General Category > General Discussion
So, how much...?
thebowlerhattedturner:
The trouble with selling it at "£5 or something like that" is not only are you under selling your own ability but you are also under selling everyone else's! Times are hard for all of us at the moment but if professional turners like myself have to compete against turners selling their work for less than the timber cost alone ,you will end up with a pretty p****d off bunch of professional turners.
Whoever makes and sells their turnings(or anything else come to that) you need to make sure that you comply with all of the relevant regulations,even if you just sell at craft fairs or cafes.For instance spinning tops and baby's rattles come under the toy safety regulations 2011 and should carry a CE mark under toy standard EN71. Salad bowls should be finished with food safe finishes due to the allergies risk. ::)
Once you make something and sell it you are deemed to be a manufacturer and must comply with all the relevant rules and regulations. There is a reason why professional's work is more expensive and that is because they work professionally and their work has to comply. You should also carry insurance just incase someone takes a lawsuit out against you due to illness or injury caused by what you have made and sold. Records should be kept for up to 10 years along with technical details of finishes etc.
I know this appears to be a bit extreme but we live in extreme times, remember the story a while back of a customer trying to sue a woodturner because she dropped one of his bowls on her foot!! >:(
Back to your question of pricing now that I have had my rant, if you multiply the diameter of the blank by the thickness of the blank it will give you £13.50 add to that the timber cost(even if you did get it free) of say £5-£7 and you end up with a rough price( about 20 quid or so) to which you should add the consumables such as abrasives,oils,polishes.waxes etc. and production charges like electcricity,workshop heating, waste disposal.With fuel prices as they are at the moment I should add something for delivery too. As you get more experienced at turning you will produce the bowls quicker and that is how you make a profit until you are so well known that you can just pluck a figure from the air and know that someone will pay it..............! Well we all live in hope....... ;D
Regards
John BHT
bodrighywood:
I agree John, I am pretty laid back but a couple of venues I have had to compete with amateur turners selling exotic wood bowls for less than £20 and when questioned about their pricing come back with "it's just a hobby and I sell to get rid of it." I am very good and just walk away before they can read my thoughts LOL.
Pete
Eric Harvey:
I agree with the professional turners,I tried doing a couple or so craft fairs when I moved to norfolk and took some advice on costings,then duly priced the items up,the first craft fair,I didn`t sell a thing,people came up sucked breath in through there teeth and said you buy things like this cheaper at a car boot sale,to which I replied,how much do you get for an hours work in your job,and also, this isn`t a boot sale its a craft fiair,your paying for my skill,time,materials etc;to which they said,still not paying those prices and walked off in a huff,I didn`t make a sale at that one,I made one sale at the next one,got thirty five pounds for a small vase,so all in all I made a loss and haven`t tried it since,but,I would rather keep them than give them away for silly prices.Theres a chap who has a craft stall in Attleborough town hall every second Thursday,he sells stuff for prices that you couldn`t buy the wood at,and as the professionals say,he`s doing nobody any favours,as he`s devaluing everyone work by selling so cheaply,I hope my little rant doesn`t upset anyone,just making a point,regards,
Eric.
arcos:
Thank you ever so much for the advice and rants ;)
So, the outcome of my taking the boel last night to the cafe last night...
There was not one person who did not think it was beautiful! There was one comment about a 'mark' inside the bowl that is a natural 'blemish' in the wood.
However, I asked the opinion of those around how much they would value it at, I should add they are friends of mine.
The general consensus was that it should be priced somewhere between 10 and 15 euros to sell in the cafe. A point that should be taken into account is that I live in a VERY rural area where the majority local population are incredibly poor and it would only sell to 'foreigners'.
A suggestion that was made was to write a 'story' about what I am doing, wood being used, sustainability of wood etc etc etc. Then write a small but detailed description of each piece turned.
I think for me at this stage is that I wanted to show what can be achieved and, as happened last night, to get agreement to display items in the cafe. I have now been asked to produce a number of bowls that will be displayed in an area of the cafe for sale. I guess this was my aim with the bowl I turned.
As far as 'undervaluing' I absolutely accept that this is a bad option in a market where there are professional turners who make a living from turing and trying to 'undercut' or devalue their work would be wrong. By the same token, I feel that I have to price according to the local market forces. I would LOVE to be able to sell that bowl for £25! The point is that if the market would not pay that amount then there is no sale! It was agreed that, should I find an outlet in one of the cities then the price WOULD be much higher, yes likely double what I can charge here, but then I will have additional costs, initially finding outlets, shippping of items, tax :o
I am going to get to work on putting a display together of various bowls initially and then see what the outcome is.
An exciting part of showing people last night is that I may have another 'outlet' in Germany, a very successful artisan shop where bowls like this would sell for 40 - 60 Euros easily!
Thanks for everyones comments on this and, well, its onward and upward and, for me, at the moment, turning is a new thing and every piece, in my opinion, is a learning piece!
BrianH:
Hello Arc (or should I be more formal and address you as Mr Cos? :D)
May I suggest your last sentance is a wise one. If you set out with the idea of 'turning is learning' and that all lessons learnt are far more valuable than the bits of wood that taught them you are on the right track to improve....in my 'umble opinion, that is. All the very best with whatever you do.
Brian
PS Where is the cafe in question?
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