Prices for finished quilts ...
 

My sister-in-law has invited me to meet with her and a friend. Her friend is opening up a small store in an antique district in Portland, Oregon. They both think they would like to have my quilts in the store. I have an email prepared for Mindy with pictures of some of my recent quilts. I have a HUGE stack of quilts without homes that are just sitting in a closet - I might as well sell them so I can make more. I don't have any records of how much I have spent - the only costs I have would be for the long arm quilting on most of them. I have my own long arm now so I don't have to pay someone else for that part anymore. I saw an article someplace with a formula (of sorts) and can't find it. Mindy will want 20% for selling the quilts. I don't even know where to begin for pricing quilts. HELP!!!

All I can say is, you are very lucky she only wants 20% commission. That is quite low. Pick out a few that you are not attached to and see how they do. If they sell quickly, maybe your price is too low.

Only you can say what a fair price would be. Look at it this way - if someone gave you $1000 you would be ecstatic. If you found out one sold for $5 you would be miserable. Keep working in from both ends.

Start with the cost of the quilting. Add $100 for fabric & thread. Add another $100 for your labor. Total and add another 20% of that. Now stand back and consider if you have priced your labor and fabric too low. Have another go at it. People mostly buy because they can't make it themselves. You are selling your talent. I would start with a higher price, and then come down if it looks like they're priced too high. With this information, you can put a ''sale'' tag on top of the original price tag. How 'bout this formula?

I spend much more than $100 for fabric, batting and thread on my quilts, and my labor is sure worth more than $100.

What do you do if your quilts are already labeled?

Aren't paintings and art work in general, signed? I would see a label as a necessity.

I found an article by Cindy Roth of Longarm University (longarmuniversity.com) for pricing a commission quilt. It seems high for my area, but it provides a starting point.
Even though you have your own long arm quilter now, you should think about the cost of the machine.
Good luck!

. Exactly my point...to start with figures and step back to evaluate. It then becomes a more realistic view of what your project is worth to you or to someone else...I did not mention batting cost because many LArm quilters prefer to use their favorite and it becomes part of your contracted cost.

I would start with the replacement cost of the fabric, batting, and thread at full retail value.

Check out the quilts on Etsy, find some similar to yours and see what their prices are. At least you'll get a very general idea of what others are asking (key word is asking). The price range on Etsy goes from sublime to ridiculous. :)
http://www.etsy.com/listing-category...elevant&page=0

Some people triple the cost of materials, but that doesn't take the complexity of the design or techniques used into consideration at all. That may be the 'formula' you were thinking of.

As an aside, I hope your SIL is charging a more realistic commission percentage to non-relative consignment sellers. You are getting a VERY good deal at 20%.