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I have been posting some of my cards on Facebook, and I have had numerous people ask of they were for sale.
I had not really thought about selling my cards before, but since i have people offering, im concidering it
what is the going rate for hand made cards? I dont know what to charge at all
I said 2 dollars a card and my friend said that i need to charge more.
So I was asked for 20 Thank you cards that are Nicer than what you can buy in the store I quoted her $50 and she freaked out..... so i dont know where to start........
Im not good at taking pictures of my work so i dont haev any of my new stuff on my gallery
__________________ Young Breast Cancer Survivor.......IF I CAN SURVIVE THAT I CAN SURVIVE ANYTHING! I Do "THOSE" Parties
I have been posting some of my cards on Facebook, and I have had numerous people ask of they were for sale.
I had not really thought about selling my cards before, but since i have people offering, im concidering it
what is the going rate for hand made cards? I dont know what to charge at all
I said 2 dollars a card and my friend said that i need to charge more.
So I was asked for 20 Thank you cards that are Nicer than what you can buy in the store I quoted her $50 and she freaked out..... so i dont know where to start........ Im not good at taking pictures of my work so i dont haev any of my new stuff on my gallery
She did ask for Nicer than store bought did she not?....Only $2.50 a card. Not over priced if you ask me. Show her how much supplies cost and then tell her to add in your time. She might change her mind. Just a thought.
__________________ The quickest way for a parent to get a child's attention is to sit down and look comfortable. Practice safe eating always use condiments
I think $50 for 20 nice Thank You cards isn't unreasonable. Thats only $2.50 a card for pete's sake. It will definitely cost you more in materials & time to make that card. If this person wants cheap, they should go to the Dollar Store, and then they will see what they get for cheap. I've been selling my cards at craft shows over the last couple months. I have 3 categories: plain or not much work involved to put together (CAS cards mostly), average (the kind I usually make), and elaborate (more work, more embellishments, more detailed colouring). I charge $4, $5, & $6 respectively for my cards and I haven't heard anyone complain yet. Of course, it all depends on the market in your area. Calgary has the highest number of engineers per capita in Canada and a very high executive salary earning popluation, so there is a lot of disposable income in this city. I think budgets might be a little tighter in areas where the population depends more on, say, farming or manufacturing. Just my thoughts.
I struggle with this same problem. I was charging $1.75 but that was because the stamping/gift store I had my cards in was selling theirs for that price. But now that store is closed, so I am selling mine for $2.00. Right now I sell mainly online and at craft sales. I get some people tell me, my cards are too cheap and others say that they would never spend more than $1 for "handmade cards" (they say it with distain in their voice).
If I have a really fancy card or one with more expensive embellishments or paper on it (like metal) I will charge more.
I only knew where to start my pricing based on what as selling in my area. Now I'm the only one, so I can kind of do what I want.
I sell at work for $1.50 each. Some people pay me more than my asking price, others have walked away when asking, "They're 50 cents, right?" And my answer is, "No, $1.50." I know some charge more, but my experience has been that this is what they will sell for where I am. It helps feed my habit. lol
Both in the boutique where I consign and in my Etsy shop, I price them from $4 to $4.50 depending on the complexity. I used to sell them for just $2 each when I did a lot of craft fairs, and to be honest eventually I started feeling burnt out from barely covering the cost of materials and making practically nothing for my time. Sure I sold fewer cards at first, but I was pocketing more in the end for the same amount of work. Truthfully, though, after that initial drop some time passed and I started seeing my sales INCREASE! There's something to be said for not undervaluing your work, and often with those who actually appreciate handcrafted items will shy away from things that are too cheap because in their minds it equates to lower quality.
I've actually thought about increasing my prices again, because I'm still well below the price of mass-printed generic cards off the rack at Hallmark!
__________________ Rachel Proud SU! demo and Sci-Fi Geek!
My Stampin' Up! blog "I'm a time traveler -- I point and laugh at archaeologists." 10th Doctor, "Silence in the Library"
i sell to a local boutique.....i get $2.25 per card. i try to make them interesting but not over the top. funny, you look at adhesives and embelllies etc in a different light when selling many at one time
who knows if the boutique will ask for more cards....but i got cash for each, no consignment and i thought that was a good thing
if i sell to people i know, $3 each if it is elaborate.....
a close friend...no charge. i think it is harder to sell to people you know than to strangers.
i made $550 at the boutique and if they never ask for another, i think i did good.
of course, i made several wonderful PTI purchases with this $$
I sell thousands of cards a year. I charge $3.00 per card in all the avenues I sell cards. It balances out for some easier and some more complicated cards. It can be very lucrative to sell cards but it helps me pay for the cards for troops project and support the youth group at my church with cards to sell for their fund raisers.
blessings.
It's all in how you present it. Instead of saying $50 for 20 cards, just say $2.50 each. Let them do the math. when you state $2.50 each, it sounds very reasonable, which it actually is, but all she heard was the $50!! LOL...just my honest opinion.
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I also think store bought "thank you" cards that would be boxed up in a set are cheaper-much cheaper than idividual cards. I'd have to make a set that was fairly simple in design and sell it for $20.00 or even less.
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
Last edited by Allistamps123; 10-23-2010 at 03:59 AM..
I sell mine for $3.50-$5.00 each. I have regular customers that purchase a dozen for $50. They are detailed cards with finished insides, envelope, and clear envelope. I charge for supplies AND my time.
I sell my cards on Etsy from 4.00 to 6.00 each. Sometimes I will make mini cards and sell a set of 3 for 4.95. It depends on the amount of embellishments that is on each card. Most of my cards are very detailed and intricate so the price reflects that.
I sell my cards on Etsy for 5.50 (not so elaborate) and 6.50 to 7.00 for more elaborate (my style) and I've sold many cards. Do not sell yourself short! I hate to see people selling their handmade cards for 2 or 3 dollars a piece! You could never touch a store bought card for that price! Just my opinion!
The cards I sell (in my Etsy store) only appeal to a certain segment of society - I have no problem getting between $4 and $5 a piece. I think I have sold around 160 at the price.
Art is intended to provoke an emotion from a total stranger. If you�ve succeeded in this, consider yourself an artist. Paper Shanks Blog. Love me or hate me, you are still talking about me
It's all in how you present it. Instead of saying $50 for 20 cards, just say $2.50 each. Let them do the math. when you state $2.50 each, it sounds very reasonable, which it actually is, but all she heard was the $50!! LOL...just my honest opinion.
I think you're right. It's much easier to plunk down $2.50 for a single card, than $50 for 20 all at one pop. It might be easier to get $50 for a box of assorted cards (birthday, get well, thank you....etc) But for 20 thank you's .....well that alot of thank you cards.
But of course my opinion doesn't count for anything, I've never tried to sell my cards yet. YET. I'm thinking of making up enough inventory to sell at work . I work at a Children's Hospital, and I would donate 50% of the proceeds to our Oncology department. That I think would sweeten the pot. Of course then I would probably only recover my material costs....... but this is a hobby for me - and would be much more practical than giving away free piano or guitar lessons.
__________________ A good dog, a sewing machine, and an old guitar......
I sell my cards to a local chocolate shop and she marks them up slightly which means I can get a descent price without pricing myself out of the local market. General rule of thumb that I have read here is to figure your costs (including adhesive, evelopes and paper and then multiply that by three to figure the sales price) She sells that cards between $3 for very simple A2 cards to $6.95 for a complicated ornate card with embellishments that is usually an A6 card. I find that the A6 cards sell better, so I am making many more of those lately. I still make A2 cards for thank you cards sometimes since not everyone wants to write a lot! HTH
__________________ Rediscovering the simple joy of stamping and exploring my art! Stamp your ART out! Share your thoughts. Let your heart sing.
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flat hallmark cards average 3.00 each, so I do not think 2.50 each is out of line, last year i sold mine anywhere from 4.00-10.00 each card.
(they tend to be larger then a-2 however) this year i have added some simpler designs and lowered the price on those. well see what happens. (next month)
I sell my cards on Etsy for 5.50 (not so elaborate) and 6.50 to 7.00 for more elaborate (my style) and I've sold many cards. Do not sell yourself short! I hate to see people selling their handmade cards for 2 or 3 dollars a piece! You could never touch a store bought card for that price! Just my opinion!
Jackie I totally agree with you. I hate to see someone underprice themselves and basically give their stuff away. A store bought card that is NOT unique, not handmade sells for 3.00, so anything handmade and one of a kind and dimensional should surely be sold at double that. If people don't want to pay that, then let them buy a generic card at a store. Don't underestimate your work, there are people out there that see the beauty and work that goes into this type of thing.
I know things can depend on the area of the country we are from, but wow. I wish I could get $3.00 or more for my cards.
I had a craft sale earlier this month and only sold 1 card. I was bummed, but got past it and looking forward to the next one this weekend. When I got home from the other craft sale, I started working on cards. My mom was surprised that I was still making cards when the craft sale was so bad. I told her that I love to make cards and I will always make cards, selling them is just a wonderful bonus!!!
I forgot to add that most of my cards are the square 5 1/2 size - not sure if that makes a difference for price.
I just took a custom order for 9 cards @ $5.50 a piece.
Art is intended to provoke an emotion from a total stranger. If you�ve succeeded in this, consider yourself an artist. Paper Shanks Blog. Love me or hate me, you are still talking about me
I wouldn't get too discouraged by low sales at craft shows. That's how I got my start and at first I would only sell a few cards. Shoppers were either crafters who said to their friends or themselves...I can make that so I won't buy it...I'll just use the idea. The other type was looking for a bargin and did not understand the value of a handmade card.
Since then, I've been fortunate enough to be part of an artist's co-op where I sell my cards for $4-5 for A2 and $2 for 3x3 cards. I sell about 800-1000 cards a year there.
A question for those who sell lots of cards. How do you keep from getting burnt out? Sometimes cardmaking becomes a chore because I have to keep the store stocked whether I feel like making cards or not.
I have been doing cards for about 6 years now. Supplying two swim teams with 1250 cards each to sell...this has been VERY lucrative for me. I also have a basket in hubbys office for $3.00 per card some more elaborate than others and that basket alone nets between $75.00 and $125.00 most weeks. During the holidays the basket nets much much more. I also supply (donate for $3.00 per card write off) all the cards to the church youth group twice a year for fund raisers so they can go to bible camp and all the cards for the same write off amount to the person who sends out the birthday and anniversary cards to church members. I also have a rack that is around 500 cards in the church bookstore which when sold the cash goes into the building fund. This rack also is supplied and I am compensated at $3.00 per card write off. Last year the cards I donated brought me a $5700.00 tax write off...it isnt cash but it sure helps.
Do I get burned out...I would say no way...there are always so many new toys to play with and papers...yummy. I love to create the cards. I normally come up with the first one and then make 24 or 36 and one time 96 of the same design. I have boxes all lined up and I just divide the cards up into each box for the different things I support. I hope I never ever burn out on cards..too many people rely on me for them. How do I supply so many cards...I work not quite full time 33 hours a week and when I get home I get a quick bite to eat and then it is off to the stamp room til bed time. I have a great room with a nice flat panel tv to keep me company. My kids are all grown and gone..baby (21 next March!) is at Pensacola Christian College and hubby travels around the country Mon-Fri each week for work. So when I am in my stamp room I am happy, family knows where I am...and I stay out of trouble..well for the most part anyway..lol
blessings.
What do you sell your cards for?
