# what's it worth



## boyd8 (Aug 23, 2009)

Happy holidays to all. I found the following on treehugger and was a bit surprised by the selling price so I would like some feedback from the pros here. What is it worth? I am not being negative, only curious, if others concur with the cost I have to assume I am selling my stuff way too cheap.









If I could fetch the price I could make these all day.
Thanks, Russ


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## dfdye (Jan 31, 2010)

Depends on the market, but in a metropolitan "hipster" town, you probably get away with $100 or more depending on the wood. Granted, it looks like it could be made in an hour or two, but that doesn't always translate into selling price if something is marketed well.


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## bfoster (Oct 26, 2010)

I would say that the price is ridiculous but the hipster crowd would probably brag about getting it for such a great price. maybe half that price I could see being more likely, don't think materials would be so much.


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## dfdye (Jan 31, 2010)

You could always put an iPhone charger slot in the top and charge twice as much!


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

Make it better and charge the same - One of the things he has not properly accounted for is wood movement. So while it looks nice and clean and simple, he may get some callbacks when the top starts to split in warm dry conditions. ( The original builder is in SF, CA ).
I think $50 would be a fair price for this but I'm cheap so double that for a reasonable margin. If you're selling to people in NYC who have never seen a tree or who think wood grows on trees, then double it again.


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## boyd8 (Aug 23, 2009)

Thanks for the input. The selling price is $300! Builder says he makes many. I dream of finding customers like this


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## live4ever (Feb 27, 2010)

I hate hipsters. (and I live in SF…)

Seriously, only in SF and other hipster towns would something like this fly. It would look great next to my $500 distressed designer satchel made to look like I picked it out of the junk pile and hey did I mention my bicycle has no brakes?


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## mpounders (Jun 22, 2010)

Something I observed in the computer business…. it doesn't matter how great and wonderful your idea is, if you can't "sell" the idea to someone else. It's worth whatever you can convince someone to pay for it!


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

On his website, the original builder was complaining he has *too *many orders. Obviously he has underpriced it or he has tapped a rich vein of hipsters. Ultimately to balance he would either raise rates or competition would rush in. I say go for it. Remember though that getting someone to pay for something like that means reaching the potential customers - this may be one explanation why he has done so well. Note how many blogs and websites have picked up on his story - he's obviously plugged in.


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## dfdye (Jan 31, 2010)

Wow. I can't believe I whiffed on the "fixie" reference. Thanks for picking up the rebound, live4ever.


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## bvdon (Feb 22, 2010)

What's on the back side of that piece? How does it mount to the wall securely? Is there metal hardware?


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## bvdon (Feb 22, 2010)

Found it… metal hardware. Probably easy to find at HD.

Yeah - it's a great idea, and the guy's interests make it easier for him to market to the right audience.

Diamonds beneath your feet… just find an original idea.


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## bigike (May 25, 2009)

cool idea


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## jmichaeldesign (Oct 12, 2010)

He's a full-time woodworker in SF so a shop rate of 60-75 an hour is completely reasonable. It appears to be about 20" x 16" so thats about 6-8 bf of lumber. Walnut can easily go up to $8 a bf so right there is $55ish. Theres a steel frame inside the box to make sure it's strong enough. We all know that the wood itself is strong enough, but a lot of people don't and they like the fact that it's overbuilt. Afterall if you are going to hang your bike on a $300 shelf. Theres a good chance you've spent over a grand on the bike, which isn't hard to do. The steel for the frame would be $15-20. So we're at 75 in materials add hardware and finish and lets call materials an even $100. That leaves 200 for labor. If he charges $60 an hour thats a little over three hours. Three hours isn't much to dimension lumber, assemble the shelf, sand and finish, fabricate a steel frame and bracket, package the whole thing up and ship it.

I wouldn't buy it, but it's not a rip off.


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