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Extensive research has been done on the internet and visiting boutiques to get a good picture of what is being charged for custom designed and handcrafted jewelry. I create mostly one-of-a-kind but they are generally uncomplicated designs which I believe are appealing to most buyers. I use the KISS method taught to me by my mother “Keep It Simple Stupid”! LOL! Of course she never called me stupid! My mother’s point was that there was elegance and beauty in simplicity, just look at most of natures creations!
I have seen some awesome designed pieces that are very unique when you look at the type of beads combined, other materials incorporated into the piece, and the construction method. Although the stated price for these other designers work is out of the average persons range of affordability. And I am all about keeping it simple so a broader range of customers can enjoy the pieces I have designed and constructed.
I do not have e-commerce set up at this time, I am just starting my “on-line seller” journey. There are so many suppliers of software and marketing services out there on the internet with price ranges that would shock any newcomer to the on-line selling scene. Finding the right fit for my product and service is at times overwhelming!
The Queen Teacher Bee has this information to share; If you are interested with understanding more about what affects pricing the best rule of thumb is to remember these considerations:
One-of-a-kind
One-of-a-kind means exactly that. There is no other jewelry piece like it, not even a copy by the same designer. It is much more difficult to sell one-of-a-kind items. Because they are very expensive to produce, the artist must charge a high ticket price to recover their costs. The high cost of one-of-a-kind products stems not only from the cost of materials used (because its hard to justify the purchasing of bulk materials when you are only making one item from it), but also the cost of the designing time involved. The time spent in creating an item makes up the majority of the cost in producing it. The time necessary for planning, experimentation and the development of an idea are all part of the designing costs.
Limited Editions
People like one-of-a-kind objects but many cannot afford the prices charged for most of these pieces, thus buying limited numbered editions is the next best thing. The same formula as in producing in quantity (what is termed as a Production piece) is used except that the designing costs are only divided by the limited number of items made with that design.
Production Items
For a production item, the designing cost can be spread over a number of pieces keeping the per-item cost lower. And because they are producing in quantity (in an assembly line style) the labor is also lower cutting construction time down. So you see the total cost of a production item design produced 50 times is now much lower...a price which a larger market can absorb.
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