How Much Do Polymer Clay Art Pieces Sell for?
By Leah Fisch
If you lot are an creative person trying to brand a side or full income by selling your craft, there is another art you volition offset have to master and that is the art of pricing. If y'all analyze the trend whatsoever skilled merchandise you will undoubtedly notice a pattern. The more experienced the trades-person becomes in their craft, and the more skilled their piece of work, they more they become paid.
Are Y'all the artist any different? Surely you have invested your heart and soul, along with hours crafting and learning in order to be where you are today.
Tin can You AFFORD TO PAY YOUR CUSTOMERS
TO BUY YOUR PRODUCTS?
When I first started selling my sculptures online I came beyond an creative person pricing formula that told me to double the cost of textile. I donít know about you lot, only if it takes me approximately 1 hour to sculpt a quarter-inch microscopic sock monkey (my specialty) and I simply double the cost of polymer clay textile, I'd brand approximately $0.25 for an hourís worth of labor. That's not a typo; nosotros're talking a single quarter
There is so much more to pricing handmade artwork than simply doubling the cost of fabric. Every artist is dissimilar, and so every pricing formula should be unlike. My goal is to give you a simple foundation then that you can derive YOUR platonic pricing formula which creates a balance between earning and income and providing value to your buyers.
There are iii major components to be accounted for in the cost of your artwork
- Hourly Wage
- Cost of Material
- Overhead
Hourly Wage
Yous are an artist, but you as well work for a living. This ways y'all have to pay yourself an hourly rate. You do not have to commencement out with a big number, so long as yous pay yourself more than minimum wage. Sounds silly, right? Then why are so many artists selling their work for less than the wage of prisoners working in jail. (I actually looked this up, nether $100/calendar month)
If your labor involves large chunks of fourth dimension, marker the first and end time including any cleanup and preparation. If you piece of work in bulk on smaller pieces, toll your hour and and then carve up past what you create.
Using a hypothetical charge per unit of $15/hr, if your painting takes a total of 6 working hours, that ís 6 x fifteen for $ninety. If you create approximately 3 whimsical critters per hour, that ís 15/three for $5 each
These are simply your starting numbers, we so add together the following 2 onto your formula
Cost of Material
Any supply or material that is used upward in your fine art process should exist added into your textile price. The obvious ones include sheet and paint for a painter and clay for a sculptor.
The less obvious materials include those petty things that don't seem to go used up. This includes the individual staples or dabs of hot glue that go into finishing your projection. An ideal calculation includes comparing the cost of material to the number of projects it can be applied. If a bottle of glue for $2.99 lasts for 30 projects, that'due south approximately $0.10 added onto the total cost
A simpler, even so less perfect method is to estimate the cost. For instance, my micro-merbaby pictured hither took approximately 1 ounce of clay which is easily measured. Yet I simply estimated a quarter for the additional toll of paint, glitter, feathers and sealant on his tiny body
Overhead
I consider overhead to include the toll of annihilation related to the art process that cannot be measured directly based on material consumption. This includes but is certainly non limited to:
- Studio rental / transportation
- Cost of equipment
- Electricity
- Standard long-term tools
- Books and other training material
- Cleanup supplies
- Storage / workspace/ arrangement
Using my merbaby sculpture every bit an case again, I used an overhead lamp and sculpting tools. He was broiled in a convection oven, and finished using painting supplies. I have also invested in a number of sculpting book. While these are not used up they are still fine art-related costs.
Use a Formula for Pricing
I recommend using a formula like this one for full-fourth dimension artists, and an adapted version for part-time.
Yearly toll of overhead divided past 12 months for a monthly overhead cost. Then separate the monthly overhead by an approximation of how many pieces you tin can product each month.
For example, if overhead costs me $600/year that comes to $50/month. If I can sculpt ten fairies each month as a full-time artist, thatís $5 overhead added onto the toll of each fairy sculpture
The higher up numbers are the minimum criteria you want to consider when determining your WHOLESALE pricing. Meaning the absolute lowest you desire to sell to break even for your fourth dimension and material.
Converting from wholesale to retail pricing tin can exist done in a number of ways. Mayhap yous sell directly and adopt to proceed your items priced low, or perhaps you sell through consignment or other retailer, again these are the lowest prices you should take in exchange for your work.
"Retail pricing is a personal choice."
Some recommend multiplying wholesale past two or iii for a retail value, while others feel these numbers are too high. A quick personal story on pricing for the weary. When I first started on Etsy I wasn't getting sales, and so I lowered my sock monkey sculpture ($30 value) to $0.99 and it sold. After doing the math I realize that I paid to heir-apparent to adopt my sculpture and not the other way around. So I gingerly raised my numbers to wholesale. Well guess what, they sold! Prior to the holiday shopping season I boldly raised my prices to retail thinking there was no style, and yous know what, I don't think my sales volume dropped at all.
When a heir-apparent recognizes a piece of handmade art for what information technology is, they should be willing to pay what information technology ís worth. In doing so I was able to work less, (sell less) and brand the same turn a profit. This extra free time can so be devoted to generating qualified traffic and building backlinks to my store, a topic Katie covers quite nicely in her Build Your Brand series.
Read Etsy'southward advice on pricing your handmade item(s) here.
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A note from Leah: I ran into Katie from KatersAcres soon after opening my Etsy shop. Katie has been a role model and inspiration in both her mannerism, willingness to aid out a fellow PC sculptor, and with the great information found on her blog. I am honored to have an opportunity to share some of what Iíve learned with the fans and followers of this blog.
This post was brought to you by Leah from MagicbyLeah. You tin visit Leah on her website MagicByLeah.com
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Source: https://katersacres.com/buildyourbrand/pricing-handmade/
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