Thread: Etsy - how do they do it?

Thanks Jan for posting the real value of making a quilt. Going to save it and print it. Perhaps even frame a copy for my wall. A copy will go to my DD who has made several commission T-shirt quilts. Eye opening to be sure.

well, I have sold many quilts, mostly through consignment shops, for prices I am happy with. Now I am through with consignment (whole nother story) and just trying to reduce my inventory to gain more space. So yes, the prices are insane in my Etsy shop right now. Would I do a special order for a similar quilt at those prices? HECK NO.

So the low prices you see might be other people clearing out "slow movers". I have seen some very pricey quilts on Etsy, like $2700 for one 20" x 30".

I have found that folks price such things based on what they themselves are willing to pay for it.

On the same topic regarding pricing but not quilt related I for years worked in direct sales and I was always amazed at gals that sold the product with additional discounts when the company already gave great discounts to begin with so there was no need for us as sales reps to give yet another discount. They were seriously cutting into their own profit.

Its no different with quilts. Folks will charge only what they themselves are willing to pay for that same item if they purchased it while others who understand making a profit will charge as high as 8-10 times more the cost of fabrics, threads, labor they had in creating it. These folks pay themselves what they feel they are worth and having made this item.

Personally I only make such to donate to charities, needed, and family members. If I were to be commissioned to create any project it would be based on what I feel I am worth for having created such a project which would include cost of all materials, ie, fabric, thread, time making it, designing it and such and than add a certain percentage over that total to make a profit for all my hard work and dedication to the project.

I also sell on consignment 60/40 split. I love the challenge and fun of creating and I am usually looking for replacement costs to fund more quilts. For me it is a lot like being a painter or photographer who is satisfying the need to create regardless of the monetary returns. I do, however, get an appraisal which goes with the quilt so the new owner has an idea as to how much the quilt is really worth. Appraisals on my quilts range from $900 to $1250 and no one is willing to pay that amount! I no longer donate to charities because the quilts were always diverted along the way. I would give a small wall hanging as a door prize for example and it would never be given out. Our guild guidelines even say that members can take fabric etc. from the charity table as long as it is replaced with a quilt or other fabric. The LQS fabric is taken and replaced with WalMart fabric! Since I make them I decide what to do with them especially since my children have said they have enough (and use them to cover the furniture to protect it from the pets). Life and people sure are interesting!!

I really don't know! I have one queen sized quilt (a bargello, but it's not twisty, just a 2-width one) that I'm selling for $600, and I feel priced out of the market. It took me about 60 hours of actual sewing, plus probably 6 hours choosing fabric (there are 29 in it!), plus probably another 2-3 planning it all out and cutting and ordering the fabrics. All in all, I guess it's closer to 75 hours (I did not hand-quilt it, just quilted along the diagonals with my little Singer). But, it's done with 3/8" seams for durability, and all the corner seams (on every block) is back-stitched. I made it to last! I got materials on sale for about $115, but non-sale market value for them was about $230. So, paying myself $20 an hour plus the materials cost (not counting machine depreciation, etc.) puts the price at about $1750!

But no one would buy it for that much, so I'm trying to sell it for $600 (which, after actual materials costs, pays about $6.50 an hour, not even minimum wage!). And that's more than many other people sell theirs for.

I don't want to be rude, but people that sell quilts at cost because they want to are kind of ruining the market for the rest of us So instead of just selling quilts, I've moved on to selling smaller quilted items that pay me a decent hourly wage but don't knock people off their feet with the price. For instance: $20 for potholders, ~$70 for a large table runner, $45 for a set of 4 placemats, etc. I will not drop the price on that quilt. I'd rather have paid $115 for it and love it like it should be loved!