All the other shows this year...

[RootedPhoenix]

It also convinces folks that they got a great deal.

[MoonCat]

It also convinces folks that they got a great deal.

Tell them it's a Christmas sale...Valentine's Day sale...St. Patrick's day sale...Easter sale...you see where I'm going with this, right?

[Kogarashi]

Worked for JC Penney. In fact, worked far better than their promise to always have the best price ever. They actually had a drop in sales when they priced everything at actual value instead of marking it up and then having constantly rotating sales (that put some merch at a time down to actual value). People just want to feel like they're getting a deal, even if it's not actually the case.

[Kanalah]

I've read several articles that say you should never have a sale on your art. It's worth what the price is, and it "devalues" your work somewhat, when you put it on sale. I have a few customers that only buy things when I put them on sale, and then they offer me ridiculous lowball offers because "well, do you want to sell it or not?"

Some shows - like Really Big Craft Show - you are not allowed to mark things higher and then have a 50% off sale. It makes things look cheesy, and it invites bad hagglers, because you're already taking half off, why not more?

I *have* thought of doing tags with "Appraised value" i.e. what the quilt is actually worth retail-wise and then the price I want for it. I worry that I'd have to print out appraisal forms for each quilt, but I do already have blank ones courtesy of another quilter.

[notalwaysright]

I *have* thought of doing tags with "Appraised value" i.e. what the quilt is actually worth retail-wise and then the price I want for it. I worry that I'd have to print out appraisal forms for each quilt, but I do already have blank ones courtesy of another quilter.

That doesn't sound like a bad idea. I was wondering, do you have details on each quilt, or just a tag with the price? I mean, not that you should over-do it, but some basic info. "100% cotton materials, premium made in America fabric, total of over 20 hours of skilled labor." (Obviously I just made all of that up.) Sorry, you're probably over getting random advice, but other than changing your location that's all I can think of.

I know people love sales, but I have heard my step-dad sell people roofs for many years with no sale or discount of any kind. Would we sell more roofs with sales? Absolutely. But then we wouldn't be able to pay our guys as well, and probably have to hire more people, the quality of work would plummet. Also my step-dad flat out refuses to artificially raise prices in order to "lower" them by doing a sale or coupon. So we use words like "family owned" "quality" and "dependable." It also helps that the company has been operating under the same name, in the same family for nearly 30 years. Anyway, do you hate making other stuff, like quilted potholders? Just throwing it out there.

[mjr]

That doesn't sound like a bad idea. I was wondering, do you have details on each quilt, or just a tag with the price? I mean, not that you should over-do it, but some basic info. "100% cotton materials, premium made in America fabric, total of over 20 hours of skilled labor." (Obviously I just made all of that up.) Sorry, you're probably over getting random advice, but other than changing your location that's all I can think of.

A Bill of materials is a great idea. I go back and forth on whether or not cost should be included, though.

The problem is including too much information in the BoM.

I think we all agree that Kanalah shouldn't have to justify her prices to anyone. If she gets the "Well, do you want to sell it or not?", she could retort with "Not for what you're offering."

I'm still thinking it might be a good idea to make a sign (or two, or three -- we know how SCs can be) that says "ALL PRICES FIRM".

Though I do like the "Appraised Value" idea.

[Kanalah]

My tags have:

Quilt name
Dimensions in inches
Standard size name (like Twin)
Price

I have thought about putting hours involved and stuff but have come to the sad conclusion that most people just don't give a shit anymore. They just don't care. So why bother going to all the trouble to make art when I'm just going to get yelled at constantly?

[MoonCat]

I've read several articles that say you should never have a sale on your art. It's worth what the price is, and it "devalues" your work somewhat, when you put it on sale. I have a few customers that only buy things when I put them on sale, and then they offer me ridiculous lowball offers because "well, do you want to sell it or not?"

Some shows - like Really Big Craft Show - you are not allowed to mark things higher and then have a 50% off sale. It makes things look cheesy, and it invites bad hagglers, because you're already taking half off, why not more?

I *have* thought of doing tags with "Appraised value" i.e. what the quilt is actually worth retail-wise and then the price I want for it. I worry that I'd have to print out appraisal forms for each quilt, but I do already have blank ones courtesy of another quilter.

This makes sense to me. It's a shame that so many people don't understand the work and expertise that goes into making quilts. I have a friend who does quilting (or used to, anyway) and I've seen quilts in various stages of completion. They are not something that you can knock off in half an hour. And fabric and other things are not cheap. People are so spoiled by places like Mal-Wart that they think everything should be free

[Seshat]

That's a very sweet thing to say Seshat.

Every word is true.

Do you have a link to some pictures of your quilts? I'd love to see.

There's one in her sig: http://quiltingmoonkin.blogspot.com/

Her 2012 posts include a photograph of my quilt. Hrm, apparently it's only 3 years old, not 5. So maybe not EVERY word was true.
Anyway, 'Blue quilt which is going to Australia' is mine.

[Kanalah]

Need to update the blog for this year's stash buster quilts. No time like the present, eh.

[Kogarashi]

I've read several articles that say you should never have a sale on your art.

Oh, I'm inclined to agree wholeheartedly, as an artist/crafter myself. I was merely pointing out that JC Penney used the "mark up and then put on sale" method, and lost sales when they tried the "all honest prices" campaign instead.

I only put my own stuff on sale when I'm trying to move old merchandise, or as part of a "bulk" discount. If I've got painted fans from past years that I don't think are quite up to snuff anymore (because my skills have advanced), then I mark them down to get them out of stock. Generally I have to really dislike a particular fan, or have had it for several years, before I mark it down in order to get rid of it. As for the "bulk" discount, it's mostly a case of pricing my prints at one price, but then offering small discounts for buying more. So a single print will be one price, but two will be that price doubled and then discounted a dollar or two (to round it to the nearest multiple of 5), and three will be discounted slightly more. I'm still making money on the prints, but also encouraging people to buy in multiples to save on money and have easy change (important in situations were more than half the customer base is paying in cash from ATMs).

I don't know that bulk discounts like that would work on quilts as easily as they do for prints, though. Honestly, I really wish you had a better customer base. You don't get nearly enough respect for your work.

[jedimaster91]

OMG, I love that chemistry quilt! Makes my little nerd heart giddy.

The last con I went to there was a guy selling hand tooled leather tablet cases. He had a couple small ones that had wrist straps and I was interested in using one as a wallet (since it's goofy to carry a diaper bag and a purse). Sadly, his asking price was too high for what I had budgeted. So I said I'm sorry, but that's out of my price range. No demands for a discount. He said he understood the price was high, but again, it's all hand done. And leather isn't cheap to begin with. It was beautiful work and I was pretty bummed I couldn't afford it. I did grab his business card. Maybe in the future I'll be able to purchase one of his creations.

The con before that I spent $20 on a nerdy bib. When I could get a 5-pack at MalWart for like $3. But the ones at the store aren't nearly as cute. I love handmade crafts. As a sewer myself, I know the work that goes into them and I'm willing to pay.

[Seshat]

If I had the money, I'd fight you for the chemistry quilt!


Kanalah, in your February post, you say 'so technically I can quilt 2 [ toddler bed quilts ] each day, as long as I have the tops done.'
Isn't the top the hardest/longest duration part?

Everyone else: Kanalah is working with me on providing more information about her quilts to her customers. Please PM me with anything you would want to know, if you were buying one of the quilts from her website. (Not price and size, but anything else is fair game.)


Edit to add: good PMs already. Keep 'em coming! (Kanalah: your CS family loves you. I can tell.)

[Kanalah]

Yes those quilts take roughly 6 hours to put the top together and 4 hours to quilt, so given an 8 hour sewing day, that's two quilts finished.

(I should clarify that when I make quilts, I make a whole lot of tops first and then go buy a lot of backing and quilt a lot of them. Only when I have a custom order do I make the top and then turn around and quilt it. I like taking a little creative break between making the top and quilting, because it gives me time to think about how to quilt each one without feeling rushed.)

[RootedPhoenix]

*hugs Kanalah tightly*

You are awesome. I can see how putting things on sale would make it even worse in the long run.

As an artist (jewelry, music, poetry) I've had to think about/deal with pricing and how people want things for free or cheap...argh.

Fabric's not cheap. Sewing tools aren't cheap. Gaining skill is expensive (loads of books..or at least loads of practice, which uses materials and tools). None of the elements going into your quilts is cheap, so why would the quilt itself be cheap?! Argh, humans.

And all this lands on you, and you don't deserve it. *more hugs*

We love you. <3 I'm sorry I can't keep the dingbats away so that you can rebuild and regroup. <3