A question for those who make stuff for a living

[Akasa]

(or as a side business)

Do you factor in time that it takes to make it into the price?

[AnaKhouri]

I don't make stuff for a living but everyone I know who does, does this. I mean, you get paid for your time at a regular job, so I don't see why crafters shouldn't be paid for their time.

(too bad writers don't get paid for the time they spend on a project. I'd be a freaking millionaire)

[Akasa]

Thank you, a message board I'm part of is trying to tell me 3.5x the cost of supplies.

I'm like "If I put 8 hours into something you're going to fucking pay me for those 8 hours!"

[EricKei]

Not a crafter either, but I agree. My guess is the "3.5" thing is meant to account for time spent on the project. Absolutely factor hours in -- if someone whines, you can always come down *a little* if need be (maybe if it ends up on general sale), but going up isn't so easy. If it's a custom job, draw up a contract and get as much payment in advance as possible -- I'd say at the bare minimum: Cost of supplies (including incidentals such as thread/scraps as needed) (+ maybe 50%) + anticipated labor. They get the item when you receive the balance.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Thank you, a message board I'm part of is trying to tell me 3.5x the cost of supplies.

I'm like "If I put 8 hours into something you're going to fucking pay me for those 8 hours!"

The concept of 3.5 times the cost of materials is probably correct. However the multiplying factor (3.5) will vary greatly depending on what you are making. It is useful in that once you establish an average time for making your product it is easier to give out price estimates. And you can always adjust the final price depending on how long it actually takes to make the item.

But the nice thing about working for yourself is that you can set any rules, and prices, you like.

[Kittish]

Yes, I figure in my time for selling stuff I make. Also, for baked goods, I include a charge for equipment usage ('cause electricity don't pay for itself). I generally figure cost of materials times two, plus time and use to determine how much I charge for stuff.

[Android Kaeli]

I rarely sell the things I make, when I do I often factor what the item is, how much supplies I used, and the type of supplies used -- I don't factor the time, unless its something that'll take more then a half hour to do. Most of the stuff I make is jewelry, so its going to be pricey anyways because of how much beading supplies cost.

[Akasa]

It's beaded stuffs, so yeah.

[mjr]

I think Kanalah quilts, and I think she factors in a "per hour" cost for her quilts, too.

I guess the way you could do it is say, "I want to make X per hour, this took Y hours. X*Y = Z, plus whatever materials costs I have."

[Kanalah]

Since quilts take weeks or months to make, I have to factor in time. Unfortunately because I live in stingy-ville, I don't make that much per hour on quilts. Some items I make, I'm lucky to get min-wage.

I've been working on a hand quilting project since August. It's a queen size and about 75% done. Because of how slow and precise hand quilting is, I can only do at most 2.5 hours a day on it before my hands start to get sore. So it's taking months to get done. I charge $5/hour for hand quilting, and I'll make around $450 for this one quilt. But it's taken me 6 months so far.

Another problem that people generally don't talk about with crafts is that in order to actually make money, people have to buy your things. Depending on the market in your area, and what you make, that can be difficult.

For example, there's a blog post called "we are sew worth it" where the author (who is a well known quilter) says that what we do is skilled labor, and that we should charge $25/hour or more for our work, because it is a skill that takes years to master and no one bats an eye when a plumber charges that much.

However, for quilts in my area, I'd get laughed out of town. I'm lucky to get $500 on a queen size quilt, (that cost me $250 in materials). The quilt was appraised for $3,000, but people here don't care about that.

Now where I really make my money at shows is on novelty potholders. It sounds silly, but I sell them 2/$10 and people will spend $30 - $60 at a time. I still make quilts and sell them online, and I take them to shows because they draw people in and I get a ton of compliments, but I have to have something at a lower price point in order to pay my booth fees.

Sorry for the novel, but I hope I was helpful.

[Food Lady]

My mom was a seamstress for many years. She charged for the actual cost of fabric, notions, and pattern and for time spent. It worked out well; she had very loyal customers who'd have her make or re-make entire wardrobes. When you have skill people will pay. My mom had started sewing at the age of 10.

ETA: I think she charged min. wage for the time which was around $4 at the time.