How to price your handmade items - an often forgotten bit!

One of the most common questions that come up on craft forums and discussions from new crafters is, "How do I decide how much to charge for the things that I make?".  A lot of simple formulas exist for how to find the appropriate price to ask from customers who buy your items, like this one from Etsy.

Personally though, I think many of the formulas leave out an important part of the equation, and an obvious one: the market.

Common things to take note of when pricing items are:
1. Cost of materials
2. Time it takes to produce (i.e. give yourself a wage
3. Other expenses: the money you spend on advertising, packaging, and fees etc.

Looking at these things, you are told that you can find an appropriate price to set for your items.  However, none of these articles I've read on the subject brings up the subject of what other similar items are *successfully* being sold for - and I stress successfully!

It's always good to research what others are charging, and other ways they are organizing their business, to be aware of competition and also expectations the customer may have of your items.  And if this market is flooded with items much cheaper or more expensive than these formulas would set a price at, it is not going to help you much.

I've seen a lot of discussion by self-employed crafters on craft discussion forums mostly, upset about how other people underprice their handmade items and how this means that their much more expensive items don't get any sales.  They feel it's the fault of the cheaper sellers - but is that fair?  I mean, a market already exists and your items are just a small part of that.  If you want them to be involved, its your items that must be acceptable in that market, you can't just say that the market is what is wrong.  The rhetoric often carries with it how a self employed crafter deserves to live off of their craft, and people must pay enough for their lovely pieces of work so that they can have a viable business.  While this is desirable, it's in no way a guarantee, nor should anyone expect it to be!

So I want to add something very important to the formula on how to price you items - a comparison to what others are charging for a similar item.  If there is no one selling a similar item, that is GREAT because it means you can try to set that price yourself.  If they are, add up how much time and materials etc. go in to your item, add a profit margin you would see as comfortable, and then adjust the price so that it fits well within the existing market.

Otherwise, those sales just won't come...

Varnishing Polymer Clay

Varnishing your polymer clay items is really important for making your items last and look their best.  Unvarnished pieces can scratch and pieces can break off really easily, and some polymer clays stay quite soft after they have been baked.

So which varnish is the best to use?

When I first started out making items with polymer clay I used a bit of an unorthadox method, and finished my pieces with clear nail polish - it makes a really hard finish and it your pieces are small like mine, it keeps little bits from chipping of since it acts like a really strong glue.

Unfortunately this hold doesn't last - it also yellows a bit after a year, and starts to go a bit sticky.  Pieces get a bit gummy and break off.  So I abandoned the nail polish for the purpose made stuff, Fimo's Gloss Varnish.

This varnish is fantastic - its best feature is it's a really thin liquid, but still makes an extremely hard shiny shell over your piece that protects is really well.  Two layers of this will make your items really last.  I haven't noticed any yellowing or peeling, either.

One drawback is that it is a slightly whitish opaque colour, and if some pools in a little crack, you can be left with a whitish mark where it dries.  To avoid this, use the paintbrush in a dabbing motion and only apply a thin layer at a time.

Since it worked so well, but is a bit pricey, I tried out another polyeurethane varnish from ebay a while ago.  Unfortunately it just didn't cut it.  It was by Craftmill and quite a lot cheaper, so I thought I'd give it a go.  It ended up, when in contact with glue, turning crystaline and crumbling off.  It also had a tendency to yellow a bit.  I stopped using it immediately after a bunch of my teapot earrings broke in transit to a shop where I sell some of my items :(  Into the bin it went!

Another popular polymer clay varnish is by Sculpey, who make Sculpey polymer clay as well as Premo, which is my favourite.  I haven't tried it myself, but it will be my next to experiement with.  I've heard it can be a bit goopy and peely, and that it has the yellowing problem, but I can't judge as I have yet to try it.  I also imagine that it will be slightly cheaper than Fimo, as most things are!

There are lots of alternatives for polymer clay finishes, from floor polishes to wood varnishes, to paint varnishes that are common in craft stores, and there seem to be varying results in a lot of them.

Personally I'm going to stick to the purpose made ones, as I want to play it safe with jewellery that I'm selling.  It's hard to know how a varnish will hold up a year from working with it, and since I know Fimo works well, that is that one I will probably always stick with.  It's hardness always impresses me, and it may be a bit pricey, but the confidence I have in it is worth that price!

Craft tip: Writing on polymer clay



Here's a tip for writing on polymer clay: a fine tipped CD writing pen doesn't smudge, and can stand up to being covered in varnish! 

Some of my items, for example these Penguin Book Earrings (£8 in my Etsy shop!) require some detailed 'mock writing' (too small to attemt the real thing), and I used to try and do it with my tiniest paintbrush and black paint.  But I recently discovered the usefulness of pens for writing on CDs - so hooray, I'm able to write with much more control!  Try it out yourself :)