Quote:
Originally Posted by laurellanestudios
My intention is NOT to bash anyone - honestly - but rather to encourage a discussion and learn.
It seems that many artists are selling their beads for $2 - $3 per bead. These appear to be well-constructed and visually appealing beads. For example, on Etsy there is a seller (nice person, remember this isn't personal!) listing very nice 9-bead sets for $18. I contacted her and she assured me that she is able to make money at these prices.
Am I missing something? There can't be a profit in that, can there?
I'm not, BTW, using tanked oxygen, I'm able to buy my glass locally (no shipping), I don't use any really expensive glass...in other words, I think I keep my costs as reasonable as possible.
Any thoughts?
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Yes, there can be a profit in selling some beads for $2 to $3 dollars a bead. Even after time cleaning, photographing, listing, fees and time to ship, there is a profit depending on how much time it takes a person to make a 9 bead set. Lets say it takes 30 minutes to make 9 beads and with all the other steps factored in the time invested is about 60 minutes. The net profit from that $18 bead set is going to be around $12. I think $12 an hour in the comfort of your own home with felxible hours is not a bad income. For me there are even more perks....I buy just about everything through the mail as I rarely leave my farm. My mailman picks up my packages to ship to customers and I print all my postage from my computer. I have no real overhead such as store rent, car gas and wear and tear to and from work, etc...I work in my sweats and a Tshirt, or my jammies if I feel like it.
On occasion I have lost money on a bead or set but it rarely ever happens. My ebay and paypal fees combined are hardly worth mentioning. I also sell from my website and take custom orders so the associated fees are even less. I don't expect to make $60 an hour as a bead artist and am happy to make a realistic profit, all things considered. And realistically, I think most flamework beads pull in $2 - $5 per bead (not focals). The more skill a person has usually means they can make a decent bead faster. And like anything else, name recognition and popularity ups the price.
Think of the blue jean industry. Lets say Levi and Ralph Lauren buy their raw material from the same supplier but Levi gets a little better price because they produce more jeans. Levi and Ralph use the same factory to sew/produce the jeans, but again, Levi gets a slightly better price because of quantity. Both Levi and Ralph Lauren have a similar end product except one is considered designer and one is generic. The generic Levi jeans cost $10 bucks to make and the designer Lauren jeans cost $14. The Levis retail for $28 bucks and the Laurens retail for $88. Both are excellent products. Both companies make a profit.
OK...I'm done rambling. I think your question is a good one and hope I made some sense with my perspective.
