Oh for the love of....

[Kanalah]

This is really getting old.

Recently I've been getting a lot of attention for commissions. This is great

By why for the love of puppies do you block me when we start discussing prices?
I swear for the past 2 weeks every email except for one(!) has gone the exact same way.

Basically: "Hi I want a quilt, I like this one that you already had done, how much for (something similar but a lot of work)"

And then when I quote them a totally fair price for that amount of work, then they either turn into a raging hosebeast or block my emails.

I know damn well that I'm not overcharging - all I'm asking for is the cost of the materials and $2.50-$3.00 an hour for my time. They act as though I'm asking for their firstborn.

It almost makes me want to just start giving quilts away instead of trying to sell them.

Also - rant not directed at anyone on CS, you guys are awesome.

[Flying Grype]

If they're going to treat you like that at $3/hr, I'd say jack it up to at least minimum wage. You'll probably get the same number of customers actually following through, and you'll make more money for it.

[MaggieTheCat]

I agree with Flying Grype! I know competition is fierce (I make jewelry, do you know how many jewelry vendors are out there?) so I know you have to keep your prices comparable, but even so I try to get $8-10/hr for my time. Hope you get some better commissioners soon!

[Food Lady]

I agree--pay yourself $8 an hour. Then your customers will be people who appreciate quality work. Weed out the others.

[Nemesis44UK]

3 dollars an hour? I take it you aren't living in the Philippines with that wage, so why do people think they can pay you accordingly?

[Kanalah]

Well the thing is - when I started selling quilts, I charged for the materials only. Still had people complaining and screaming for discounts. It took me 6 years to get the prices to where they are now.

Problem 1 is: I don't live in a wealthy area. Most people shop at Wal-mart and expect those kind of prices. Right now a queen quilt from me starts at $325. My friends say I should charge $1000, but I know when I go to shows I won't sell anything.

Problem 2 is: I also have an Etsy store, and right now I'm about in the middle price-wise. There are a ton of people selling quilts for dirt cheap - and they look cheap. It makes me wonder where they buy fabric.

Problem 3 is: I have no self esteem, so I don't feel comfortable charging a lot. I can see every tiny little mistake like it's a huge glaring hole in the quilt.

So really the only thing I can work on is Problem #3.

[Victory Sabre]

I own 3 quilts that my mom made. They are extremely high quality, and will last a very long time. I can just imagine what she could have sold them for.

Your work is amazing, and you should be very proud of your quilts. You are a true artist, and I applaud your work. If these people want cheep pieces of crap that won't last, that's their problem.

[PepperElf]

It almost makes me want to just start giving quilts away instead of trying to sell them.

That's probably why they're blocking you once you suggest any price whatsoever. They want free stuff. How dare you actually suggest they pay for what they want.


my sister does quilts in her free time at night (when she has free time) so i know how long it can take to do one. some of them have taken over a year. i mean i imagine it will take less time if you're doing this on a full-time basis but... it doesn't make it less complex.

i think these people assume they're going to be able to purchase hand-made quilts for the same price - or less - than the mass-produced blankets at the department store. when, in fact, it's the exact opposite.

[jiarby]

Start charging a flat fee, say $5000, for "unique custom hand made personalized artisan quilts".
People (with the resources) that buy them will appreciate the superior product.
People (without resources) will stop bothering you... since your price (and the quality of your work) is already known to all.

You will sell less of them, but make more money...

[Seraph]

$2.50-$3.00 an hour for my time.

BAD KANA. <smacks with newspaper> Charge more, derpysister!

I've seen your work, and it is AMAZING. Take it from me, I know how tough it is to work in a saturated industry, and how scary it is to increase prices, but you NEED to. Its very scary, like I said, but really hun, you deserve a lot, LOT more for what you do.

[Merriweather]

Start charging a flat fee, say $5000, for "unique custom hand made personalized artisan quilts".
People (with the resources) that buy them will appreciate the superior product.
People (without resources) will stop bothering you... since your price (and the quality of your work) is already known to all.

You will sell less of them, but make more money...

This is pretty much what I was going to say. If you keep your prices down around the lower end of the scale, people will compare them to mass-produced items, and balk at that price. If you put them at the upper end, and market them as art, treat them and compare them to commissioned pieces of fabric art, not bedding - then people will view the higher prices as a bargain, an investment. Go for "upscale" - on your wording, on the look of your website/online store/ads and especially on your prices.

Cause what you really need is a total shift in your customer base, away from the WalMart crowd and to the Neiman Marcus crowd.

[EricKei]

What they said. ^_^ I don't know much about quilts, but no matter what, you should be charging minimum wage or better, preferably more like $8-10 an hour, as suggested above.

Could this result in fewer sales? Yes, possibly. BUT...you will also quickly weed out the people who, when asked to pay $325, will never EVER actually be willing to pay more than a hundred bucks. Put simply, raising your prices to a more standard level will have the benefits of both allowing you to get paid what you deserve, AND getting rid of those bottom 5-10% of people who refuse to pay for quality.

Also, there is the possibility that people who ARE looking for top-quality stuff are passing your goods by because they are "too cheap" -- in other words, they might be assuming that you're passing off Mart-of-Wal quality quilts for higher prices. The people who want the good stuff will, in general, be prepared to pay for the good stuff.

Don't discount yourself (so to speak). ^_^ Everyone here who actually knows quilts says you ROCK. Don't let a few SC's tell you otherwise. They only *think* they're always right...but we all know better, don't we?

[Buglady]

Another vote for "charge more." Seriously. People don't value stuff that is not expensive. (Unfortunately they also tend not to value traditionally female work, like sewing, but that's a whole other matter)

So call it ART and jack your prices. You WILL sell more and have fewer fights with customers. It took me ten years to convince my mother of this but I think I finally got through... she does Metis beadwork on leather. Every bead is sewn on by hand, and she makes the jackets and vests from traditional patterns. Her work is gorgeous but she had nothing but trouble when she was charging $200 for coats that took her a month to make. Price went up to $5000 - she has commissions three years out.

http://www.mousetrapclothiers.com/portfolio.html

[Mytical]

However..it is easy for us to say 'charge more', because we know your time and effort is worth it. What you do IS art, but you have to do what you think is best also. I have a suggestion you might want to check into. There are places that sell things like Native American quilts/etc and they do go for good money..maybe see if there is something close by that you can find to pick the brains of the people there? Just something to think about.

[Ironclad Alibi]

I am reminded of the story of a guy who worked in a furniture store. He came across an interesting piece of wood, and asked his boss if he could do something with it. The boss said sure. So he made a coffee table out of it. He asked his boss how much he should sell it for. The boss told him to get what he put into it. So he put it out on the sales floor for $85. Nobody was interested at that price. One day he got fed up with the lack of interest in his work. So when someone asked how much, he told them $850. They bought it. The moral is if you undervalue your work, so will others.