# prices for selling your work



## sthomas (Jan 20, 2012)

im new to woodworking and wondering if there is a market for some of the items i have made and not sure if i can sell them and if i could how much would thet go for


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## RandyM68 (Jan 20, 2012)

It all depends on what you are trying to sell. If you can come up with something unique that you can make cheaply and quickly you might do ok. A lot of people will buy something they never even thought of before, if it catches their attention and it doesn't cost very much. It can actually be complete crap as long as it looks pretty on the surface and it doesn't fall apart for a few days. The other way is to convince people that their friends will be jealous if they have one. Then you can make people wait in line to pay whatever ridiculous price you want to charge, Again it doesn't have to be good, just exclusive. If you are trying to actually build a quality product at a reasonable price, then good luck, it's almost impossible to compete with the big chain stores, even if yours is better. It has to be something you can't get at Walmart.


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

Go to where an item like yours is sold. See what they sell for. If it is in a store you could sell yours for about 1/2 their selling price. If it is a street fair or craft show the price you see will tell you what you could sell yours for at a similar venue. I make and sell items at festivals and craft fairs and find that at a sale like that $20 is the best price range to aim at.


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## Philzoel (Dec 26, 2011)

I do not think selling quality hand made woodcraft is something I would try to make a living at. I love a quality piece, hand made and finished beautifully.

I have put some pieces in Kentucky Craft museum gift shop. They sell some. No volume. I charge what I think I can get. $160 for an end grain cutting board says QUALITY to me. I have paid for my lumber. Sold some to people I know who like my work. Same board $100 to friends I say.

I only did that to see what I could get as I am relatively new too. (2 years). Also look on line at the prices of other professional pieces like yours.

I saw a table at an art show that was sold at $2000. WOW! I believe it was worth it. I would not buy one though. The guys work was spectacular.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Marketing your work is a major commitment. Basically, you
won't make money at woodworking unless you locate and
appeal to affluent and wealthy customers. One way to
get to them is market your custom shop to interior designers 
and architects who have monied people as clients.

Another way is to do craft shows. The juried ones are also
the ones the rich people and the designers who serve
them go to.

Eye-popping, ego-boosting work like marquetry stuff and
turned art pieces appeal to conspicuous consumers and 
will attract affluent buyers at craft shows.

You can make a few bucks doing low-end fairs selling cutting
boards and birdhouses and other stuff like that, but you 
may find it a grind.


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## TheOldTimer (Dec 13, 2009)

Material cost + Labor X 2.0 is a good starting point. Add 20% to material cost for loss.

Good Luck


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## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

When I first got into woodworking refinishing and restoration jobs were actually the easiest for me to come by. That may not be to everyone's liking but there seems to be lots of that sort of work available and very few people willing to do it.

It is unpleasant work though. At least to me it is. That is probably why so few businesses offer the service where I live.


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

Agreed, JAAune, I did professional refinishing for 12 years in a shop on my property in Pennsylvania. Doggone tough and when we finally shut it down, we wondered why we did it for so long.

But I also agree with others, you need a niche, something that a lot of people will not try by themselves. The problem with craft shows is half the people walking around have the same or better shop than you. Not that they are better, but they will try instead of paying you. If you look at my projects, my Firejag guitar is all curves. Not a center point anywhere, save for the neck pocket. Not that easy to make. Plus inlaying the pickguard is not common at all. So I got a niche.

My guitars, so far, nobody has really knocked me off. I'm waiting…
So to help combat that, I threw the usual pricing for instruments out the door and went with a dollar-per-hour rate and cost for the supplies. I make OK money, and the guitars are coming in way cheaper than most, although I am seeing the industry of handmade luthiers dropping in price fairly rapidly. 
One guy monikered me as the "Two-Buck-Chuck" of custom guitars. Fine with me, I always have a backlog.

Paul


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