What do you say...

when someone asks if you can do better on price?

That's what happened to me this weekend. A very nice woman came into our gallery. She spent a lot of time looking and we chatted a bit, mostly about the cold winter (she was visiting from a northern state) and the exorbitant price of propane. And then it happened... she asked if I could do better than $45 for a piggy bank.

What? Didn't we just talk about how the price of propane was KILLING us? I politely said no, that the piggy banks at $45 are our best sellers and will most likely go up in price this year. She passed on the piggy bank and purchased a small item.

These are things I would have liked to have said:

"No I can't sell it for less, we squeak by doing this for a living."

"Would you ask the grocery store if they can do better on the price of milk?"

"How would you feel if your employer said, today we are going to pay you a dollar less per hour?"

"Do you think this is a flea market or yard sale?"

Jeff would like to say, "I can certainly do better on price, how about $50?"

I am glad I don't have to have this conversation too often. If I did I would probably resort to some of the answers above! Not long after the "can I get it for less" person left, an older couple came in looking for a large mug. They had driven from Lumberton, NC to replace a mug purchased in Seagrove 20 years ago that had recently broken. They found what they liked and decided to buy two since they had driven all this way. No question on the price. This lovely, retired couple made my day.

Leave a comment, let me know how you respond to the "Will you take less?" question.

The ongoing struggle with pricing...

Kristen Kieffer shared this blog post on facebook this morning and I thought I would post a link to it:

Mill Girl: Paying for Handmade: A Gentle Rant

I am sure we have all encountered these types of conversations at shows or in your own studio gallery. Just last week a customer said to me "I am paying by check, do I still have to pay sales tax?". I politely said, no and she still made her purchase. She was buying a $25 dollar item, sales tax is 7% in our county. There is no advantage to me as the seller to pay her sales tax if she doesn't use her credit card... my credit card fee is no where near 7%! And if she used her card, the money goes directly into my account. No writing a deposit slip and making a trip to the bank, and hoping that the check clears.

...and now on to happier thoughts.

Jeff's workshop went great. Everyone who came appeared to be having fun and went away with some new skills. They are already making plans to come back for a raku workshop in the beginning of March!

workin' at the co-op...

of Seagrove Potters.
Today is one of my three co-op days for this month. I decided I would take some pottery work to do while I am here. For some strange reason I decided to make kitchen sponge holders. I have never made them before and I am beginning to think I won't be making them again. I threw them the other day and brought them with me to cut and and stamp.

I didn't have my "real" camera with me but my MacBook has the photo booth application so I snapped a pic of work in progress. Not sure these are doing anything for me. I only made about 8-10. I will fire them and see what I think when they are glazed. I am not sure if I can sell them for a price that reflects the amount of time put into them.
On a good note... I was happy to see when I arrived at the Co-op this morning, that Jeff and I have sold quite a few mugs here this month. Some nice salt glazed maple leaf ones that I made this fall are gone... and I was just beginning to think that maybe $30 was a little high.
Pricing work, it's the ongoing struggle for me and I am sure many other craftsmen out their.

perceived value

i am going to have work in an exhibition next month. the host gallery asked if the participants would donate a mug for a fundraising event to benefit the art center associated with the gallery. this fundraiser would be held during the exhibition. the admission price would include an evening of live music, coffee, desserts AND a handcrafted mug.  admission price:

TEN BUCKS.

i have to say i was in shock... why would a fine arts & crafts gallery, in an affluent town, charge only $10 for a fundraiser where everyone takes home a handcrafted mug?
needless to say i made some phone calls and went on a rant. i felt the gallery was sending out the message to the public that the value of a handcrafted mug must be only $10. i would rather give the organization $10, keep my mug and sell it for $22. thankfully, the other exhibitors felt the same way. i heard today that the fundraiser has been canceled.

pricing work, the ongoing struggle

pricing my work is a real challenge for me... if something doesn't sell fairly quickly i think it must be priced too high. then there are the times i have priced something a little higher than i think i should and it sells the day i put it out to the public. kathy of kings creek pottery wrote a blog post about pricing mugs the other day. she brought up some really good points about how much work mugs really are. i have been on a mug making cycle this month because i am running low. it doesn't take long to throw the bodies but it's all the stuff that comes after that takes time. i have eliminated any trimming but i typically stamp or carve designs and i like to pull all my handles off the mug. i never seem to take the easy glaze route either!

jeff convinced me to increase my prices this spring from $20 to $22... i am beginning to think they should be a little bit more. would love to hear other potters thoughts on pricing mugs or pricing work in general.  if there are any non-potters lurking out there... what are your thought on purchasing mugs that are over $20+?

p.s. jeff has put the mail box back together and it's looking pretty again... will be glad when the road paving is OVER... it sure hasn't helped business.