Pricing craft work for sale?

[carrotsandcelery]

I am working up to selling some jewellery I have made but I have no idea how to price it.

Obviously I need to cover the cost of materials but it feels unrealistic to charge an hourly rate for the work involved. I don't want to price myself out of the market.

How do you go about doing it such that you charge a price that others will pay?

Its very difficult, I have a shop on etsy and the pricing is key. Too cheap and people think that your items are cheap/badly made. Too expensive and they won't sell.

Have a look at similar items on folksy and etsy and see what they go for to get a better idea.

Really you should be looking at being paid for your time not just materials else it doesn't really make sense

SGB might be able to advise.

what does sgb sell?

Who is SGB? Is that an abbreviation of her name or is that her name?

I will look on etsy and folksy - good idea - thank you.

I see the point about being too cheap making people think less of your work. It seems to be a very fine line.

I agree with Puffin, have a look on Etsy and Folksy and see what other people are selling similar jewellery for.

You definitely need to factor in your time as just covering your costs doesn't really make it worthwhile, but it is hard to make sure you get the price right.

Have you thought about where you're going to try to sell them?

Puffins - what do you sell on Etsy [nosey too!] I've just opened a shop, still yet to make a sale though :(

craftymadam - all sorts have a look www.etsy.com/shop/mollymoodesign

if you send me your link I can take a look and give you suggestions if you like? I'm not a guru on it by any means but might be able to help you?

Thanks Puffin, that would be great :) I'm still trying to get to grips with everything!
My shop is www.etsy.com/shop/carouselcraftsUK
I'd love some feedback, you can Pm me if you like (i've never had a mnet pm...!)
Just had a look at your shop, I LOVE your wooden hearts - i'm obsessed with buttons!! :)

Just realised you're in craftbritannia too, hello fellow team member. I'll pm you some thoughts tonight

I have had a nose around folksy and there is not a lot of what I am making but the prices are really varied. Looking at those who have feedback (and therefore presumably have made sales) I can charge a bit more for my items than I thought

Thank you ladies.

Did you find your Etsy shops tricky to set up?

Folksy and Etsy might be the best way to market things.

I have made a Facebook page but it is limited by my friends sharing it etc. Friends are asking me to make things but I don't like to charge them for the items so I am having fun making things but not recouping (?) my costs. [soft touch]

Thanks Puffin :)

Sorry for hijacking your thread Carrots!! Thats good news about the pricing then :)

I also have a facebook page and I have the same thing at the moment, its mostly liked by friends although I am attracting more people I dont know now which is good :) It all takes time I guess. I've made lots of sales to friends and i've done a couple of Craft fairs.

I found the Etsy shop fairly easy to set up (but Puffin may well tell me i'm doing it all wrong!) I took all of my photos, wrote my profile, decided my pricing and shipping costs etc, then I just had to put it all together as a shop..!

I don't know anyone in RL with either an Etsy or Folksy shop to run ideas by so i've kindof picked it up as i've gone along, there are lots of tutorials though on Etsy to help you with your shop.

Go for it :)

Hijack is fine, it is interesting for me too. I have clicked the fb button on both your sites (don't out me) so I am off to see if that links me to your fb page.

Etsy is quite easy to set up a shop, there are lotsof guides online or you can buy a guide off a seller on etsy itself for a few pounds. There are also lots of help books available eg:

www.amazon.co.uk/How-Make-Money-Using-Etsy/dp/0470944560/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341851231&sr=8-1

or

www.amazon.co.uk/The-Handmade-Marketplace-Locally-Globally/dp/1603424776/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1341851231&sr=8-3

but most is simple to work out yourself.

If you are gifting things to friends then ask them to 'help' you back by posting pictures of your item on their fb page, tweeting etc, telling friends who see it where it came from.

You can also use fb ads for say £5 a week to promote your fb that way. Or start a blog or give something (one of your products) to a blog for a giveaway and in return they publicise your products. Or run giveaways yourself on fb.

Will keep thinking and post more later, got to go sew

By clicking the fb logo on your etsy page it links me to your fb page. You probably already knew that.

They did change the way search works a short while ago, there's lots of talk about it in the forums, that's another good thing to do, chat on the forums, take part in treasuries, join a good team (craftbritannia ) and do the treasuries where you buy someone out (they're called BNR buy n replace i think) and then your item takes their place. They often get great publicity and are really good for 'meeting' people too.

There's simple tricks too like ensuring your title and your first few words of your item page and your first few keywords are all the same so:

Title - Red felt handbag blah blah blah

Listing "Red felt handbag for sale from blah blah blah"

Keywords (1st 3) 'red' 'felt' 'handbag'

It enhances your search place on etsy listings (important when you are in a category which is crowded such as jewellery) and also enhances your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).

Search threads in the forums on etsy for titles such as 'Help Im new how do I get sales' that kind of thing and that will help you too.

Also get featured in magazines if you can

Magazines?? Puffin you're my hero!!! :)

Yay! When I told anyone in RL I was in 'Beads and Beyond' and 'Craftseller' they pissed themselves laughing

Oh I have bought "Beads and Beyond" I think amongst other magazines piling up on the coffee table. [impressed]

How did they find you?

Which issue?

It was the February issue not sure when it came out? Late Jan? I was the featured designer

They found me through my etsy shop I think.

Well done Puffins. I don't have that issue so can't go and nosey at you

SGB is SolidGoldBrass. I think she makes jewellery and stuff and I think she sells it at craft fairs because on the 'a dog shat on my picnic' thread she said I dog shat in front of her stall.

Ah! Thank you Fuddle. Poor SGB - that sounds disgusting! I doubt it enticed the clientelle

Ok, I have set up a folksy shop and listed an impressive ONE item

How to I join Craft Britannia? Do I just google it?

I have googled it and liked it on fb. I see I need an etsy shop to join so guess what I will be doing tomorrow?

When you set up on etsy send me a message if you like on there and I'll answer any questions, I'll send you a link to craftbritannia then too