im with you on that haha im in 10th grade and bought a wheel and lovin it, and an art show at my school is comin up were i hope to sell a few of my products
At some point I will need to sell some pottery. It is accumulating very fast. I’m a new Potter and my work isn’t 1st rate…YET, so I’m neverous about putting it out there and being rejected.
Hello Simon
Through my years as prof potter I developed aan Excel-sheet for pricing pottery.
It gives a lot of insight in the questions that appear, when a potter is “pricing of his pots”.
It helps me a lot.
If you want, I’ll share it with you with pleasure.
Frans
Have you ever sold a low priced piece and felt grieved afterwards, that is your gut saying it was too low! It’s a lousy feeling to underprice your work. I understand the need to make money to support ones craft but it shouldn’t be at the expense of your own self worth. I think it’s more dangerous to underprice than overprice.
Simon, you are a gem, I truly appreciate the work you do!
yes, i do agree too , i use to blow glass in a class i was taking in college. and kids were selling there works that they like for about 20 dollars for a nice vase. and i would think to myself. i would rather give them away to people who really and trully wanted them. like family and friend, that to sell them to strangers who are buying them , just cuz they are cheap , and not really caring about the craftmanship that goes into it , and the work.only turning out about 2 pieces a week
Un tema que estara siempre vigente, como lograr el balance? Creo que un potter de USA ,Jeff zamek escribio “cada vez que uno manipula una pieza, le sube el precio”. por eso los bowls, que no llevan manijas ni tapa ni decoracion especial pueden ser de un precio mas bajo.Tambien es importante que uno mismo defina a que publico quiere llegar, y eso define en donde lo va a vender, luego que capacidad de compra tiene ese publico.
Gracias pór los videos. Marta
Hello Simon. Long answers needed here but I will keep it short. One method I use is to look at Profit Margin (After paying for everything keeping the shop going)=wage. How much money does ones family need to keep going is then the amount of profit needed to break that monthly nut . My nut is $12000 a month. I go back to quantity I can make (how long each pot takes ) and go from there . Because I live in a very expensive place my pots have to be a bit more money and I say that to my customers .
regarding pricing, a fellow potter once said to me. “If you don’t value your work, others will not see value in it either.” The value that we put on the price tag can in some cases reflect our level of pride and confidence in our own work.
I just needed to hear this info. I’m a beginner and not feeling very confident! But someone offert me to work together and I think that’s great for now. This person knows the comercial world for years but want to go back to basic. Here in my region it will be difficult to sell i think. Most of the people react that they have more stuff for the same price at IKEA!!! It will be a struggle to build up a pottery but it’s my goal as it also is to come to a course Simon. I hope to come in 2010!
It is also important to be aware of what other potters are selling their ware for and ensure you are pricing your pots in a similar range. There can be hard feelings and bickering amongst potters who feel they are being undersold.
Fantastic, this is a great topic! I have also been struggling re pricing. Some people think whoaa that’s too expensive while another person about the same piece says you are selling stuff too cheaply…tricky tricky tricky. I do think its really great to think about, “what would I pay for this piece”. I do find is very difficult to price my things.
Thanks for that topic. Fantastic videos and I am feeling very inspired after watching them and do get lots of great ideas.
Cheers,Julia Franz, Oz
Simon – Great videos. I consider your videos some of the best practical resources on pottery to be found anywhere….
I think a lot of potters (me included) suffer from a lack of confidence that is reflected in our approach to pricing. We have to be strong and confident!
I would also be interested in seeing you address the subject of managing the work in your studio – what is a typical day for your studio, how you manage workflow,etc. You seem to manage it all with ease…
Thank you Simon for doing this pair of videos on pricing, it has been a huge dilemma for me as well. New to making and selling pottery, I have found it difficult to put value to my work, as have as such undervalued it. Even local potters who have been doing well for a few years I have found also undervalue their work, work and people I look up to. It seems to come down to a personal perspective as well, how you feel about your worth. I think we all need to put a lot of pride into our work.
July 30th, 2010 12:49 am
Simon, pricing is a valid subject to bring up and I thank you for taking the step of actually doing this work and talking about it.
It’s art, an open subject, and if you’re good maybe you will sell. If not, go to pottery barn which unfortunately most people do. God love um.
July 30th, 2010 1:18 am
Yes, I know that feeling when a pot is sold at too low a price. Thanks for speaking on pots that are deserving of more consideration.
July 30th, 2010 1:59 am
im with you on that haha im in 10th grade and bought a wheel and lovin it, and an art show at my school is comin up were i hope to sell a few of my products
July 30th, 2010 2:48 am
porque no estudie ingles????
July 30th, 2010 3:35 am
At some point I will need to sell some pottery. It is accumulating very fast. I’m a new Potter and my work isn’t 1st rate…YET, so I’m neverous about putting it out there and being rejected.
July 30th, 2010 3:36 am
we do struggle that is for sure
July 30th, 2010 3:39 am
Love your work thanks for posting your videos
July 30th, 2010 4:23 am
i have learned pricing my wood turnings from this Thanks
July 30th, 2010 4:47 am
Hello Simon
Through my years as prof potter I developed aan Excel-sheet for pricing pottery.
It gives a lot of insight in the questions that appear, when a potter is “pricing of his pots”.
It helps me a lot.
If you want, I’ll share it with you with pleasure.
Frans
July 30th, 2010 5:07 am
Marta mi gusta sus opiniones ., SL
July 30th, 2010 5:56 am
Hi S – I agree with what you say , & underpricing especially ! Its getting the balance right isn’t it ! SL
July 30th, 2010 6:15 am
Have you ever sold a low priced piece and felt grieved afterwards, that is your gut saying it was too low! It’s a lousy feeling to underprice your work. I understand the need to make money to support ones craft but it shouldn’t be at the expense of your own self worth. I think it’s more dangerous to underprice than overprice.
Simon, you are a gem, I truly appreciate the work you do!
Sheila
July 30th, 2010 7:02 am
yes, i do agree too , i use to blow glass in a class i was taking in college. and kids were selling there works that they like for about 20 dollars for a nice vase. and i would think to myself. i would rather give them away to people who really and trully wanted them. like family and friend, that to sell them to strangers who are buying them , just cuz they are cheap , and not really caring about the craftmanship that goes into it , and the work.only turning out about 2 pieces a week
July 30th, 2010 7:42 am
Un tema que estara siempre vigente, como lograr el balance? Creo que un potter de USA ,Jeff zamek escribio “cada vez que uno manipula una pieza, le sube el precio”. por eso los bowls, que no llevan manijas ni tapa ni decoracion especial pueden ser de un precio mas bajo.Tambien es importante que uno mismo defina a que publico quiere llegar, y eso define en donde lo va a vender, luego que capacidad de compra tiene ese publico.
Gracias pór los videos. Marta
July 30th, 2010 7:47 am
Hello Simon. Long answers needed here but I will keep it short. One method I use is to look at Profit Margin (After paying for everything keeping the shop going)=wage. How much money does ones family need to keep going is then the amount of profit needed to break that monthly nut . My nut is $12000 a month. I go back to quantity I can make (how long each pot takes ) and go from there . Because I live in a very expensive place my pots have to be a bit more money and I say that to my customers .
July 30th, 2010 8:25 am
I think that there is a lot of wisdom in that comment . SL
July 30th, 2010 8:56 am
regarding pricing, a fellow potter once said to me. “If you don’t value your work, others will not see value in it either.” The value that we put on the price tag can in some cases reflect our level of pride and confidence in our own work.
July 30th, 2010 9:25 am
I just needed to hear this info. I’m a beginner and not feeling very confident! But someone offert me to work together and I think that’s great for now. This person knows the comercial world for years but want to go back to basic. Here in my region it will be difficult to sell i think. Most of the people react that they have more stuff for the same price at IKEA!!! It will be a struggle to build up a pottery but it’s my goal as it also is to come to a course Simon. I hope to come in 2010!
July 30th, 2010 9:51 am
It is also important to be aware of what other potters are selling their ware for and ensure you are pricing your pots in a similar range. There can be hard feelings and bickering amongst potters who feel they are being undersold.
July 30th, 2010 10:29 am
Fantastic, this is a great topic! I have also been struggling re pricing. Some people think whoaa that’s too expensive while another person about the same piece says you are selling stuff too cheaply…tricky tricky tricky. I do think its really great to think about, “what would I pay for this piece”. I do find is very difficult to price my things.
Thanks for that topic. Fantastic videos and I am feeling very inspired after watching them and do get lots of great ideas.
Cheers,Julia Franz, Oz
July 30th, 2010 11:18 am
Thanks for your generous comments ! Yes maybe thats a good topic for some clips ! SL
July 30th, 2010 11:49 am
Simon – Great videos. I consider your videos some of the best practical resources on pottery to be found anywhere….
I think a lot of potters (me included) suffer from a lack of confidence that is reflected in our approach to pricing. We have to be strong and confident!
I would also be interested in seeing you address the subject of managing the work in your studio – what is a typical day for your studio, how you manage workflow,etc. You seem to manage it all with ease…
July 30th, 2010 12:11 pm
Thank you Simon for doing this pair of videos on pricing, it has been a huge dilemma for me as well. New to making and selling pottery, I have found it difficult to put value to my work, as have as such undervalued it. Even local potters who have been doing well for a few years I have found also undervalue their work, work and people I look up to. It seems to come down to a personal perspective as well, how you feel about your worth. I think we all need to put a lot of pride into our work.
July 30th, 2010 1:01 pm
Thanks Gloria for that idea for a clip ! SL
July 30th, 2010 1:49 pm
Will you show us how you pack for shipping, also?
I guess I need to go to your web site and find out how much you sell those items for.
Gloria