Pricing customs...

[BlackCurtains]

Let's talk about the dollar sign in the room... pricing customs.

I have taken commissions in the past, two. I way undercharged and was anxious and nervous and doubting myself the whole time. Hence why I only took two I'm thinking about it again and am currently working on a portfolio of ponies to show what I can do.

Everyone knows pricing is time + materials. I've always struggled with the 'materials' part, because if I use some paint, you can't charge a person a whole bottle. So how much does two tablespoons of paint cost?

Then the time. I struggle with this also because I can be very fast or very slow. I need to start timing myself as I work. I can finish some customs in a few days, while others take weeks or even months. If I take more hours doing a similar pony that I did in two days, can you charge the same?

Finally, what do YOU charge for customs? And do they sell?

[DracoKat]

I usually put them in auctions and let people pay what they think it's worth. But I do put a minimum of what I'd like to be paid (usually around $40 minimum which counts as materials and time). Generally they seem to go around $60-65 on average.

[BlackCurtains]

I watched an interesting video about pricing crafts. There is an actual formula for it.

Pay yourself minimum wage every hour.
Triple that for retail (double for wholesale)
Add a default amount for materials.
Add your skill level.
Add in shipping/handling costs.
Consider the market.
What is the minimum you would take.

That's supposed to get you a price.

So, the minimum wage in Florida is $11 an hour. (edit: I forgot to add hours here like a doofus)
Triple it = $33
Default materials, let's say 8 bucks = $41
Skill level! I'd say I'm pretty advanced but there's a lot I can do including simpler customs. Let's go for max and say a complicated custom adds $30 = $71
Shipping and handling. I'd probably ship one day a week, that's an Uber ride of about 28 dollars. Boxes, bubble wrap, tape and archival paper is like, I dunno. 5 bucks = $104
Consider the market. Take a look at what other people price their similar craft items at. I would agree with DracoKat that 60-65 is fairly common.
The minimum I'd take would depend on the pony, but let's continue with a complicated, sculpted custom. I'd actually say 65 would be the minimum. So I should price higher than that.

My price for a fully sculpted custom pony = 80-85. (edit: this should be higher given I forgot the hours put in)

Simpler customs would be lower. As time goes on and I sell more/make more, I can always raise the price. Watch the market. Keep track of min wage in your area. Buy supplies in bulk. Sometimes you won't sell anything in a month. Other times you can sell 5 things in a month. Don't lower your price on unsold items until at least 4 months go by. Recheck the market.

And that about sums up the video with my personal calculation included. I think all that makes a lot of sense and would work for anybody no matter what the craft.

[Beth3346]

@BC i'm not a customizer but i've taken client work for web development/design. i do find that sometimes if you price too low people will think you're not good at what you do. don't feel guilty about charging what you think your customs are worth. having a good portfolio and list of past customers who love your work also helps a lot.

generally for freelance type work the recommendation i've seen is to figure your what you want to make and work backwards. so figure out what you need for cost of living and other expenses. i feel like theres a tendency, even in tech for people to act like they don't want to make money. but we all need money to live and people are getting something of value. also account for how much work you can realistically do. if you charge too much or too little you'll either have too little or you'll have to do a lot of work to make it worth while. having a minimum is also good.

[BlackCurtains]

Thanks for chiming in!

I definitely don't want to charge too low. I made a feather winged pony with crystals and only charged $35. But it was my first commission and I was nervous/didn't want to overprice. I was a lot younger too and didn't want to "bother" people. Pfft, I know better now!

[ChocolateStarfire]

$60 sounds good for a FBR with a complete reroot and any minimal extras, like a ribbon.

$80 sounds good for sculpt-work. I was scoffed at for asking that for my GB ponies, so I took them down. I should have stuck to my guns. Now, I am not going to sell them. Ah well.

I definitely think your customs are worth at a minimum $80, with all the work you put into them, BC.

[BlackCurtains]

Aw, thank you!

I think 60 is a little steep for an FBR and reroot unless it has highly detailed symbols or something. I don't do symbols usually and if I do they're very simple. Also I have an airbrush, so FBRs are easy.

I'm sorry someone got to you about your prices and it you took them down I think $80 is fair for your GB ponies.

[kaelynn]

This is such a struggle for me too!

Currently, I'm charging $35 for reroot and detail painting, $40-$50 for reroot and FBR and detail painting (depending on how many colors/coats I use) and $75+ for sculpting (depending on how much sculpting is involved).  They seem to be pretty good so far because I am selling my ponies and I don't feel like I'm underselling myself.

For instance:

This G4 Starshine was a reroot with eyes and symbols redone and sold for $35:
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This G4 Nightlight had an FBR with reroot, eyes and symbols and sold for $40:
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This Fjord pony had an FBR with several colors, lots of dry brushing, reroot and eyes and sold for $50:
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This pony had a horn transplant, FBR, reroot, eyes and symbols with Swarovski crystals and sold for $65:
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This pony had an FBR, reroot, eyes and symbols, Swarovski crystal necklace and hair ornaments and cellophane wings and sold for $70:
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This pony had a sculpted sweater and hair ornaments, FBR, detailed painting, complicated hairstyle and sold for $80:
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This Marilyn Monroe I made as my first commission and has a sculpted dress and underwear, FBR and reroot and at the time I sold her for $50 which was too little.  Now I would probably sell her for around $75:
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This Styling Size pony was made for a contest and has armor that was sculpted, molded then cast in resin, FBR, reroot in 6 colors, real 14kt gold-filled chain and Swarovski crystals and if I were to sell it I wouldn't sell it for less than $150, possibly more:
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Wow, I didn't mean to write that much but I hope it helps! 

[BlackCurtains]

I didn't know the one with the leaf armor was styling sized

Those are good prices, you could even go higher imo. I think I've got a better handle on pricing my ponies.

I need to complete a few more for my portfolio but hopefully, I can open commissions soon.