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From: Scratch 'N Sniff
Date: 10-17-2005, 02:08 PM (1 of 4)
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Hi all! I wore a costume of my own design to a Renaissance Faire the other day and was asked by someone to make them a similar garment. It is two gathered skirts, a long sleeved shirt gathered along the neckline, and a heavy corset-type bodice (no boning because I was using upholstery fabric, but it does have grommets and lacing). The whole thing cost me about $40 for the fabric and about 3 hours to make. could anyone suggest a reasonable amount I should charge this woman to make her the same thing? I am so bad when it comes to asking others for money, I always feel like I'm asking too much. Thanks!
~debie
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User: Scratch 'N Sniff
Member since: 01-02-2003 Total posts: 46 |
From: jenny-o
Date: 10-17-2005, 03:02 PM (2 of 4)
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Debie, the way I do my pricing is this: I charge at least $15 per hour plus the cost of fabric, then I compare that cost to "what the market will bear" cost. If I think the market cost is higher, I charge that. To find what the market will bear (am I spelling that right?) I check prices of similar items on the net or in stores but I do not compare to mass production items in retail stores. My old boss in a coffee shop taught me about that (it cost 25 cents for us to make a pot of coffee but sold it 85 cents a cup). I don't ever try to compete with mass produced items and if that is what the customer wants, they are talking to the wrong person.  Jenny |
User: jenny-o
Member since: 08-28-2005 Total posts: 132 |
From: Linda in Colorado
Date: 10-18-2005, 10:52 AM (3 of 4)
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Jennie-O is right -- charge at least $15.00 per hour for your time -- actually I think you should charge considerably more per hour. Another way you could do this is to determine the number of pattern pieces you have to use and charge per pattern piece. With both ways, be sure to charge for the fabric(s) notions and any pattern(s) you use. |
User: Linda in Colorado
Member since: 03-27-2000 Total posts: 102 |
From: Scratch 'N Sniff
Date: 10-19-2005, 06:30 PM (4 of 4)
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thanks for the advice all! i've decided that $100 is probably a reasonable amount, going by jenny-o's suggestion of $15 for 3 hrs + the price of fabric and notions (i don't use patterns so no worries about charging for that). there are so few pieces that charging per piece doesn't seem to make sense in this case, but i'll keep that in mind for the future. thanks again!
~debie
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User: Scratch 'N Sniff
Member since: 01-02-2003 Total posts: 46 |
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