an hour is stupidly low.

I’ve attatched images of the hats so if I could get everyone’s opinions I’ll lower the price or keep as they are!

YANBU - the prices are okay
YABU - the prices are too expensive

Post edited by MNHQ

Part of the issue is that they look like they're loom knit. And that means they're fast to do, even if all you have is one of the hand crank machines from eBay or similar.

And that is the same as the hats for sale in primark or similar - and the primark ones will be loads cheaper.

OP, FWIW I bought my DS a hand knitted hat which was lovely quality and very attractive looking (multicoloured, rainbow stripes pattern and a pom pom) from a stall at our local Christmas market for £8. Really fancy ones were selling for £12, adult sizes for £16. I would say slightly cheaper materials and catering to the market taste would help, these are nice looking but personally I think for many people not attractive enough to justify the price.

I wouldn't pay £15 for a kids hat either, sorry.

They are very nice, but a bit... meh/generic? I'd maybe be tempted in if they were a bit more "fun".

I would say slightly cheaper materials and catering to the market taste would help

I think this is poor advice. Op can never compete with Primark etc. She will never be able to produce enough items quickly enough.

I would never buy handmade that's been made with cheap materials.

Elevating out of the mass consumer market with a change in focus so that she can charge more is really the only way if she wants to make any money. If OP likes the pared back style, then promoting a fresh Nordic look might be the way forward. But I'd go with ice blues, greys, even a red, for that rather than generic pastel colours that don't make any kind of statement about who the maker is, what kind of style they have, and what lifestyle they're wanting to promote.

I think this is poor advice. Op can never compete with Primark etc. She will never be able to produce enough items quickly enough.

I think you've misunderstood the advice. I am not suggesting lowering her standard to Primark, but catering for the right audience - many parents will not be purchasing upper range quality hats for their toddlers and young children, mid range will suffice and make it more interesting in line with market preferences. That indeed is good advice as ultimately she needs to sell them. Myself and many toddler mums I know often buy mid-range decent quality items for our kids, shop sales and either have family gifts/hand me downs or buy second hand very good quality items as they're cheaper and they last. I resist paying significant sums for something they may lose/destroy/grow out of very quickly.

That's just common sense.

And FWIW, whilst I'm not a Primark shopper I absolutely do not dismiss those who shop there, particularly now when times are tougher. Indeed, some of the items there are far better quality than boohooland and the likes - I walked through my local Primark recently and frankly had it not been for its lack of ethics, I probably would have bought few bits for DS. I also would have if my choice was for him to be naked or dressed if I had money issues. The reality is many of us parents are struggling now and won't be paying premium fot not so special hats, merino or not.

I think they are hand cranked on a machine, not hand knitted, especially if they are only taking three hours to knit?

Try Etsy, people that buy on their appreciation the difference between quality and Primark.

I'm being honest because I think that is what you want, and I don't want to waste your time.

The reality of making stuff by hand is that automation of simple knits like hats has reduced the value of the skill to virtually zero. As people have said, Primark hats go for next to nothing.

The only way to even sell handmade things is if they are incredibly unique with some kind of artistry AND that this particular quirk is to someone's taste. The likelihood of finding your customers with not only the same taste, but enough money to spend on ephemera is fairly low. Not non-existent though.

To make a success of it, you'd have to find a niche where your skills can be put to use making something that can't be machine made, and also aren't being made elsewhere in the world where people are making piecework at $1 per day.

These niches do exist, for example there are things like personalised cards that people sell on etsy/ebay.

Even in crafts, there are some people selling hats that are beautifully hand knitted in natural yarns, with exquisite colourwork or textures. Or designer made, or in cashmere. However, it would have to be incredibly special to attract interest.

Clothing in this country seems very oversupplied. Not only are there companies like Primark, but also countless charity shops selling second hand stuff, plus ebay sellers selling on stuff.

There are also still an army of pensioners who love knitting and devalue the craft by making things in horrible acrylic yarns, with no particular style.

Its a very tricky market.

Do you make berets? I would pay £15 for one of these

I didn’t vote as I don’t think the answer is straightforward: if you could take some gorgeous photos of these hats, marketing them just right, then I think they could sell for £15. If they were photographed as in the pic you shared, then I think you’d struggle to achieve £15.

For context, I sell vintage homewares online… and when I say ‘vintage homewares’ I mean car boot sale stuff, photographed as beautifully as I can. I make at least £1k each month as a stay at home mum selling online, and often more. The best investment I ever made was a second-hand Canon camera, to make sure my photos were just right.

Look at how similar hats have been photographed by retailers you aspire to be like, as well as browsing Pinterest etc. Then copy them! Good luck xx

(Assuming you are hoping to sell online btw)

Another thought has occurred to me/ have you ever considered not starting from scratch, and instead cutting babies’ pixie bonnets and mittens out of cashmere/merino jumpers that you pick up from charity shops? Your knitting skills would be required for finishing the items off, but it should work out as considerably cheaper than buying the yarn by the ball. I don’t know about where you live, but here in Kent I might pay £2-6 for a decent charity shop jumper. And from one jumper, you could cut 2/3 pairs of mittens plus 2/3 bonnets.

I also have a friend who makes french knickers from old silk wedding dresses… you can buy a dress with a stain on it for very little, and you get acres of silk, often with embroidery and beading on it too.

Just a thought!

Hi,
You are really talented! I had a hat that is handmade, every hat is totally different bought for me for my birthday recently. It was £20. However they come with the cutest label of a moose, a huge bobble and a different pattern with various different colours on every one. The colours are very bright too.
Previously I have hats from places like salt rock, fat face etc and I think I have paid around £15ish in sales. We have some plain knit H&M ones in the house too which were much cheaper as my girls and I will just grab them if we can’t find another. We spend a lot of time outdoors.

The difference with my more expensive ones is the quality feel, the yarn, the patterns on them. The bright colours(I love bright blues and greens for my hats). With these it is hard to tell the quality and feel. But they aren’t particularly unique in the pattern which is where you may struggle. However if you could explain what they are made with, they are hand made plus add something like free stitching of an initial on then you could probably charge £15. Is there any change of making children’s or baby ones so you use less yarn and people seem to spend a bit more on their children? Maybe charge £8-£10 for them.
Well done for taking action and doing something like this.
Good luck!

Sorry, but I cant see the quality here; I'm not surprised they won't sell. Also you say minimalist, but there's a difference between stylish minimalist and just plain.

It seems that you need to practice your skills, both in the art of knitting and in the art of design. It takes years to achieve, and you WILL look back in time and realise that what you produce in 5 years time is head and shoulders above what you are making now.

Don't give up, but you should accept that what you are trying to achieve will take longer than you thought.

Crafts aren’t a good money-maker. After thinking about it for a while I decided that hand-made cards are probably the most time-efficient. The materials don’t cost much and people always need cards. (Don’t use the tacky pre-made bits and bobs though!)

I didn’t actually do this in the end but you could probably make 4 or 5 cards in an hour and charge £3 each.

I do like the hats though….you’ve obviously got a good eye for colour and minimalism is always more tasteful.

You are competing with China. Your hats need to be different , very different, to the generic. You could buy the hats ready made and just attach fabulous Pom poms and make a better profit.

Personalise them with a label ‘ handmade by mini and me’. Or offer them personalised with customer’s name? Handcrafted? What are they made of? Pure new wool? 100% cotton? Think about how you can make them unique/special.

Sorry but too much £ for me!

Charge 8 for one they look fab. I love hand made items

I wouldn’t pay £15 for a woolly hat. You can buy cheaper in the shops.

They’re really pretty, I would pay for one happily. Don’t lose heart, lots of people would prefer to buy from a small business

As you are clearly quite creative, how about making home furnishings? Curtains, cushions covers, bed covers are all more profitable. You could also offer a service via a local shop - a furnishing fabric shop or an interior design shop.

I'll buy one if they're adult size! Send me a link OP ☺️

Surely those are for kids??

Shocked to see people think this is too much for a handmade hat. All that work!!

Maybe use really good yarn/wool/alpaca or cashmere blends, slightly thicker yarns, and correspondingly bigger needles and charge a lot more. And find a new market that understands what it is they’re getting.