Pricing for custom creatures!

[Former_Member]

I have been having a hard time figuring out pricing for custom plush creatures.... this means I turn YOUR idea/drawing into a plushie. It can be a kid drawing, business logo, etc.
Right now, my prices are as follows:
$40 for Small 10" plush
$50 for Medium 20" plush
$60 for Large 30" plush

The price includes materials, time spent finding said materials, having a convo back-and-forth with progress pictures, and of course sewing/pattern drafting time.
I offer a discount on any subsequent/ bulk orders of the SAME thing because I already have the material shopping done and pattern drafted.

I love making plushies, but when all is said and done I'm spending at LEAST 4 hours doing all of the shopping, sewing, and contacting. So, that means $40 = $10/hr minus materials. :P Obviously not enough. I've slowly been raising prices as I go, but am trying to figure out of people would really pay double the prices.

I just don't know.... it's very hard to convey to the buyer (and most likely someone who doesn't sew) how much effort really goes into a little custom plush.
Most "pro" custom plush places require a $250 prototype fee AND a very large order of 1000 units or something like that. I'm trying to help out buyers who only want ONE or a few of something.

[wildwomanbeads]

Yikers. How do you convey to a buyer what goes into making what they want? I'm a jewelry designer and have had to re-size 4 bracelets this summer, all at my cost, for women with very small wrists. I don't mind doing it, part of the job, but it is hard to explain how much time it takes and why I can't do it for free or I lose all profit on a piece I've labored over.

I'm just thinking this through too. Maybe a note in our policies? I might try that and see if it gets through.

I do encourage you to have a set fee for custom order changes. If it works best to have a set fee per size of the item, do that. Make sure you're holding onto your profit as you take on custom work...OR make the choice not to take on custom work. Both are options.

I'll follow this thread to see what others have to say. I could use the advice as well as you!

[Former_Member]

Exactly, Meredith.... how to convey? I'm not a jewelry maker, so I have no idea what kind of work goes into some of your pieces. Just as I'm sure non-seamstresses have NO idea what goes into my pieces. And that is who is buying from us because they obviously don't know how to do our crafts or they wouldn't be buying from us!
In the end, I'm making money on my custom plush... but not a ton. Really no profit margin, just an hourly rate. My custom stuff has been really popular, but maybe it's time to back off and just have my own pre-made creatures (I have a few in my shop already and would like to ad more).
Sad....

[Former_Member]

Maybe I'll say in my announcement that I take custom orders (and leave the request custom button on my site), but I won't make specific listings. That way, people will have to convo me and I can quote on a case-by-case basis.

[Former_Member]

I thought $40 for a small plushie was high at first glance, but I was mentally comparing it to the price of the mass produced plushies in a store. You're right that a lot of work goes into making a custom piece, and a quality handmade item should cost more. After I thought about it for a second, your prices seem way too low- especially for the large plush. I vote that you definitely raise them. If you don't feel you can double your prices, you could raise the price proportionally to the size of the plushie.

Maybe you could explain how much care and attention (and work) you will be devoting to their special order in the description to help your customers understand that they're paying for the whole process, not just for the finished product?

[Former_Member]

Thanks for the feedback Barbara! I always use the highest quality materials... and many of these materials are very specific to the plush, so I don't just have yards of it lying around. It requires a special trip to the store (or stores), or ordering.
I did add into my listings that each plush takes a MINIMUM of 4 hours from concept to final product. Trying to turn a 2D drawing that someone else did into a 3D item has it's challenges... and often requires a prototype to make adjustments on. And some people are very particular. :P I had about 40 convos back-and-forth with a recent order. They were very happy in the end, but still.
Should I just remove the listings, but leave the "custom request" button on my shop?

[Former_Member]

I have a Facebook page, but I wish Etsy had a place to put a "portfolio" of past work. Most of my "sold" orders don't have an image of the plush because I haven't made it yet and require payment up front... so there's no way to see past plushies. That's kind of the reason I made listings.

[AnneLondezGlass]

I think it's very difficult to compete with mass market on their own ground so you should find a way of making your handmade plushies high end, find a different niche, for example with specific marketing arguments ( natural materials, custom made...) and raise your hour rate. Otherwise you won't be able to keep doing them.