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Not sure how useful this is for many handmade items; for candles, as they mention, sure. But - I quilt (not to sell). Quilting is expensive in terms of both s

Not sure how useful this is for many handmade items; for candles, as they mention, sure. But - I quilt (not to sell). Quilting is expensive in terms of both supplies (typically 100% cotton fabric, thread, batting, machine, etc.) and especially time. It's difficult to convince people that the relatively simple (looking) quilt made by a skilled quilter, which 'only' took 20-30 hours to make is worth $500-$1000+. Couple of interesting articles here:- - https://sewingreport.com/2016/02/quiltonomics-the-real-cost-of-quilts/ https://sewingreport.com/2016/02/quiltonomics-the-real-cost-... - https://sewingiscool.com/handmade-quilt-prices/ https://sewingiscool.com/handmade-quilt-prices/ - https://quiltdom.com/price-handmade-quilts/ https://quiltdom.com/price-handmade-quilts/

detaro 5y ago
Yeah, the time aspect is something people very quickly ignore or underestimate. And in reverse often interesting to see what kind of thing crafters/artists/... offer cheaply, because it is a variant that can be done relatively quickly.
- ghaff 5y ago
  Of course, valuing your time for something you're doing on the side is not straightforward. Most well-paid people with day jobs can't just work some more hours for the same hourly rate. A lot also depends on whether it's something you actively like doing vs. you find it a real chore you're just doing for the bucks.
  - s0rce 5y ago
    Pretty much, I'm salaried, I can work more but I don't get paid more and I don't think people would really notice that I'm getting more done. Incremental time is basically worthless. Sure, I could find some hourly part time gig but it wouldn't make enough to be worth it unless I built a real freelance technical consulting business or something that I could bill more for.
- jnovek 5y ago
  This is the hardest part for me. I undervalue my time and I know that customers do, too.
ghaff 5y ago
I periodically think of getting a "tshirt quilt" made with a bunch of my tshirts. But whenever I look at the pricing of what look like proper ones, I sit down until the temptation goes away.
- cenazoic 5y ago
  Ha! Tshirt quilts are a bit more labor intensive then they seem. Because of the knit fabric most are made from, each shirt has to be a) cut (the graphic you want to use) and then b) that cut piece needs to be stabilized, which typically means using something called 'fusible web' - a material which adheres to the shirting via ironing. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to sew the pieces together very well. So in some ways they're simpler, but they can require more initial prep.
  - ghaff 5y ago
    Oh I'm sure they're labor intensive. And a number of the companies that make them out there seem to cut a lot of corners.
metamet 5y ago
When I was in college, a friend of mine knitted me a scarf as a birthday present. I adored it (and still do). But the economics of it is interesting to reflect on. We were both poor college students, with no real family support, working 30-40hr weeks at coffee shops in order to pay rent and buy food, pulling $8/hr plus tips. The cost of yarn was a half an hour's worth of work, and the hours it took her to knit it were done while relaxing and watching shows. So labor was considered a write-off, in terms of labor. To her, the gift only cost was the yarn. Time and opportunity at work for more hours were scarce, so it wasn't like we could just work more instead. Quantifying the value of the scarf didn't really change in my mind. To me, the fact that she spent all that time on it meant it was special and invaluable to me. Especially since it wouldn't make economic sense for her to try starting a business selling them.
sricks3 5y ago
My wife is a quilter and has mentioned the same thing. It's hard to sell a bed-sized quilt for $1200+ when people don't understand the work that goes into it (and even the materials are more expensive than I would have guessed). She's started writing quilt patterns and has a few that will be featured in upcoming publications and subscription boxes. She's about to set up an e-commerce system to sell digital patterns on her website, but she has no interest in selling physical quilts at the prices she'd need to in order to just break even.
- massysett 5y ago
  The only way a quilter in a rich country could sell profitably is to approach it like art. Get the quilt into a gallery and sell it as a wall hanging. The instant you sell a mere bed covering, you’re competing with factory labor in poor countries. Their labor is way too cheap to compete with. Many sellers of handmade items will have the same problem.
markdown 5y ago
There's a thread on the reddit frontpage right now about a guy who sells tie dyed shirts for around $500. They can take around 20hrs to make and are sold via auction on instagram. https://www.reddit.com/r/toptalent/comments/tfiwqd/this_guy_takes_tie_dye_to_a_new_level/ https://www.reddit.com/r/toptalent/comments/tfiwqd/this_guy_... https://www.instagram.com/dyes_n_goodvibes/ https://www.instagram.com/dyes_n_goodvibes/
- newyankee 5y ago
  These stories are good but I personally always feel that very few outliers really make this kind of money. Much like art, media etc. Most people cannot create a similar brand around their own work and it is possible the market cannot even support plenty of niche producers per se.
yial 5y ago
This isn’t related to quilt pricing per se - but perhaps overlapping with some how how high end hand knotted rugs are sold in “selling” and pricing techniques might be useful. (See Bunyaad rugs ) … Also quilt sale prices on EBTH are interesting… I’m not educated enough to really understand that market. The same is true when I see local auctions. (Chance?)

detaro 5y ago

Yeah, the time aspect is something people very quickly ignore or underestimate. And in reverse often interesting to see what kind of thing crafters/artists/... offer cheaply, because it is a variant that can be done relatively quickly.

ghaff 5y ago
Of course, valuing your time for something you're doing on the side is not straightforward. Most well-paid people with day jobs can't just work some more hours for the same hourly rate. A lot also depends on whether it's something you actively like doing vs. you find it a real chore you're just doing for the bucks.
- s0rce 5y ago
  Pretty much, I'm salaried, I can work more but I don't get paid more and I don't think people would really notice that I'm getting more done. Incremental time is basically worthless. Sure, I could find some hourly part time gig but it wouldn't make enough to be worth it unless I built a real freelance technical consulting business or something that I could bill more for.
jnovek 5y ago
This is the hardest part for me. I undervalue my time and I know that customers do, too.

ghaff 5y ago

I periodically think of getting a "tshirt quilt" made with a bunch of my tshirts. But whenever I look at the pricing of what look like proper ones, I sit down until the temptation goes away.

cenazoic 5y ago
Ha! Tshirt quilts are a bit more labor intensive then they seem. Because of the knit fabric most are made from, each shirt has to be a) cut (the graphic you want to use) and then b) that cut piece needs to be stabilized, which typically means using something called 'fusible web' - a material which adheres to the shirting via ironing. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to sew the pieces together very well. So in some ways they're simpler, but they can require more initial prep.
- ghaff 5y ago
  Oh I'm sure they're labor intensive. And a number of the companies that make them out there seem to cut a lot of corners.

metamet 5y ago

When I was in college, a friend of mine knitted me a scarf as a birthday present. I adored it (and still do). But the economics of it is interesting to reflect on. We were both poor college students, with no real family support, working 30-40hr weeks at coffee shops in order to pay rent and buy food, pulling $8/hr plus tips. The cost of yarn was a half an hour's worth of work, and the hours it took her to knit it were done while relaxing and watching shows. So labor was considered a write-off, in terms of labor. To her, the gift only cost was the yarn. Time and opportunity at work for more hours were scarce, so it wasn't like we could just work more instead. Quantifying the value of the scarf didn't really change in my mind. To me, the fact that she spent all that time on it meant it was special and invaluable to me. Especially since it wouldn't make economic sense for her to try starting a business selling them.

sricks3 5y ago

My wife is a quilter and has mentioned the same thing. It's hard to sell a bed-sized quilt for $1200+ when people don't understand the work that goes into it (and even the materials are more expensive than I would have guessed). She's started writing quilt patterns and has a few that will be featured in upcoming publications and subscription boxes. She's about to set up an e-commerce system to sell digital patterns on her website, but she has no interest in selling physical quilts at the prices she'd need to in order to just break even.

massysett 5y ago
The only way a quilter in a rich country could sell profitably is to approach it like art. Get the quilt into a gallery and sell it as a wall hanging. The instant you sell a mere bed covering, you’re competing with factory labor in poor countries. Their labor is way too cheap to compete with. Many sellers of handmade items will have the same problem.

markdown 5y ago

There's a thread on the reddit frontpage right now about a guy who sells tie dyed shirts for around $500. They can take around 20hrs to make and are sold via auction on instagram. https://www.reddit.com/r/toptalent/comments/tfiwqd/this_guy_takes_tie_dye_to_a_new_level/ https://www.reddit.com/r/toptalent/comments/tfiwqd/this_guy_... https://www.instagram.com/dyes_n_goodvibes/ https://www.instagram.com/dyes_n_goodvibes/

newyankee 5y ago
These stories are good but I personally always feel that very few outliers really make this kind of money. Much like art, media etc. Most people cannot create a similar brand around their own work and it is possible the market cannot even support plenty of niche producers per se.

yial 5y ago

This isn’t related to quilt pricing per se - but perhaps overlapping with some how how high end hand knotted rugs are sold in “selling” and pricing techniques might be useful. (See Bunyaad rugs ) … Also quilt sale prices on EBTH are interesting… I’m not educated enough to really understand that market. The same is true when I see local auctions. (Chance?)