Pricing Help

[NittanyLion]

Always having lots of Burl laying around, I started making these several months back. I now have them on my Etsy site and would like opinions on pricing. Where would you price these on Etsy? Right now, I have each around $25-$30. I've had success selling locally as well, but I'm still new to Etsy and trying to find the correct price point. With Pens, I've found that higher prices sometimes help, and Im curious about if that holds true with an item like these.

What's your opinion on pricing for these or similar items....all burl, dried, sanded, and lacquered?

 

[1080Wayne]

If you can sell them locally at $30 I sure wouldn`t price them less than that on Etsy , although I have zero experience there . I have debated the same idea with myself at $30-40 (matching the base wood to the pen displayed) , but have not tried it yet .

 

[TonyL]

I have no idea what I am doing and only sell locally by word of mouth. In general, I triple or quadruple the cost of my blank and kit (nothing less than $25) - but this is a hobby for me. I even tell my "clients" to go on Etsy where they can probably find it for less. I am sure I will run out of people to sell to given my zero marketing. Your prices look very reasonable and your work is beautiful. I wonder sometimes if selling all for $5 would make a difference. I don't think it would.

I just put one in my mailbox for a friend to pick up. It's in a plastic tube in a plastic zip-loc bag $40 for an AA blank / Satin Patriot kit. Maybe they like the custom impulse buying experience? I don't get it and I am sure the "party" will end soon for me (as far as sales go).

Good luck...your work is very nice.

 

[plano_harry]

They are pretty. I have no idea what to charge, but having to buy all my burls, I would probably turn those into expensive pens.:wink:

 

[Cmiles1985]

How long does it take you to cut, surface, drill, sand and finish one?

I'd say no less than $30. It's a unique item that if someone wants it, they'll buy it. I'd out a price of $45 to $50 on them personally.

 

[NittanyLion]

I really only have an hour or so in each since I typically do 10-12 at a time, usually cleaning up scraps after cutting a large burl. It is a nice use of the scraps, short pieces, and other pieces that are not as prime.

I'm finding that the key with Etsy is building your shop, gaining traffic through tags and marketing, then increasing sales. It's an uphill climb but my hope is to keep unique items to compliment pens,...just at the right pricepoint. I think I'm going to bump up my prices too see what kind of results I get.

 

[Dan Hintz]

It's the elephant in the room, so I gotta ask... where are you that you have "lots of burls laying around"?

 

[mark james]

It's the elephant in the room, so I gotta ask... where are you that you have "lots of burls laying around"?

Steve can answer for himself, but...

25 years ago when my wife and I moved from New Jersey back to Ohio where we grew up we were able to get the same size house as we had on a 1/4 acre lot, now on a 10 acre lot of dense woods - for the same price!

Steve: the accent pieces look great and I think they will be a nice addition to your storefront. I's side with a slightly higher price, but as these are some of your "extras" it may not be necessary to push it.

They look very nice!

 

[Dan Masshardt]

It's the elephant in the room, so I gotta ask... where are you that you have "lots of burls laying around"?

Sunny Pennsylvania.

 

[NittanyLion]

It's the elephant in the room, so I gotta ask... where are you that you have "lots of burls laying around"?

North Central PA. I'm fortunate to have land available to "burl Hunt"....and quite a bit of it. I spend a LOT of time in the woods...probably 20hrs a week. If you start to look around, you'll notice them everywhere. Lots of amazing stuff can be found anywhere....just look hard.

 

[CrimsonKeel]

I guess what I would ask is however much I could make selling that burl to pen makers in the form of blanks.
So if you could cut it up and sell blanks to make 30 bucks for it in 5 minutes then Id ask 50 due to times spent prepping. If it is not so good burl then maybe your 30 is in right range

 

[MarkD]

It's the elephant in the room, so I gotta ask... where are you that you have "lots of burls laying around"?

North Central PA. I'm fortunate to have land available to "burl Hunt"....and quite a bit of it. I spend a LOT of time in the woods...probably 20hrs a week. If you start to look around, you'll notice them everywhere. Lots of amazing stuff can be found anywhere....just look hard.

I look hard in my mailbox every day...and nothing!!! :biggrin: