what a lovely bunch of people on here…made me smile this morning…and I cannot forget to mention you Gail @DemelzaDesigns …I can spot your knitwear a mile away due to its quality and design and @PoppyKayDesigns , I spotted your cards when you first came to folksy because I loved your witch cards…
And Debby and Chris…fabulously talented people that I have come to know over the last few years.
Thank you.. to you all…I hope we all do well, regardless of how we work or price our items xxx
I hope we all
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Just to amuse us all and bearing in mind the price…I just found a shop on E where a lady is selling 4x4" paintings for £35…painted by her rats…lol
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That’s lovely Brenda.
they must be very talented 
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Well, that tops the lot. Perhaps my muddy dog poors all over white paper will fetch the same price.
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Ha HA Gail.. @DemelzaDesigns .I know…more worrying is the amount she has sold…lol…xx
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I had to go and find it…
…
Got me thinking, what do you think to artwork made by the bears, I can even pop a photograph in of the bear that created it.
Just goes to show there is a market out there for everything and you can price it as you wish.
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I agree with you Brenda, pricing is an individual thing, you have to price for your piece of the market, I remember when I was picture framing, on our framing forum, we 9ften had members asking what the rest of us would change for a certain size and type of frame, most of would give a range of prices, once when I gave a price, another member who main job was in a bank, he sold framed vintage prints as a side line, any way he said I was too cheep . I replied along the lines of " unlike you, framing is my only source of income, I need to have an income of X amount every month, so I price for my local market to receive that amount per month, I need money coming in to cover my cost. I can’t price too high and risk losing customers and not get any work"
Its a case what your market can take price wise, I was based in Bath, a lot of people think its a rich city, but the majority of my customers were not that well off, so my prices reflected this.
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I won’t even tell you the ones that years ago were on "the bay " painted by someone’s husband… @Bearlescent
Steve @linthamdesigns …that sums it up beautifully.
I remember chatting to a man at an art exhibition. He did fabulous work but no one was buying his work and he said that he was going to give it all up.
At the time I was painting aceos @ £2.99 each. He laughed until I told him how much I had earned that month…He had earned nothing… xx
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I’m not sure that this pertains to all buyers. I’m the kind of buyer who will buy something that appeals to me and I really like not because of the price but because I want it. Sure, if it’s silly money, then that can dissuade me. But just because seller A’s work is cheaper than seller B’s work is not the deciding factor. For me, it’s about quality and uniqueness, or just plain old ’ I love it’.
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If It’s the same lady I follow on fb she has a large following and posts most days about her rats, which she trains to do tricks to keep them occupied and stimulated. You build up a long term relationship with each one and get to know their personalities and quirks. The paintings are another thing she does to challenge what are very bright and intelligent animals and I think the idea of selling came later She sells well because of that personal connection she establishes with her potential buyers
There’s actually a lot to learn from how she operates and uses social media.
@Bearlescent you do very much the same thing with your bear posts, telling stories which establish them as individual characters who your followers get to know.
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Unfortunately, it’s how market tolerance works, but as with most things there are exceptions to the rule.
I’m like you, if I want something I will buy it no matter the price tag 
but only because my day jobs provide me with the ability to do that.
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Ah that explains it then, I’m curious now so i will look her up on IG…those rats did look very cute.
Bear collectors are a lovely breed, I didn’t get it at first but now I’m nearly as bad as them. 11 years into it and I now easily find myself transported into a make believe world where they are in fact real and do eat marmalade sandwiches or live in the forest. My bear collectors have taught me a lot about the world of bear fluff and imagination it’s a great way to escape the world around us although in real life I like the darker side and they are usually born with thrash metal ringing in their ears.
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I have to say I always have a quick look at what you are selling and and what price. You are one of the only sellers who decently prices their knit/crochet baby wear I have seen. I know I am not cheap and I am told over and over at fairs that I charge too much for my work. I have started selling in a retail shop and have had to be really strict with myself in setting myself a small profit. Consequently, I don’t sell much. But I also refuse to sell myself cheaply. I keep hoping the tide will change and that others will start to follow suit and change the narrative. I did notice on the program that the crocheters earned the least amount of money for the amount of work they put in. It is such a shame that something close to the truer value of our work isn’t respected.
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Crocheters are never paid in line with the effort it requires.
I’ve done a few experiments over the years crocheting items I’ve seen for sale on various online marketplaces to see how long it takes to make them vs the prices being asked. I’m a quick crocheter but the results were always the same - the prices being asked were far too low for the effort required. Needless to say I didn’t bother adding those types of items to my offerings.
There’s a shop doing very well selling beautiful crochet items on the other side which would take at least a full day or more to make, with prices so low it’s ridiculous. The rate at which the items are being made indicates to me there is a group of crocheters making them, not just the shop owner.
I’ve made a couple of the items they sell, and there’s no way I would price them so low. Based on how long it took me and their pricing, I’ve estimated they are making a substantial loss.
Maybe they are a retired circle of friends who do it for the pleasure and therefore don’t care about making a profit, but the impact it has on everyone else who is trying to run a crochet business is devastating.
I have come to the same conclusion about a group of people contributing to one shop. It does take along time to stock a shop if you are on your own. I am always on the look out for areas to sell where I know people ask for the higher end price wise and I have had to let go of areas of selling that sell low. i still hold out hope that soon peoples thinking will change.
If other people making quality baby knitwear followed my example on Folksy people will realise that it’s a responsible price for hand crafted genuine designer baby knitwear. Infact my work is still cheaper than some sellers work on the dark side using mass produced baby knitting patterns! Its bad enough knowing i earn less than £2.00 per hour. If i was directly employed doing any form of work the legal hourly rate is over £12.00! If people are questioning your prices at local craft fares your flogging a dead horse as they obviously don’t attract the right clientèle for your work. My advice, don’t bother with them because all it does is knock your confidence and self esteem. Before the days of the Internet i did craft fares when i started my business and it took it’s tole on my mental health. I opened my own small retail shop and i couldn’t knit fast enough when i charged the correct price for my designer childrens clothing because my shop attracted the right clientèle for my work!
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