You want fries with that? The BIG reason why you should raise your prices!

[MaryPowDesigns]

You may have heard on the news that fast food workers are protesting for higher wages. People are organizing sit-ins and marches in the "Fight for 15" in more than 150 cities across the U.S. Yes, fast food workers are asking for a minimum wage of $15.00 an hour!

Crafters, artists, and artisans are skilled, creative people! You have skills that other people don't have - that's why they're in your shop!

You do more than ask, "You want fries with that?"

So... what are you paying yourself?

Let's discuss! What you think of the minimum wage increases happening across the nation? How does the minimum wage affect how you price your creations? Will you - or have you - raised your prices as the minimum wage increases?

[Former_Member]

If the minimum wage at the fast food restaurants in my small town was raised to $15/hour, everyone would quit their construction/logging jobs and go work at McDonald's and Burger King.

[Former_Member]

Wow! $15 is way above the minimum wage in the UK which is around $10.30, so I do my calculations on £6.00 (approx $10).
In my other job (tutoring) I charge £26 / $42 per hour - but I'd much rather work on my Etsy shop!

It's very true though that we, and the buying public, seriously underestimate the monetary value of crafting skills.

[heartsabustin]

I'm charging $20 an hour for my stuff, or trying to. If they raise minimum wage, yeah, I'll probably raise mine. But $15 an hour for minimum wage is crazy, and if anyone thinks that's going to fix things - well, it won't.

[MaryPowDesigns]

I know, $15/hr for fast food work seems high to me, too! And I'm in a city!

But it begs the question, shouldn't we put a higher value on our skilled creative work and price our items accordingly?

[Former_Member]

Good question Mary.

[heartsabustin]

Right now, since I'm still new at the metalworking, not so much. My sewing, I have no problem charging for that, because I've 16 years experience doing that. As I get better with the metalwork, I'll charge a bit more for my time.

[MariasWorkshop]

What Erin says.

I have a huge problem pricing my items. Sometimes I pay myself less than $5.00/hour. I try not to repeat a design and sometimes in the thinking, figuring out, testing process, I spent a long, long time and I cannot bring myself to add that time to my final price because I consider that somebody more experienced than myself could have done in in half the time. And I am not really counting the time I spent selecting, buying and storing my supplies, etc. I am really stuck.

This OP has given me a lot to think about. I may apply at McDonald's. Ha! NOT - I love what I do.

[starlightattic]

If I charged more than $5 an hour no one would buy my stuff LOL

[maydaylabels]

Our wages aren't determined by some arbitrary number we think our work is worth; they're determined by the combination of the price the market will bear and the degree to which our operation is efficient. I have no idea how much we make per hour. We will pay our employees (once we find one or two) more than a living wage, though - because (ideally) working for us won't be entry-level work from which employees will move on, but a long term career/partnership.

Wages are for the most part a direct result of market forces. If there were fewer people out of work, and less cheap labor available, the minimum wage would not be enough to retain employees and wages would rise - but right now there's a lot of cheap labor (here and abroad). If cheap labor is what your business is looking for, I'm sure you can find it - but not all businesses are looking for the person they can pay the absolute least :)

[kickglassenamels]

I try to make at least $20/hr, but it depends on what I am doing. Jewelry, I easily clear far more than that, but that's a really saturated market. People simply won't pay jewelry prices for cabinet knobs, which is most of what I end up selling. So I try to at least get $20. I studied my craft, I've honed my skills for years and I have a studio area in my house. Why wouldn't I charge?

When min wage goes up, which it needs to, some other prices will rise as well. I think artists need to keep pace with inflation. Otherwise, we are moving backwards.

[BlackCatStudio98]

I think minimum wage needs to be increased, but if it goes up to $15/hr I will expect my order to be right more than 50% of the time and friendlier service.

For the most part I charge $16/hr for labor which is far less than what I make at my day job. I guess that's why I can't quit my day job! No matter how much I want to. :-P

Maria, I'm with you. I make and sell multiples of most of my items, but if I didn't my prices would need to be higher because of the time spent figuring out how best to make something and then the trial and error that follows. But I end up pricing for the time it would take me to make additional quantities which I can make faster once I have the design figured out. I should probably charge more to cover the time spent figuring out a new design because it's still labor, and if I don't sell more than one I won't be paid for the time I spent on it. But I don't think I would sell anything!

[WithLoveFromLucille]

My prices may seem high to some. But for each piece I sell and make, I know I'm getting my worth and it's definitely more than $15/hour.

As for the fast food workers wanting a raise, I can support that. People who work those jobs are doing jobs that other people don't necessarily want to do.
Even more so, some of those people need that income to raise a family.
The federal minimum wage requirement is $7.25 or something low like that. Even if fast food worker was paid $10/hr, that's only $20,800/year before taxes. Can you imagine being a single parent trying to raise a child on less than $20,000 a year? They're in poverty. They need government assistance.
It's an extremely flawed system, but I think at the very least, minimum wage should be able to buy any human a decent quality of life. We all have the same basic needs of food, water and shelter...that should just be affordable.
I guess the way I see it is that if you're good at your job, you should be able to make living wages off of it, no matter the job.

[Former_Member]

Not sure how things in the UK compare. I pay my self or try to pay myself £6.00 and hour but when i look at my finished item and see what others are charging i think why would woulld someone pay me this much when they can get it for so much less.
The truth of the matter is ( for here in the UK anyway) that a lot of people craft under the radar ( meaning with out being tax registered, insured or certified) they charge the absolute minimum to get a sale which really undermines those like my self who put phenominal hours researching and testing to make sure everything is legal and above board.

[PrairiePrimitives]

I've seen the protests on TV, and they're happening here in Sacramento too. Some cities (San Francisco for one) have higher minimum wages; of course it costs well above average to live there, and that may mean sharing an apartment with several people!

As for my salary as a craftswoman, back in the 1980s, I was able to charge $20 per hour labor for my woven baskets. In fact, my supplies were soooo minimal, that I usually just set the price of the basket based on my labor! At any rate, that "formula" worked well!

These days, I can get that much ... and sometimes more ... on my smaller items that I can make by the dozen. For my larger items (i.e., my primitive dolls), I get about $10 to $15 per hour, but these are mostly priced based on what I think I can get, rather than any sort of formula.

I am looking for a day job and it's a GREAT day when I see a job posting offering $15 per hour. I am an experienced administrative assistant and word processor and type 88 wpm, so I do have good skills, but the job market is still too tight here.

I believe in a "living wage" based on where one lives. One size doesn't fit all. I do ok when I'm earning $16 per hour at a day job, but another dollar an hour can make a big difference!

[MaryPowDesigns]

I've been away all weekend, unplugged and screen-free. But, I've really enjoyed reading everyone's responses this morning.

I do truly hope that all craftspeople/artists feel that they can pay themselves a living wage. Don't judge your prices based on what you would be able to pay for your items. There's a huge market out there and you can reach for the higher level if your craft demands it! Don't short-change yourself because you are afraid of what people might think about your prices. I know I've gone back and forth on prices, but have decided (for the most part) I'm going to swallow my fears and price my items in such a way that I can keep doing what I love.

I look forward to reading more about your thoughts on minimum wage.

[RobsRustics]

As a business owner I value my time between $40-$60 an hour.

I recently left a full time job with a salary that paid roughly $30 an hour plus benefits. I know that in running my own business I assume the risk, in order for me to take that risk, I need to have the possibility for a proportionate reward.

[Former_Member]

I charge a measly fee for what I do. I could definitely charge more than the wine and cookies I am currently paying myself, but I feel like my items would sit "on the shelves" so to speak. Maybe I'll try it for the holiday season and see how that goes.

But to the topic at hand, $15 an hour is really high I think.

[Former_Member]

Whoa! $15/hr? My DH finally makes that with a commercial driver's license, multiple certifications in his field, and a Bachelor's degree, 4 years after college. I can't imagine making that for a fast food or cashier or whatever job.

If it actually happens (which I doubt), I wonder what it would do to all those jobs that are more than minimum wage. How would they afford to pay their workers?


I pay myself about $10/hr. I find that fair honestly. Since my "business vision" is offering quality items at an affordable price, I can't pay myself much more than that and keep that my business model.

[MoonthrallTarot]

I make $15 per massage hour as a therapist, so this demand dumped on my already cynical view of this place. Granted the pay at chains sucks. But if the $15 minimum wage spreads, these places need to take a serious look at what we're being paid, too. Thinking of expanding my practice to mobile and perhaps an office close by.

For my shop, I've increased prices a little on some items. Pieces made in nicer yarns like silks are more. I brought tarot readings up a few dollars. This was after a couple years of considering client feedback. And thinking my stuff was pretty awesome and should bring in a little extra $$$!

It's pretty much supply money, business cards, etc. Once in a while I'll buy a little something for myself. But it's definitely not any sort of wage. Not until I set up my own gypsy wagon and start doing readings in person.

If burger joints start paying workers that amount, they might as well turn them into gourmet burger joints. They already exist- Zinburger for one. McD's and BK will need to change their target population because no one is going to pay $17 for a Whopper.

[Former_Member]

I agree with ananemone about how to price my items. I make sure that I get my basic cost back on materials and then look at what the market will bear in terms of price. I make a good profit that I am satisfied with on my smaller booties that I can knit up quickly and probably lose money on my sweaters which take a long time to complete. But I wouldn't sell anything if I charged $15 per hour for my labor - a sweater would probably cost $500 or more. I am not trying to support myself on my Etsy shop sales and really love what I do so there is more to my pricing decision for my shop than simply profit. I know this doesn't apply to everyone though