Charging family/friends

How do others feel on charging your friends and family for your craft work?! I felt guilty enough when a friend brought a baby blanket (feeling she only brought it cos I’d made it!!), she now asks for lots of cards from me so I am figuring she actually likes my work :blush:!!! Now my niece has asked me to make a card for her friend which I have done but feeling guilty to charge her for it! Is this a new one, or would you not charge family?

I do sell my cards to friends at discounted rates but do that in the basis that I’m not paying any commission fees or PayPal fees, so I figure I get the same net profit. I think if its family or real friends who buy regularly I’m happy to do that, but if it’s extended family who I don’t see much of or acquaintances rather than friends I’d charge full price. :grinning:

Really depends on who it is and how much the item is. Like Heidi @HeidiMeier I’d only consider reductions/freebies for close friends and family. One of my good friends really liked and wanted one of my scarves but I knew she couldn’t really justify it so I made her one for her birthday. Unfortunately if you give something away once often people assume they can have more for free and that’s when it becomes awkward.

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I charge my family and friends for my work and I charge them my going rate (invariably its commissions rather than anything off the shelf so we’ve had the sit down /discussion and agreed the price). I don’t charge them for doing little jobs though, I have been presented with things they have purchased elsewhere or been given and asked to alter the length or straighten out earrings after they have been ‘toddlered’, that I will do for nothing with them picking up the tab when we next go for tea and cake (those sorts of jobs don’t normally require materials just a bit of time and the right tools). Only person in my life who gets freebies is the other half and given that he schleps my stock to craft fairs and acts as a walking advert so I think thats a fair deal.

Oddly, my family insist on paying full price. And will actually look at my items online to check that I’m not shortchanging myself! (Obviously I don’t charge them postage though :wink:)

I charge but not full price. My business wouldn’t work if I gave my stuff away x

Like Rhiannon, @RhiannonRoseJewellery, my family insist on paying full-price for my items. The only person who has freebies is my daughter and she doesn’t choose from my stock but will occasionally ask me if I can make her something. (She’s 19 and doesn’t earn very much). I don’t sell regularly to friends but when I do they’re always happy to pay full-price - I’ve never had anyone I know expect a discount. The only people that have ever asked for discounts have been complete strangers at craft fairs!! :rage:

I do give family a small discount on orders especially if it’s a lot of cards at once (they just ask how much and pay whatever I tell them) but if I’m selling at a craft fair/coffee morning and they come along and buy something they pay full price (and still tell me I’m under-pricing so I think I need to do some work on that)

I have always found this difficult and I end up giving away lots of things. I used to have a business that incorporated a coffee shop. Many customers became friends and would pop in for a coffee, especially when it was quiet and we had time to chat. It all becomes difficult if you do it once :thinking: