So... What are YOU doing? - Part 8

[tango]

Snowmen!! Those can be pretty popular! I used to collect snowmen, but now I have too many and got into the habit with my former neighbor. Lots of people love them, so you might be surprised and sell it early on. I'd be surprised if it didn't sell.

It's often hard for me to know how to price something - there's a figure based on how long it took me to make it and another figure based on the perspective of someone who doesn't have a basement full of tools to make them. If you have a lathe and a modicum of skill they are easy to make but if you don't have a lathe they are trickier.

I made this one from 120 year old chestnut, it's about an inch and a half across and maybe four inches tall. I'm thinking I'll see if it sells for $5, and if it sells very fast I'll nudge the price of the next batch to $10. Maybe for the November show I'll see if I can buy a fence post or something, so I can make bigger snowmen. At local craft shows it can be a bit hit-or-miss with what people will pay - some people have cash to burn but a lot of people around here aren't awash with money. Some people will reject a handmade piece for $5 because "it's too expensive" and then stand in line to pay $5.99 for a giant cookie, or they'll complain at the $5 price because it's too much while holding a $10 coffee.

After turning the snowman I had to take a belt sander to it, I'd made it round at the bottom so it didn't stand up. My original thought was to put a hook in the top and present it as a Christmas tree ornament, but then thought it would be good if it would stand up on its own.

 

[Frankj]

It's often hard for me to know how to price something - there's a figure based on how long it took me to make it and another figure based on the perspective of someone who doesn't have a basement full of tools to make them. If you have a lathe and a modicum of skill they are easy to make but if you don't have a lathe they are trickier.

I made this one from 120 year old chestnut, it's about an inch and a half across and maybe four inches tall. I'm thinking I'll see if it sells for $5, and if it sells very fast I'll nudge the price of the next batch to $10. Maybe for the November show I'll see if I can buy a fence post or something, so I can make bigger snowmen. At local craft shows it can be a bit hit-or-miss with what people will pay - some people have cash to burn but a lot of people around here aren't awash with money. Some people will reject a handmade piece for $5 because "it's too expensive" and then stand in line to pay $5.99 for a giant cookie, or they'll complain at the $5 price because it's too much while holding a $10 coffee.

After turning the snowman I had to take a belt sander to it, I'd made it round at the bottom so it didn't stand up. My original thought was to put a hook in the top and present it as a Christmas tree ornament, but then thought it would be good if it would stand up on its own.

the price is always what the market will bear, going significantly above that makes people think of it as a luxury item turn away and look for something else while going significantly below that makes people look at a cheap low value item diminishing its desirability to those who can afford what they consider better.

How the item is marketed and packaged is also important, remember how the Japanese street fruit vendors during the depression outsold other fruit vendors selling the same apples from the same orchards by wrapping them in brightly colored foil and cellophane (which cost very little to do outside of a little time) for the same apples all the other apple carts were selling, it made them seem more desirable at virtually no higher price.

Remember that everything in this universe originates as a result of desire, and most people don't develop a desire for something before they see it. (Many Biblical stories support this from Genesis 1 to Revelation 4