I had a few clockwork style pendants with me but the price was a deterrent for most. :-)
I did sell out of all of my flawed ones that were priced at $20 because of mistakes in them. People generally said they didn't see what mistakes I was talking about...
Wow, how and from what are you making those things that the bad ones cost a freaking $20?
Labor is a very significant expense in jewlery making. Material cost is almost meaningless until you're hitting silver and gold.
I had a few clockwork style pendants with me but the price was a deterrent for most. :-)
I did sell out of all of my flawed ones that were priced at $20 because of mistakes in them. People generally said they didn't see what mistakes I was talking about...
Wow, how and from what are you making those things that the bad ones cost a freaking $20?
I saw a "flawed" one. I couldn't tell. If he hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't've known. These things are high quality.
I had a few clockwork style pendants with me but the price was a deterrent for most. :-)
I did sell out of all of my flawed ones that were priced at $20 because of mistakes in them. People generally said they didn't see what mistakes I was talking about...
Wow, how and from what are you making those things that the bad ones cost a freaking $20?
I saw a "flawed" one. I couldn't tell. If he hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't've known. These things are high quality.
Labor is a very significant expense in jewlery making. Material cost is almost meaningless until you're hitting silver and gold.
Labour is often the most significant expense in most of those things. That's why most people do it for fun, so they don't care about time spend, only about covering the material costs with a little bit. So what're they made out of?
I need to list all the stuff I made for con but didn't photograph yet, so that's only a very small sample.
These prices will almost certainly come down now that I've found ways to speed up my process. They HAVE sold at these prices, but not astonishingly well.
That shiz looks huuuuuuuge. Must be quite weighty, unless the stones are plastic, but for that price I highly doubt that. Got some pictures of what you consider to be flawed?
Had almost full houses for ...And It's Live Action, Bluff the Otaku and A Brief History of Dice. Really didn't expect that last one to be popular but now I realize both times I've done history panels they've drawn big. Gotta come up with another full-length history panel -- Dice was only scheduled to be 30 min but there were so many questions we went the full hour. Best question was Scott's: "Numbers or dots?"
Jennifer got someone to fall over laughing at ... And It's Live Action and last year she got Viga to do the same at the Schlock movie panel so getting that reaction is now her goal at every CC. You've been warned.
We were about half-full for Family that Geeks Together -- farewell showing. Jennifer and I will be doing more panels like it in the future but that one is retired.
All my panels seemed to be at the same time as those of other FRC-ers so I didn't get to see anyone else do their thing. I blame Rym. For pretty much everything.
Greg and I had a nice long chat with Emily. Alan and my friend Mosby and I definitely DID NOT play the Japanese Maid version of Dominion. And we will all swear to that fact. Didn't get a chance to have long talks with enough people. I blame Rym.
I went to the Con Feedback panel and my hat is off to Rym and Scott for handling a lot of over-the-top whining so well. The rest of the CC staff we're just too defensive. That said I'd say 90 percent of the legit complaints/concerns I heard were aired in a way that made it sound like the was The Most Insulting Thing That Ever Happened. One guy took that tone about the quality of the badges and I wanted to whack him. I was also glad to hear so much praise given out appropriately. Best line was Scott's, "I'm not a vegan and I can't find anything to eat around here." I blame Rym.
All my panels seemed to be at the same time as those of other FRC-ers so I didn't get to see anyone else do their thing. I blame Rym. For pretty much everything
I scheduled good events opposite one another purposefully in order distribute the attendees and prevent lines. ;^)
All my panels seemed to be at the same time as those of other FRC-ers so I didn't get to see anyone else do their thing. I blame Rym. For pretty much everything
I scheduled good events opposite one another purposefully in order distribute the attendees and prevent lines. ;^)
And what's your excuse for Scott getting two good lines off at one convention?
I went to the Con Feedback panel and my hat is off to Rym and Scott for handling a lot of over-the-top whining so well. The rest of the CC staff we're just too defensive. That said I'd say 90 percent of the legit complaints/concerns I heard were aired in a way that made it sound like the was The Most Insulting Thing That Ever Happened. One guy took that tone about the quality of the badges and I wanted to whack him. I was also glad to hear so much praise given out appropriately. Best line was Scott's, "I'm not a vegan and I can't find anything to eat around here." I blame Rym.
My favorite complaint was someone who vehemently complained at panel ops that we didn't let Viga do more panels. I'm pretty sure she just didn't submit any more panels. Another complained slightly about the lack of Doctor Who panels, but through sheer coincidence no one submitted one this year.
She did submit another, but the content overlapped with two other panelists who were each only doing one panel. I also didn't want to over-work her. ^_~
I heard there was line drama. Maybe you should hire llamas for crowd management next year. No one would give them shit.
Labour is often the most significant expense in most of those things. That's why most people do it for fun, so they don't care about time spend, only about covering the material costs with a little bit.
...Thereby training the marketplace to expect that artisans don't charge for labor in their product pricing. Yes, I am familiar with this pricing scheme, and it pisses me off when people come to expect it. I also think you are very wrong in your judgment that "most" people make handwork for fun and don't care about charging for their time. By that logic anyone who enjoys their job doesn't care about getting a paycheck, which just isn't true. Many people do it for fun AND profit.
As an artist you are allowed to price however you want, and if that means giving free labor, cool. But as a customer, don't EXPECT people to work for free.
Nuri, you're misunderstanding severely. I was given the impression that the situation here was a crafter who spends their time on a hobby making some crafts, pendants in this case. Something which usually is done in a simple and cheap manner, resulting in my surprise as I saw the price for the flawed ones because I extrapolated from that that the good ones were on level with stuff I would find at an actual jeweller. So I kept asking for more information. I was expecting stuff like comics, badges, plushies, t-shirts and such assorted crafts with prices going up to $20-25. Certainly not triple-digit stuff from a non-dealer at a con.
Making the leap towards "Hurf durf blarg trollogic" bullshit is a bit insulting. Not to mention, you seem to be ignoring a large quantity of people making crafts and handiwork. Seriously, the number of people actually out to even just sell some of their stuff is small, and a smaller fraction of that actually seeks to make a profit. I also think that artists are more worried about making a brand name than covering every cost ever, so they can eventually get more commissions.
Yes, you may set whatever fucking price you want, but don't get angry when people get surprised by said prices.
Anyway, obviously the price point on my other stuff was wrong for con. I was mostly focusing on my dice stuff for con, but another seller in the AC had cheaper dice jewelry that a lot of people remarked on at my booth (I think mine was better, natch).
I brought the copper stuff as a sideline, why-not sort of thing, but it drew everyone's attention away from the dice, then disappointed them when they saw the price, so maybe the thing to do is not bring it.
I had a few clockwork style pendants with me but the price was a deterrent for most. :-)
I did sell out of all of my flawed ones that were priced at $20 because of mistakes in them. People generally said they didn't see what mistakes I was talking about...
What was your process with those? There might be a way to pull down your production cost. Or, failing that, just pulling down your profit margin, and making up the difference on volume.
Didn't mean to ignore you Churba, sorry.
I'm going to start blogging about my process soon, but right now it's intensely manual. I cut copper plumbing pipe into thin slices using what I call a clamp cutter because I don't know the real name. :-) It clamps onto the pipe with a cutting wheel and you spin it round while incrementally tightening it until a piece drops off.
Then, I sand the edges with emory paper until it's blunt enough not to be a safety hazard.
Then I drill two pilot holes in the casing for the bail to sit in while I solder it, then I polish the drilled area with a Dremel steel brush bit.
Then I make a bail loop from copper electrical wire, solder it in place, then polish the entire piece again with the Dremel.
Then, I prepare a surface (plastic bowl lid in my case) with rubber cement which both acts as a mold release and plugs gaps preventing resin from leaking out of the pendants while curing. Then I put the cases in the cement, fit a coin into the bottom, add my stones, and pour resin (clear or dyed). Then the pieces sit for 24 hours under a UV light in a plastic bowl that's been upended to contain them to keep out dust and control temperature and humidity a bit.
Then I pour a second and third layer if appropriate in the same way, 24 hours each time, then I coat the tops in resin sealant spray and cure THAT for 24 hours under the light.
Most of the "build" time is curing, but the rest is still a lot of work.
One thing that would help is jewelry tumbler so that I can automate the sanding/polishing steps.
I'm always kinda weirded out when I do well at a convention. Perhaps that's just a reflection of my poor self confidence.
Of the three panels I was directly involved in, two were room-filling successes. As I said above, when Wyatt told me that there was a line for overthinking video games, I thought I misheard him at first. Mecha Moments, not to sound arrogant, wasn't a shock. People love that panel. New clips are in the works for next time, whenever that is.
I think the psychology of the smaller panel rooms worked well. It made them feel fuller, and more of a success.
I was intensely confident going in, which is a total anomaly for me. I was severely humbled. That'll teach me to expect good things for once in my life. ;-)
When we did our first PAX panel ever years ago, we saw the huge line outside long before it was scheduled, and Scott said something to the effect of "Ugh, all these people are lined up for the panel before us."
When we realized they were lined up for us... Suffice it to say, I reviewed the slides a few more times before we started.
Also, thanks for the introduction to GroupMe. My wife just got an iPhone a few weeks ago, meaning we each have a smartphone now, and with this app my family (perhaps sadly) talks to each other 10 times more than previously...
Why that? Obvious blemishes on the finished product? Or the use of different materials?
I brought the copper stuff as a sideline, why-not sort of thing, but it drew everyone's attention away from the dice, then disappointed them when they saw the price, so maybe the thing to do is not bring it.
You might be able get some interest if you bring them as "Examples", informing people they can order or what-have-you if they are interested in one of those products. Then just have the other stuff be well-priced/well-pitched to sell that. Then you might sway people to buy your dice stuff over a competitor's even though it's slightly more expensive. Though don't treat your customers as Australia.
Why that? Obvious blemishes on the finished product? Or the use of different materials?
She used a different technique to set the dice that I don't care for, and they were made with leather cord instead of metal chain. I think metal chain makes mine look pretty cool (although I was way overstocked on faux gold due to online sales prior to con and didn't realize it until too late. I need to implement inventory tracking with tagging.)
I also considered marking all the copper down to $20/piece since it sold well even when "damaged" at that price point, but I've already sold to galleries here in CT for $50 as the wholesale price and I didn't want to piss anybody off.
Frankly, at $20 I still make money, it's just a poor return for my labor.
Yes, you may set whatever fucking price you want, but don't get angry when people get surprised by said prices.
I'm not angry when people are surprised. I'm angry when people try to tell a crafter that they shouldn't be charging what they charge because X sells it cheaper. Fine, go buy the cheap schlock or the super deal from the artist who isn't making a reasonable return on his time. Don't tell me I need to be that guy. Just walk away and acknowledge that it's not the artist's fault you are cheap.
I'm not saying you said that. But the mentality that "most people" sell at low prices and don't charge for their time is part of the problem that leads into customers getting indignant with the ones who DO charge for their time.
ETA: When I sold my jewelry I priced for my time and made good sales volume because my stuff was unique and pretty. You have to be able to make a product in enough time that your price is still reasonable for the customer.
I'm working on streamlining my process. I also try really hard to make stuff that doesn't look like anyone else's, with mixed success.
At con I sold some really simple and generic crystal pendants for $10. They were a fairly good seller, mostly because they were cheap. I only made 3 or 4 bucks on each of those, though.
I DID make enough at con to buy my 3 year old a toddler bed, which is not shabby.
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http://suddenlyjewelry.etsy.com
I need to list all the stuff I made for con but didn't photograph yet, so that's only a very small sample.
These prices will almost certainly come down now that I've found ways to speed up my process. They HAVE sold at these prices, but not astonishingly well.
Jennifer got someone to fall over laughing at ... And It's Live Action and last year she got Viga to do the same at the Schlock movie panel so getting that reaction is now her goal at every CC. You've been warned.
We were about half-full for Family that Geeks Together -- farewell showing. Jennifer and I will be doing more panels like it in the future but that one is retired.
All my panels seemed to be at the same time as those of other FRC-ers so I didn't get to see anyone else do their thing. I blame Rym. For pretty much everything.
Greg and I had a nice long chat with Emily. Alan and my friend Mosby and I definitely DID NOT play the Japanese Maid version of Dominion. And we will all swear to that fact. Didn't get a chance to have long talks with enough people. I blame Rym.
I went to the Con Feedback panel and my hat is off to Rym and Scott for handling a lot of over-the-top whining so well. The rest of the CC staff we're just too defensive. That said I'd say 90 percent of the legit complaints/concerns I heard were aired in a way that made it sound like the was The Most Insulting Thing That Ever Happened. One guy took that tone about the quality of the badges and I wanted to whack him. I was also glad to hear so much praise given out appropriately. Best line was Scott's, "I'm not a vegan and I can't find anything to eat around here." I blame Rym.
As an artist you are allowed to price however you want, and if that means giving free labor, cool. But as a customer, don't EXPECT people to work for free.
Making the leap towards "Hurf durf blarg trollogic" bullshit is a bit insulting. Not to mention, you seem to be ignoring a large quantity of people making crafts and handiwork. Seriously, the number of people actually out to even just sell some of their stuff is small, and a smaller fraction of that actually seeks to make a profit. I also think that artists are more worried about making a brand name than covering every cost ever, so they can eventually get more commissions.
Yes, you may set whatever fucking price you want, but don't get angry when people get surprised by said prices.
I brought the copper stuff as a sideline, why-not sort of thing, but it drew everyone's attention away from the dice, then disappointed them when they saw the price, so maybe the thing to do is not bring it.
I'm going to start blogging about my process soon, but right now it's intensely manual. I cut copper plumbing pipe into thin slices using what I call a clamp cutter because I don't know the real name. :-) It clamps onto the pipe with a cutting wheel and you spin it round while incrementally tightening it until a piece drops off.
Then, I sand the edges with emory paper until it's blunt enough not to be a safety hazard.
Then I drill two pilot holes in the casing for the bail to sit in while I solder it, then I polish the drilled area with a Dremel steel brush bit.
Then I make a bail loop from copper electrical wire, solder it in place, then polish the entire piece again with the Dremel.
Then, I prepare a surface (plastic bowl lid in my case) with rubber cement which both acts as a mold release and plugs gaps preventing resin from leaking out of the pendants while curing. Then I put the cases in the cement, fit a coin into the bottom, add my stones, and pour resin (clear or dyed). Then the pieces sit for 24 hours under a UV light in a plastic bowl that's been upended to contain them to keep out dust and control temperature and humidity a bit.
Then I pour a second and third layer if appropriate in the same way, 24 hours each time, then I coat the tops in resin sealant spray and cure THAT for 24 hours under the light.
Most of the "build" time is curing, but the rest is still a lot of work.
One thing that would help is jewelry tumbler so that I can automate the sanding/polishing steps.
Of the three panels I was directly involved in, two were room-filling successes. As I said above, when Wyatt told me that there was a line for overthinking video games, I thought I misheard him at first. Mecha Moments, not to sound arrogant, wasn't a shock. People love that panel. New clips are in the works for next time, whenever that is.
I think the psychology of the smaller panel rooms worked well. It made them feel fuller, and more of a success.
When we realized they were lined up for us... Suffice it to say, I reviewed the slides a few more times before we started.
Frankly, at $20 I still make money, it's just a poor return for my labor.
I'm not saying you said that. But the mentality that "most people" sell at low prices and don't charge for their time is part of the problem that leads into customers getting indignant with the ones who DO charge for their time.
ETA: When I sold my jewelry I priced for my time and made good sales volume because my stuff was unique and pretty. You have to be able to make a product in enough time that your price is still reasonable for the customer.
At con I sold some really simple and generic crystal pendants for $10. They were a fairly good seller, mostly because they were cheap. I only made 3 or 4 bucks on each of those, though.
I DID make enough at con to buy my 3 year old a toddler bed, which is not shabby.