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Pricing

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thebowlerhattedturner:
Yeah I thought this would cause a little bit of controversy( that's not why I asked) It just seems to me that wherever you live in the country people will always pay for commercial work, usually without batting an eyelid, what you ask for it, within reason. But when you start selling craft type stuff people start questioning the price. I have seen a lot of methods for pricing (one was measure the diameter of a bowl in cm. and that is the price in pounds)but no sure fire way.
 As far as quality is concerned we have to remember that if you have nothing to judge quality by then it could end up inferior. This where I think trading competition is a good thing. If you set your stall next to mine and your stuff outsells mine I will then look at why. Quality always sells but should include all aspects of quality. Design etc. But I think this a seperate issue on it's own, my original question was methods of pricing. Look for example at a 4" x 2" bowl made in Beech.No job takes less than an hour so 1 hour's labour let's say at £20 phr, £5 worth of wood and £5 worth of sundries, tax etc.Add onto that any pecentage that a gallery will take in commision 20% so you now have a 4" bowl at £36. Would you buy a 4" beech bowl, no matter how good it is, for £36?
   Could be 2 of us working at B&Q!
Regards :D
John

Andy Coates:
I think your last point is where the turner can make a difference...

If can source your wood in the green, rough it and finish turn, then you reduce material costs. Your formula is then based upon replacement timber costs at kiln dried cost. And there's your markup over and above the other factors.

As for £36 for a bowl...one of Robin Wood's, Bert Marsh's, or Jules Tattersall's, and a number of others, for instance, would be a steal at that. 

Dave Atkinson:
You've just introduced another factor Andy - "the Designer label"

Cheers Atco

BrianH:
As a 'Woody' I would just love to agree with what has been said about quality always selling but, in my own experience there are some non-woody factors which none of us may like the sound of. For instance a nameless, female member of my own family has several pieces that I have made her over the years, including one from an AWGB Seminar. Her hobby is making lace, which seems to involve buying innumerable turned wooden tools and bobbins. Needless to say I've given these pieces a good dose of looking at and can say without doubt that some are of really fine quaility whereas others are no more than firewood. To her eyes, however, they are all just WOOD and, as she will tell you as often as you like to listen, she just loves wood.
She has therefore proved willing to part with hard-earned for both good and bad items and, probably more worrying still, can't tell the difference in spite of having an experienced woody in the family. Is she alone in this?
I very much doubt it because I have heard similar words from a local art group that I have demonstrated for.
When we are talking about selling stuff it is important not to to make decisions based on our own 'woody' values but those of the potential customers who may well be far more fickle than we would imagine.
Food for thought perhaps?
Brian

Andy Coates:
I agree, Brian.

The example I always use is hollowform vessels. Customers don't a rat's doodah if the wall is 2mm, 6mm, or 10mm thick...probably even thicker...and some wouldn't care if the "form" was solid. Only turners get hot and bothered about wall thickness and an even wall. And I've actually had people complain that a hollowform "feels too light", and that they prefer their wood to "have the weight of wood". So go figure.

Do you spend hours hollowing to 3mm and an even wall and sell at £X, or do a quick "that'll do" and sell for the same?

The other issue is finish...

I once spent a very depressing day watching a "turner" (hahahahahahahahahaha!) packing natural-edged bowl after natural-edged bowl for customers. He sold so many it'd make you weep. And when you looked at them they were grotesque. Poor shape, poor finish, and VARNISHED!!!!! Actually varnished with, well, VARNISH!

Depressing.

But then he sold over thirty pieces, I sold nine, and I more than doubled his take. So not so depressing.

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