So I hear a lot of people questioning or balking at prices for made made products. I’m not talking about just my stuff. When you go to a craft show or oven find something handmade in a retail shop. It seems in this day and age, everyone wants hand made quality at Amazon prices.
What most people never even think about is the time, effort, thought and expense that has gone into getting to this final product. As a custom maker, I can tell you that there is sooooo much more than the finished product. We don’t simply plug in a tool path for a Cnc to run. The amount of time put in to figure out a bad ass idea can be ridiculous.
When making stuff that has never been done before, there are challenges. Not to mention 10’s of thousands of dollars of tools and decades of learning the skills.
As makers, we try extremely hard to create amazing products that people can really enjoy. When someone looks at something small and says it’s too much without even asking questions, you’re telling that person their time and ideas aren’t worth anything.
Almost every one of my products starts as an idea just like everyone else. We make that idea numerous times until we get it right. Every once in a while it works the first time, but it usually involves several remakes to get it perfect.
So next time you’re at a makers market or somewhere where someone is selling something they have put the hours in, just think about that. Ask them questions. Let them tell you their process and what all went into this item that caught your eye. There are so many facets to making custom things that you might truly find interesting.
The posted picture is what it took to make some custom business card holders. The time and money just for jigs and trying to make everything sit properly was quite a task. Oh, and that’s a $3000 drill press. Another $10-12k in tools and supplies was also used just to get rough sawn lumber to the dimensions it needs to be
For most of us makers, it’s not a race to the lowest price. It takes many many many $20-$50 items sold to even begin to pay us for our time. Do people go to your place of business and tell you your way overpaid even though you’re collecting money for every minute you’re there?
And for the makers who are reading this. Value your time. Figure out how much you need to make on an item to be happy and stick with it. If people truly like your product, they will buy it if you’re price is fair in your eyes. Don’t get stuck on your hours though. I see many say I have X hours at X $ per hour. And the biggest piece of advice I have for you would be this. Everyone is not your customer!! Read that again. Everyone is not your customer, and that’s ok. Your customers are the ones who see your product and appreciate the time you have put in. Don’t let anyone convince you your time isn’t worth anything