Selling Boutique Items at our Guild Show - prices to ask?
 

I'm in the process of making a few items for our guild's show's boutique and I am still not sure what to charge. Forty percent of the price is given to the guild's guest speaker fund and 60% goes back to the maker. I do not mind giving the sale money to the guild since we need it but I don't want to lose on the material costs either.

I'm finding it hard to estimate what crafters/quilters will possibly be willing to pay for an item. If the item is priced too high it won't sell. If it is priced too low, with the cost of fabric lately, I won't be able to recoup the materials cost.

I am making snap bags, tissue holders, needlecases, children's summer hats, a few purses and totes and a few mug rugs made to match a coffee mug which will be packaged together and sold as a gift set .

*What are some of the prices that you have seen on boutique items?

Any other suggestions for other boutique items?

You might check pricing on similar items in a nice boutique either locally or a nearby city to get a general idea. I know different areas have different price points for the same item.

You never know what will sell at shows. I price by thinking what would I pay for it if I saw it at a sale table. If the items are trendy to catch the younger folks eye who come with the moms to the shows it sells fast. Big oversize bags made from bold prints were a hit at our last show. We sold them $45 - $65 each. Snap bags were a big seller made from character prints. We sold them $6 - $8 each.

How about having the maker suggest the price? It might vary but then they wont be complaining to you about your pricing. And I predict this will happen no matter what you do.

What you are doing is a "consignment shop". People all have varying ideas of what their items should be sold for.

our guild has some pretty (stringent) rules concerning these... we have a boutique at the annual quilt show---we are told the price range for different items so it is fair to everyone- you may want to check with a couple members who have participated in the past & see what the 'norm' is...you don't want to price your items way above or way below what the other members are charging.

She is the maker and she is asking how to price.

Decide how much your supplies cost, how much margin you need to make and then add 40% for the speaker fee.

If you spent $10 on an item, and you want to double that-------$20, then add $8 (40%) Adjust as to how much you feel you need to profit.

The "standard" is 3X the cost of materials, but I have a hard time pricing my purses that high. If I cover the cost of materials and a few $ more I'm OK with that. Mostly I make things because I enjoy the making process.

As a consumer, I am going to pay more for the mug rugs, purses and totes. The children's hats will probably sell well too. The tissue holders and snap bags will be a harder sell. I would set out a snap bag filled with something you might keep in it so people can envision a purpose and I would have the tissue holders filled with tissues. Good luck with your sales.

I won't sell anything too cheap - those who don't sew/craft have no idea of the cost or the work involved! I have overheard people at our sales comment on how they come there to buy because everything is so cheap and they can't purchase a gift elsewhere that cheaply.