The question many come to ask.. >.O;;;

[Ayeaka]

...that question being, of course, "how much do I price this for!?"

..first..item thingy..

Corsets. With the right machine, I've..found I can actually make corsets relatively quickly. I've seen them sold for $100 upwards, but for a simple corset, satin fabric, canvas interfacing, and whatnot, what would be a decent price, do you think? There's no lace or anything on it--the cording is just thin leather..

Other..thing..

Herbal soaps.. Normal soap-bar sized, plus a few shaped ones that're about half that. Good price range for soap?

..and candles. ..um..everything from filled jar candles, to little round snowball ones. Not a CLUE how to price candles. D: (They're all bigger ones.)

And, finally.. (non-pricewise question..)

I'm really liking how Tripp's pants look..but I hear all sorts of complaints about the quality, and the price..well..let's not go there.
Plus, their..extra small falls off of me, even WITH a belt.
So, I've been planning on making/modifying a pair of pants to be simular. Anyone have advice for this?

-pants-

Alrighty. I is done.

[EDIT]
In case anyone's wondering, I'll likely be selling these either over eBay, or at craft sales. ..I'm under eighteen, and that puts a MAJOR limit on where I can sell things. :/  

[Maki Minakoaino]

i would suggest figuring out how much it costs to make one of each item, first. then decide how much profit you want to make on each individual item--including adequate compensation for the time you spend making them. if you're going to sell on ebay or other places online, consider also the cost of shipping. add them together, and voila: once you sell them, you have money to make more, plus money to do whatever you want.

I've always seen corsets selling for soooooo much....and i always wanted one, but i've never been able to afford one, and i'm not much of a tailor....  

[Ayeaka]

Maki Minakoaino

i would suggest figuring out how much it costs to make one of each item, first. then decide how much profit you want to make on each individual item--including adequate compensation for the time you spend making them. if you're going to sell on ebay or other places online, consider also the cost of shipping. add them together, and voila: once you sell them, you have money to make more, plus money to do whatever you want.

I've always seen corsets selling for soooooo much....and i always wanted one, but i've never been able to afford one, and i'm not much of a tailor....

I've lost track of the EXACT amount for supplies thus far, but for corsets, I know it's been less than $25 for each one. ..I'll need to add the receipts together.

Some items just..generate more profit than others, of course. The problem is, I've seen a massive range in price, and..while I want to make enough money to provide a means of supporting my other hobbies, I don't wanna be majorly overpricing anything, even if...everyone else seems to be.  

[Iyou]

It's really up to you. I'd say that if you can't really decide, though, it's better to overcharge a bit rather than to undercharge. Things may sell more quickly at lower prices, but if you feel like you're not being given enough for your work, even by a little bit, chances are you're not going to like being in business for very long. (I went through all this with an art shop, and not feeling like I was being adequately compensated for my time sort of turned me into a jaded, nasty b***h. At least when it comes to art commissions. whee ) I'm not saying you should get greedy, but undervaluing yourself does a ton of damage in the long run.

With that in mind, I'd suggest timing yourself for each of the products you make, and getting a ballpark idea of how much the materials to make your finished product cost. (Be sure to include things that aren't physically a part of your product as well, such as compensating for wear and tear on your sewing machine, molds for candles and soaps, etc.)

After you figure out how much your raw materials cost per item produced, I'd add on at least $5 for every hour you spent making the item. Think of it as your wages - would you be happy with $5 per hour (which is under minimum wage!)? $10 per hour? Or do you think your time is worth as much as $15 or $20 per hour? It's really up to how much you're comfortable with, and how skilled your work is.

Another approach is to find other people things similar to the ones you're making, and use their prices as a ballpark range for your own prices. For handcrafted items, their prices should generally agree with what I mentioned above. If they're much higher, then they're overcharging, and if they're much lower... uh, I guess they're gluttons for punishment (and low pay) and probably won't be in business long anyway.

Hope this helps, at least a little bit. whee  

[LadyAnubis]

Usually I take the cost of making each individual item, then double it to cover labor. If it was really hard to make, I'll tack on a little more. If the item was really, disgustingly cheap to make, I'll also add on a little more.  

[Catcheen]

I can't vouch for other crafts, but for knitting, the standard fair price is 2.5 times what your materials cost.  

[Zahra Ovaci]

I had always heard that you charge materials (even materials you already own) plus $10 per hour of work, since it's skilled labor. The owner of my LYS charges less for knitting since she does it in fits and starts, so she charges $0.25 per yard, more if cabled or lace, and of course stranded colorwork takes twice as much yarn.