You have a lot of good point here.
I kind of price guide for my quilts you mentioned and it does help when you can tell someone they can pick out two or three design for a certain price. When I had a shop that is basically how priced my quilts.
I knew a couple who made and sold quilts a craft fairs. They liked the type of quilts I made and bought quilt tops from me and finished them. The man would want to buy one and the woman would start figuring our how much they would have to sell them for at the craft fair. She didn't think any machine quilted quilt would sell over the price of $248.00. I saw some of my quilt tops that they bought from me selling in a store in Branson, MO for over $500.00. i decided, why not finish them myself and get $500.00.
I was looking on Etsy last night and couldn't believe some of the prices they want for some very small quilts. Don't if they are selling or not. Highest priced one is $12,000.00!
Originally Posted by salmonsweet
Regarding complexity, I'm thinking you could always have a price guide with some photos of "simple" and "complex" quilts to give people an idea of base prices, and charge extra if you make a design specifically for someone.
I'd imagine that it will be good if you can end up offering each customer a fixed price for their quilt once you've agred the details of what you will make. After a bit of practice and timekeeping, you'll have a pretty good idea of how long your work will take (and get a feel for your customers and how much they are willing and able to pay...), so you'll be able to do fixed prices.
I've never sold quilts (yet... :) ), but have been self-employed for years. I've found that clients respond much more favorably to fixed prices than per-hour fees and estimates. So do I when I'm ordering something! I like it. I know beforehand how much I'll have to pay, it feels reliable and solid.