Pricing help needed ...

Good guess...

... but that tiny seed bead stuff -- that's what gets me into a centered, relaxed state of mind the most reliably. So it has benefits

-for me- that have nothing to do with profitability.

I expect to keep doing some of it, but as my own form of meditation rather than for public consumption, unless I can find a way to make that work for me rather than against me financially.

Deirdre

Thanks. This is pretty much what my instincts tell me, too. Somehow, what you get for what you make has to satisfy your customer AND pay your bills, plus some for a 'buffer' and some for growth.

And if that isn't happening, you have to change your product, your methods, your materials, your market ... or all of the above.

Simple, right? All you need is dazzling skill and a crystal ball ;-)

Deirdre

I love the title. I'll have to look for this...

This kind of marketing-by-donation has occurred to me, and I think it has a lot of potential for breaking into much higher-end buying circles.

I am willing to give it a try once I have a stunning enough piece to offer. For the moment, I am on the lookout for 'bread and butter' markets and opportunities to get me started. But I don't rule out anything for the long term.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Deirdre

One thing to keep in mind, you double wholesale prices, but not retail prices. It's very different to double a good bulk or wholesale price, than to double your LBS's top dollar price. Similarly, you may not be able to double prices for lampwork.

Tina

So, the final answer will always be "What the market will bear". So always do some comparison pricing too.

Tina

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Tante Lina" :

]When I'm ready, one way I plan to introduce my "fancy" line locally is to ]donate a piece to a charity fundraiser that's auctioning other art items.

VERY good.

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from Deirdre S. :

]Simple, right? All you need is dazzling skill and a crystal ball ;-)

**snort** exactly!

----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)

's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis

I found this in the local public library catalog and put a hold on it...

Thanks!

Deirdre

And try stuff that doesn't fly in one market ... in as many other markets as you can get access to before you either lower your prices to an unsustainable level, or give up on that particular product...

Deirdre

You're welcome! I've really found it helpful.

• TL *

nope. american. My dad says by the time I left Germany when I was 7, I was speaking "fluent" German, but lost it by the time I got back there at 9. Who knows??? I do have a bad memory, so that's probably part of it.

Mary