Would you buy this? Please reply.
 

Would you buy this? If so, how much would you be willing to pay? I'm starting up a small business run from my craft room & am having a difficult time pricing my work... I can provide more info, such as size, if needed.
Please help me.

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Very cute! Can't help you as I have no grandies or little ones to give me experience with toys. Good luck in your venture

I agree, very cute. People never want to pay what things are worth in time and materials. I have long since given up that idea. I started in '80 with a small craft business in California - did a few shows and sold enough to break even.I did have a lady stand right there in front of me and take apart a cute little basket pincushion and then stuff it all back together and say "just wanted to see how you did it so I could make some myself". I would probably price the cute animal at about $28. Something about $30 says too much. Price one - if it sells fast - too cheap. If it doesn't sell - put it on sale. Then decide if you really want to do it. The eyes concern me as a potential law suit. It's amazing that the smaller neighbor child of the girl who gets this can pull the eyes off - choke on one of them and you get sued. I see the longarm in the backround. How about making some table runners from scraps, some baby quilts using the 3 for 1 method and elimate the risk and all the time involved in the cute animals? A pile of xmas or regular table runners at a fall craft show might prove to be a better money maker - less storage and transportation problems, less risk. If you are going to make quilted items and have to buy fabrics - consider taking a look at Marshalls Dry Goods. One of my favorite websites. Good luck.

My SIL does craft shows and such. She does things that take little time but look like they are complicated. Your little guy is so CUTE...............but he looks like he takes some time to do. :) So the second question for you would be, is he cost/time effective to make you some money. :)

As far as the safety eyes are concerned, I could choose to embroider eyes on instead. And as of yet, people seem MUCH more interested in buying stuffed animals or plushies than quilts or table runners.


I've been trying to sell quilts for approx 4 years and have only sold 3 baby quilts and one full-size quilt. I've been sewing stuffed creations for approx 2 years, and have had dozens of people want to buy them, but I didn't have a price.

I think it's adorable and would buy it if my grandaughter was with me and wanted one. IF it was washable, the eye were sewn on and the nose centered, (in the pic one side of the nose has a pink gap) For craft selling all the details have to be almost perfect. Check with small independent shops and ask if you can set up a display and sell on commission. I see a lot of craft items for sale at nail salons, beauty shops, tanning, etc.

Do you have the pattern? The price of the material called for, time it took to make it and don't forget the stuffing and the thread. Always keep track of your receipts and make a copy of the receipts since many receipts are on thermal paper and they fade. This will help if you ever get audited. Make a menu/chart for your records and for each project and size and what you will charge each item such as sm, med., large., etc. Good Luck!

Here in Corpus Christi, we have a shop called Cody's Collectible's. A booth space is rented depending on size needed. I believe you pay so much a month and sit in the shop for a couple hours a week and that is a deduction toward the space or they collect a percentage of the sales. I would check to see if there is something like that in your area. Crafts and antiques are sold there. You could also see what they're charging for their crafts and just check the details of the crafts.

It's very cute and I wish you luck in your new endeavor, I wouldn't buy it because I have no young children at home, and my granddaughter is 20. They say how to price your work is, 3 times the amount that you spend on the supplies, including thread.

That is something I would certainly buy for a little one.

I love his tail!!!! you should go price other people selling similar things first. I was thinking no less than $25.00, perhaps $35.00. I bought a lovely purple doll for about that and didn't consider it too much.

this one was made for a friend's toddler, not for sale. It was also the 1st one I made, so the next one's details would be more thought out.

these eyes aren't sewn on like buttons, as those pose a choking hazard. These are safety doll eyes that are stabilized on the inside of the face.

I think it is super cute (especially the tail) but I wouldn't buy a plushie that large. They take up too much room and, unless very well made, their heads tend to be too heavy for their necks over time, particularly after washing.

I do love it though. I hope you find a way to make some money from your skill.

I think he's absolutely adorable! The eyes and tail got my attention right away (although I have to admit, I did wonder if the eyes were a safety hazard). If you're comfortable with them, I'd be sure and note that they're attached in a safety-conscious way.

I also had the thought that a colorful collar of some kind around his neck would be cute, and might set him apart from other stuffed creations. I guess this would have to be sewn so it couldn't come off and be a hazard.

Here's my only advice on pricing. If you set the price too low, it cheapens the item. I'd tend to go a bit higher than you think you should and see what happens. You can always enact a sale price if they don't sell at that price.

Really cute!
Your pricing is going to be very much dependent on location and type of venue. What would sell like hot cakes at $40 - $50 in one spot might not sell at all no matter the price in another and be considered overpriced at $30 in a third.
So check out possible venues and how well other items are moving and at what price. Sometimes you can only actually sell it if you are there in person to talk to potential customers. Other times people will see it and fall in love with it whether anyone is there or not.
You might check out hospital gift shops as a potential venue. I don't know how they get their vendors, but I know at one time my friend was wholesaling her candles to several in the greater Austin/San Antonio area.

Good luck!

2 things to consider as well. What is your cost in materials. What is you time worth.
(You will never make a living selling what you make alone, because you can't make enough, fast enough.) Another consideration is what part of the country are you selling in (I see you live in California.) Are you targeting everyone or a specific age group. If it's washable and over 18 inches (not including the tail) I'd put it at $45.
But remember to have fun!!!!
MaryKatherine

You must go to www.etsy.com and check under softies. You will have many to compare on all aspects. YOURS is GREAT!! go for it! Also think of a tag with a character name & story. Give each one a personality.

Hi! This is 'Grape Nut".He lives in my back yard & is always eating my grapes, just as I am ready to pick them for jelly!
He trys to say it was Freddy Fox, but as you can see his hands & feet are stained with grape juice!! Evidence!!
He can be your for $28.00, but please be very careful if you grow grapes!!

I would buy it! Make them up in all colors. Is there a pattern or is this yours?

This is one cute critter! I would embroider the eyes for safety and go for it. There are several good suggestions here for where to market your animals. Pricing? I really don't know as this is not something I would be shopping for. However, if you try to place them in some specialty shops you might try asking the shop owners for an opinion.

One other thought - you said you hadn't been successful with selling baby quilts, etc. I wouldn't suggest it as a "package" deal, but what if you had that toy on display at whatever price you decide and ALSO had a toddler-size quilt, priced separately, that kind of matched it.

Let us know how and what you do.

The attached eyes do come off. All it takes is one determined toddler. LOL. I wouldn't take the chance when selling them unless you had a label warning attached.

No I wouldn't because I just don't care for stuffed animals unless they are made in their natural colors. Your sewing looks great though so I'm sure you'd find buyers. Good luck to you!

My son used to go to anime festivals. The attendees bought all sorts of plush items. Fleece hats with ears stuffed critters etc. you might want to see if there is such an event near you that you could set up at. A variety of hats might be a little quicker and more cost effective.

Obviously he has quite personality I love your color combination and the tail puts him as remarkable! You have gotten some good information and advice here. I wish you luck in your endeavors and if nothing else try marketing your pattern. Give your consumers a choice ready made or grandma made and definitely the suggestion of a story is great.

I love the color of eyes you used, however, there are certain warnings that have to be on a label and tag, stating that is not for children or children of a certain age. If you change to sewing eyes on it, it would be better. You may want to google selling stuffed animals for child use....and see if there is any information you need to be aware of. We live in a litigious society these days, which is unfortunate. Love your Fox and I like that the mouth is off center, gives him character. I would ask $24 - $30.

Very cute, but lose the button eyes - you can't afford to take a chance with kids who would pull them off,so appliqué or embroidery would be a better way to go. I would probably pay $25, but I also know how much a time a stuff animal teems and that's not going to be profitable in the long run. I would imagine many of us on this board are looking at it saying " I could make that, not pay for it", so perhaps we aren't a good focus group. I agree with the person who suggested using the longarm might be profitable than stuffed animals. And don't call it a " craft room", as in " I'm running a business from my craft room." Call it a " design studio". Even doing nothing else different, the perception of things that come from a design studio is higher than things that come from a craft room, and you can charge accordingly!

I used to and still do on occasion make Bunny Rabbit families (they are 3 feet tall with facial features, arms & legs that move, and impeccably dressed in their vintage style clothing. the younger children were impeccably dressed-as I made them according to how many were in the family. IF there was a new baby I made a baby rabbit dressed acordingly with a quilt.) .. I charged what I thought was a fair price for time and workmanship. My Aunt in law decided it was too much and the workmanship was low grade. WHAT ?? Needless to say I didn't get the monies I was asking for .. So I am not the one to ask about, as I have never sold a thing since .. LOL

No. My daughter received several such crafty gifts as a child, never liked them and they were always donated. You did a great job making it, though.

It is adorable...It is true people never want to pay what it is worth but I think if you marketed at craft shows you might do OK..Good Luck..

I think you take your material costs. multiply by three and add what you want in labor

I sell "my little ponies" at anime conventions for $65. It is what my time is worth, because I hand-embroider the eyes and cutie marks. DO remember the cost of your time. I give myself $10/hour. Just went to a lecture on craft selling which was very helpful. Some of the biggies are to make specialty items for specific venues, package like a gift with a printed story for animal figures, have an obvious logo and contact information on a card with the item for future orders.

adorable! Not good at pricing things as I usually feel guilty charging.

I would say no more than 25.00. I did craft show for over 20 years. So if you don't want to get stuck stay in a safe range. Start at 25.00 if doesn't sell drop down. Good Luck!!!

Gets my four year olds stamp of approval

I may be the grouch here, but I use to "craft" and quit because the stuff coming in from foreign places was cheaper than the materials I was using. I gave up as I seldom sold "because I can get it at XYZ much cheaper". Now I only sew for my family and friends......

That is so cute,best to work out the cost of materials and your time and add some profit percent -- always difficult. Make sure if it is your own design to protect the pattern too. x

Love that tail!

I agree too. Maybe you could use it for your business identity, and produce these baby quilts (or ten minute block quilts?) to make money. This one is perfect, give it a name, and away you go. If you ask, someone here may know where to find actual guides to realistic pricing of hand made items. I wish you success!

you could also make eyes from circles of fleece and stitch 'x' across...

I just got an email from a site called "Daily Grommet" and someone was selling a toy almost exactly like yours for $98! Just thought you might want to to know that information. Of course, I don't know whether they were selling or not.....