View entire thread: Pricing question and critique needed...
Posted by Dr. Sooz on Wed Jul 19, 2006 7:40 PM Post subject: Re: Pricing question and critique needed...
True, I do give stuff away. I'm a bit too sick to do marketing and stuff. And I don't give jewelry away to just
anyone. But when I do sell, I know what my materials are, I know where to buy them, and I charge for the worth of my
time. I do get $300+ for my bracelets. I do get over $100 for earrings (and sometimes less). But I also live in
California, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in a city full of craftspeople who understand the worth of a handcrafted
item. Becki is right about it all except that I don't give all that much away (because I don't MAKE all that much
stuff). We do agree. (We spoke via email) Kudos to *her*. She is more successful than I am, anyway, so listen to
her! :-D Definitely -- take what you need and leave the rest. ``````````````````````````````````````
beckibead@yahoo.com wrote: [quote:1c37033408]Blue Moon Beads are just Czech glass beads, repackaged. At least that is
what I have seen at Michaels and other crafts stores around here. DO NOT, under any circumstances, beat yourself up for
what you do not know. We all start somewhere. I used to make all my jewelry from what I could get at the craft store,
and didn't know the parts weren't as good as others until I was told, in no uncertain terms, on the AOL crafts board.
They kicked me out of a bead swap for having inferior quality beads -- what did I know? Don't waste time kicking
yourself, Christine. Women do that too easily and too often. You grow and you learn. The reason I suggested you shop
at your local bead store (often referred to in the beading community as LBS) is to get an idea of what is out there,
quality and price. THEN you can come online and know what you are looking at, and what you are buying. You can get
most everything cheaper from a catalog or online. However, you have to know what you are buying first. Again, it is a
learning process. Also, I disagree directly with Sooz on pricing. Price it for what you want to price it. People are
always telling me my prices are too low. When I want to raise them, I will. Make sure you are getting back what you
paid and a profit, and put the price point where you want. Sooz gives away so many beads and beaded jewelry that she
would have to sell her work for thousands of dollars to ever recoup her costs (hats off to my friend). Listen to all
the advice and like all advice? Take what you need, and leave the rest. Be thankful to all for their points of view.
The world would be a boring place if we all agreed. my .02 cents, take it or leave it and either way, thanks for coming
to rec.crafts beads and sharing with us!!! Becki[/quote:1c37033408]
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Posted by Christina Peterson on Mon May 29, 2006 5:42 AM Post subject: Re: Some changes
ALL of us are still practicing. When we stop feeling that way, are work is dead. I'm odd about Softflex, etc, and
crimping. I just don't use it. I just can't seem to manage good crimps, and I don't really like how the stuff acts, so
I just don't choose to use it. There are other good lines like Power Pro, etc. Tina <m.purves@jach.hawaii.edu>
wrote in message news:1148325650.585374.272930@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com... [quote:fde5b0e574]Thanks Tina. I have
been thinking along those lines myself, being that I'm really still a newbie, and with limited time in top of it, that a
lot of what I did so far is still just practice work. I want to get some sterling silver findings and liquid silver, but
I haven't yet decided that I'm really ready for that. I bought some softflex, crimping pliers and crimp beads, and I
want to make different things, but I haven't started using it yet. My next project is to make the second incarnation of
our daughter's high school graduation lei (I'm not all that happy with the first one, and she'll only graduate from high
school once) though. In other news: we finally have electricity again, but for the next few days are still away from
home (yet on island), and stuck with a relatively slow and not very reliable dialup line. (Those of you who ought to get
replies to emails: I may or may not get around to that) Norman and I both need(ed) this short vacation, though he spends
a lot of time working and I spend a lot of time trying to keep up with work email in spite of everything, and to get
some supply of seeds (my other side of the business). I hope to get back to some previous customers here and stores I
have talked to last year but never got very far for lack of time and get some stuff sold to the tourist market. Neat
thing if you go on vacation in your own car: you can just toss everything in. Oh, and I'm going to take the earrings I
made with the Sienna Boro from Kalera back apart and combine those with the Burnt Sienna Boro (that I got for my
birthday), and make something completely different out of them, combined in some pattern that I'm not completely clear
about yet. Aloha, Maren Palms, Etc.: Tropical Plant Seeds - Hand-made Jewelry - Plants & Lilikoi
http://www.jach.hawaii.edu/~maren/palms_etc/ Christina Peterson wrote: Maren, I would think that for you the one
change that would make the biggest difference would be developing a line of jewelry that is gallery quality -- and
price. Maybe keep it in an enclosed case, under glass, at your regular markets, and then when you get a nice collection
of it, place it in a store on consignment. m.purves@jach.hawaii.edu> wrote in message
news:1144490091.897265.214000@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com... Thank you two for that! It doesn't only go for beads it
goes for jewelry as well. I can easily make 5 or so single memory wire bracelets in an evening, or several pairs of
single pin earrings, but it was getting kinda boring - and I have a bit of a supply as I rarely sell any at the market,
so I should be OK for those for the craft fair later this month (never know, lots of tourists around for the Merrie
Monarch Festival - which is why I wanted to do this one). Sooo, I made 2 more pairs with beads from the Sienna Boro I
bought from Kalera, neither one of which is like the earrings I usually make, one of them doesn't even have Job's Tears
in it, and one more pair that just popped into my head while making the second one of those, partly from that second
pair and partly from other people's (around me here) earrings. It is so much more fun to do something different, even
after only a year, [/quote:fde5b0e574]
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Posted by Kalera on Tue May 23, 2006 4:40 AM Post subject: Re: Some changes
I'm so glad you got those, BTW. I was thinking of your Sienna set when I made them, and they turned out darker than I'd
planned - that color is such a wildcard - but I hoped they might work for you. m.purves@jach.hawaii.edu wrote:
[quote:65bd6cb1e1]Oh, and I'm going to take the earrings I made with the Sienna Boro from Kalera back apart and combine
those with the Burnt Sienna Boro (that I got for my birthday), and make something completely different out of them,
combined in some pattern that I'm not completely clear about yet. Aloha, Maren Palms, Etc.: Tropical Plant Seeds -
Hand-made Jewelry - Plants & Lilikoi http://www.jach.hawaii.edu/~maren/palms_etc/ Christina Peterson wrote: Maren,
I would think that for you the one change that would make the biggest difference would be developing a line of jewelry
that is gallery quality -- and price. Maybe keep it in an enclosed case, under glass, at your regular markets, and then
when you get a nice collection of it, place it in a store on consignment. m.purves@jach.hawaii.edu> wrote in
message news:1144490091.897265.214000@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com... Thank you two for that! It doesn't only go for
beads it goes for jewelry as well. I can easily make 5 or so single memory wire bracelets in an evening, or several
pairs of single pin earrings, but it was getting kinda boring - and I have a bit of a supply as I rarely sell any at the
market, so I should be OK for those for the craft fair later this month (never know, lots of tourists around for the
Merrie Monarch Festival - which is why I wanted to do this one). Sooo, I made 2 more pairs with beads from the Sienna
Boro I bought from Kalera, neither one of which is like the earrings I usually make, one of them doesn't even have Job's
Tears in it, and one more pair that just popped into my head while making the second one of those, partly from that
second pair and partly from other people's (around me here) earrings. It is so much more fun to do something different,
even after only a year, [/quote:65bd6cb1e1] -- -Kalera http://www.beadwife.com http://www.bridgetownglass.com On
eBay: http://www.snurl.com/1sfe
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Posted by Anonymous on Mon May 22, 2006 8:20 PM Post subject: Re: Some changes
Thanks Tina. I have been thinking along those lines myself, being that I'm really still a newbie, and with limited time
in top of it, that a lot of what I did so far is still just practice work. I want to get some sterling silver findings
and liquid silver, but I haven't yet decided that I'm really ready for that. I bought some softflex, crimping pliers
and crimp beads, and I want to make different things, but I haven't started using it yet. My next project is to make the
second incarnation of our daughter's high school graduation lei (I'm not all that happy with the first one, and she'll
only graduate from high school once) though. In other news: we finally have electricity again, but for the next few
days are still away from home (yet on island), and stuck with a relatively slow and not very reliable dialup line.
(Those of you who ought to get replies to emails: I may or may not get around to that) Norman and I both need(ed) this
short vacation, though he spends a lot of time working and I spend a lot of time trying to keep up with work email in
spite of everything, and to get some supply of seeds (my other side of the business). I hope to get back to some
previous customers here and stores I have talked to last year but never got very far for lack of time and get some stuff
sold to the tourist market. Neat thing if you go on vacation in your own car: you can just toss everything in. Oh, and
I'm going to take the earrings I made with the Sienna Boro from Kalera back apart and combine those with the Burnt
Sienna Boro (that I got for my birthday), and make something completely different out of them, combined in some pattern
that I'm not completely clear about yet. Aloha, Maren Palms, Etc.: Tropical Plant Seeds - Hand-made Jewelry - Plants
& Lilikoi http://www.jach.hawaii.edu/~maren/palms_etc/ Christina Peterson wrote: [quote:87797fcc69] Maren, I would
think that for you the one change that would make the biggest difference would be developing a line of jewelry that is
gallery quality -- and price. Maybe keep it in an enclosed case, under glass, at your regular markets, and then when
you get a nice collection of it, place it in a store on consignment. m.purves@jach.hawaii.edu> wrote in message
news:1144490091.897265.214000@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com... Thank you two for that! It doesn't only go for beads it
goes for jewelry as well. I can easily make 5 or so single memory wire bracelets in an evening, or several pairs of
single pin earrings, but it was getting kinda boring - and I have a bit of a supply as I rarely sell any at the market,
so I should be OK for those for the craft fair later this month (never know, lots of tourists around for the Merrie
Monarch Festival - which is why I wanted to do this one). Sooo, I made 2 more pairs with beads from the Sienna Boro I
bought from Kalera, neither one of which is like the earrings I usually make, one of them doesn't even have Job's Tears
in it, and one more pair that just popped into my head while making the second one of those, partly from that second
pair and partly from other people's (around me here) earrings. It is so much more fun to do something different, even
after only a year,[/quote:87797fcc69]
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Posted by Christina Peterson on Sun May 21, 2006 8:04 PM Post subject: Re: Some changes
When I do carvings, making things from scratch, I only ever do original items, usually letting the unique nature of the
stone, wood or ivory determine what emerges. I do some freestyle peyote occasionally too. Working with seed beads, I
often like to do many variations on a pattern. Maybe in the same way that within a set a bead maker will make many
variation while keeping the same pattern, or the same colors. I love doing that. And there are patterns I have gone
back to again and again through the years. Maybe in the way that Ann Divelbiss, Brendan Blake, and Iris Buchholtz
repeat some general patterns and have some favorite colors. I don't ever take orders because my energy and production
are too unreliable. In stringing beads/lampwork, again I find that each piece is unique because of the difference in
the nature of the material. Actually, I wish I would do more things in lampwork that are variations on a theme, just
because the designing and pulling out the materials are often half of the time I spend on making something, and even
repeating a pattern will not give me the same product. Maren, I would think that for you the one change that would make
the biggest difference would be developing a line of jewelry that is gallery quality -- and price. Maybe keep it in an
enclosed case, under glass, at your regular markets, and then when you get a nice collection of it, place it in a store
on consignment. My dad advised me to keep doing my bead work, but change from using simple/cheap materials to using the
best stuff. It's the same amount of work, but with a better profit margin. When I was in Mexico a year and a half ago,
I got a piece of black coral, and also found a piece of fan coral attached to a rock rolling in the surf. Working with
natural products keep one grounded. Tina <m.purves@jach.hawaii.edu> wrote in message
news:1144490091.897265.214000@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com... [quote:41d2889fce]Thank you two for that! It doesn't only
go for beads it goes for jewelry as well. I can easily make 5 or so single memory wire bracelets in an evening, or
several pairs of single pin earrings, but it was getting kinda boring - and I have a bit of a supply as I rarely sell
any at the market, so I should be OK for those for the craft fair later this month (never know, lots of tourists around
for the Merrie Monarch Festival - which is why I wanted to do this one). Sooo, I made 2 more pairs with beads from the
Sienna Boro I bought from Kalera, neither one of which is like the earrings I usually make, one of them doesn't even
have Job's Tears in it, and one more pair that just popped into my head while making the second one of those, partly
from that second pair and partly from other people's (around me here) earrings. It is so much more fun to do something
different, even after only a year, I found myself limited, and rather playing with wire wrapping seaglass than making
more of the same, even if it never really is the same. Yes, I will make more memory wire bracelets and things, at some
point, and I will do more wire wrapping (practice) so that at some point when it comes out more evenly I can actually
make wire wrap earrings. I haven't seen any wire wrapped kukui nut earrings yet. That's one thing I want to do. (It's
just too bad that all the tumbled and drilled kukui nuts I can get here are from elsewhere. There are so many kukui nuts
here, and they are part of the Hawaiian culture.) - And I want to get a black bamboo so that I can use that for beads
too. I love making jewelry out of things come from nature. Other things on my list of things to do are drilling Royal
Poinciana seeds, seabeans and tulipwood seeds, lots of things I can think of doing with those. I love this group, you
are so inspiring. Maren Palms, Etc.: Tropical Plant Seeds - Hand-made Jewelry - Plants & Lilikoi
http://www.jach.hawaii.edu/~maren/palms_etc/ Kandice Seeber wrote: Yep, those are the reasons I am changing things up
as well. I have found myself sort of stuck in the tedium of making things over and over. I really love my customers,
though, and hopefully this won't alienate too many of them. And I always like suggestions and will often take requests.
I just don't want to officially dedicate my time to remaking things anymore. It's been almost 4 years since I started,
and I feel the need to stretch my wings a bit. :) I am glad to hear you're going in that direction, too - your latest
stuff has just been breathtaking!! Stretch those wings!!! -- Kandice Seeber www.lampwork.net Vote for my site!
http://tinyurl.com/bbcon Funny Kandice, I am getting ready to do the very same thing. I just finished my last catalog
order last night and that is it for my catalog. I am doing it pretty much for the same reasons you are. It is hard to
create new things when you are constantly making the old. I also find it really hard to make myself do catalog orders,
there is so much more I want to do. I think this is also one difference between a craftsman and an artist. A craftsman
will reproduce things over and over again on demand, that is what they do. An artist makes whatever they are moved to
create at the time and sells it. If they remake something it is because they wanted to remake it, or were moved to
revisit a particular piece. Having to make something on demand really stifles my creativity I've noticed. I've been
wanting to do this for awhile now but I was concerned that it would drive some customers away. But I finally reached the
conclusion that while I would be sad to loose anyone, this is what I have to do in order to let my own creativity flow,
not to mention to preserve my sanity. Teresa, www.lavendercreek.de [/quote:41d2889fce]
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