I have differences in pricing on some items depending on the site, but at craft fairs was persuaded by my partner, to offer a selected number of cards at a discount based on quantity, depending on size and range.
Also a ‘Sale/reduced’ basket.
Both those ideas have made quite a big difference in sales. The sale/reduced basket is always very popular, and brings people into the stall. Keep the pricing simple. I colour-code sale cards with coloured dots, to make it foolproof, so the customer ‘gets’ the pricing quickly.
Even so, one needs to be sensible and as stated by others, factor in all costs.
People always looking for a bargain/discount.
My big A2, A3+ and A3 prints generally sell at one standard, fixed price, as they are considered a specialist item, but if someone wanted a few at the same time, I would factor in a discount.
Many people sell at different prices, depending on the venue. I price in US$ on The Other Side - but thinking of changing that - it means my listing prices fluctuate for any other currency (including Sterling), depending on exchange rates.
People need to take account of the costs involved in the sale of an item, over and above the “bottom line” price. These will vary from place to place, so the price probably will too - unless it’s a small enough difference to make it worth absorbing it, or unless you price at the highest rate out of all the prices.
People selling artwork etc through galleries will often have lower direct prices, as the gallery often sets the final price that they charge. I have heard of shops who insist that sellers don’t charge less for an item, than the retail price set in that shop, but they don’t all specify this and it means that direct customers can’t benefit from the lower rate.
It’s normal, in business, for people “buying direct from the manufacturer” to pay less than they would to a supplier / shop.
I sell (well, I list) on here and sell in a gallery and they are both the same price.
At the beginning of this year I changed my prices to take into account wholesale and retail. Here I include free P&P and obviously have Folksy/Paypal fees, in the gallery I have commission.
If a shop approached me about selling with them, the price would need to be roughly the same. There can be some leeway, but not a massive amount IMHO.
My items are my brand and I want to ensure they are sold in the way I want them to be.
My prices at craft fairs are generally the same as online, (without the p&p) but I will sometimes have offers at fairs, at the moment I have a couple of baskets at £1.75 per card or 4 for £5.50 (this is to clear stock that I’ve had a while and cards that haven’t taken long to make or using things that I’ve had given) but to put it online could end up a nightmare as there are so many cards to choose from.
I noticed some of you say you can state the price of your item to B&m shops but in my b&m shops they state the price they want to get which is why the prices differ. I think it depends on the profit they want to make and what kind of customers they are attracting…For example the gift shop charges far more than my local church coffee morning for my cards
thanks for that liz , I remember that I did have a look at that . I usually workout my material costs and add a wee bit extra and then double it for wholesale and usually advise wholesale to double that again but they usually decide what price is right for them.
I f I was to add my hourly rate etc my cards would be too expensive unfortunately . I would love to charge more but there are so many people selling really nice cards for much less
As long as I make some sort of profit I am happy but I will never be able to live off it!
That is a good starting point but I use a lot of recycled items in my art. I purchase my “supplies”, in most cases either at a car boot or flea market so really, its my tools, time and complexity for which I have to account. Of course, this means that prices may be variable even for similar items. but it does give me latitude to sell at my price based on my criteria.
Can be confusing can’t it Roz, I have different pricing on my own web site than i do on here, this is due to not having to pay sellers fee on my own web site, so passing the saving on to the customer, cos i’m good … or daft, depends which way you look at it
This is a really interesting thread …i’ve recently just launched my shop, website & facebook page. At first i just had the one pricing structure through my Folksy shop but have recently just introduced a buy direct from studio for local customers who come direct to the studio to pick up, i was concerned this might be confusing so still seeing how it goes but i just wanted to pass on saving to my customers.
With the local sales at mo they are browsing other product while at the studio so i’m managed a few add on sales too. I am planning to do a craft fair next year but plan to use my folksy prices to cover the cost of my table, petrol, etc but may have a couple of special offer prices for a couple of items as an “buy on the day” incentive.
It’s really interesting seeing how everyone else approaches it depending on your venue & particular overheads and i’m certainly learning alot from everyone’s input…thank you all so very much
