What do you charge for orphan beads?

[Bead_lover]

I am getting ready for an Art Sale and was thinking of trying to sell some of my orphan beads - but have no idea what to price them as??

Wondered what others were charging for them.

Thanks in advance,

Melody

[squid]

I have a dollar bead bowl and it is VERY popular.

[blindmonkey]

I think I did either 1 or 2 dollars a bead and they were so popular! Plus, they're handy to give to well-behaved children who are very admiring of beads (the ones that at least were old enough to not put beads in their mouths!).

[Elizabeth Beads]

I have $1 orphans, $3 orphans and $5 orphans.

[Carolyn M]

I get them to fill a small baggie for $20.00. It works so well, I get rid of my beads very quickly that way!

[jeepinwelch]

Originally Posted by erose

I have $1 orphans, $3 orphans and $5 orphans.

That's what I do too.

[Lara]

I usually do $1. When I had two bowls it was too confusing. I sold $70 last time at the Farmer's Market worth of $1 beads.

[Judith Billig]

$1? $2? I'm quite shocked.
Do you mean with orphans flawless beads that just didn't fit within the original set (color or pattern)? Or do you mean seconds?

If I have orphans (NOT seconds) and someone is interested in them, I usually sell them at a slightly discounted price. If a normal bead is $12, I would charge for the orphan $8.

But normally I'm just doing a couple of new beads that match and sell them either as a "mini set" or make a complete new set in same design/style as the orphan bead.

[beadsoncypress]

I also use the bowl (or tray) approach. It gets lots of attention...ususally $1 for a medium sized bead and I let them take a couple of spacers....I also give the "little" kids their choice of one bead and put it on some satin cord or ribbon.....I make quite a bit each time I do this and at my last show I cleaned out my trays to make room for the new season's new beads....

[Otter's Flame]

I make pendants so I do not have actual "orphans", however if I have pendants left over at the end of a show cycle.... basically I consider that from Spring of one year to Spring of the next, I donate the majority of my stock. With the exception of one specific style of pendant, anything I do not donate I usually sell for $1.00 dollar at my first show of the season. For the most part, this gets rid of all my old stock.

Otter

[Elizabeth Beads]

Judith - in my case, orphans are usually a color experiment, such as a frit on a base that didn't quite work for me, or a bead from an earring pair that lost its mate along the way, nothing elaborate. In essence, spacer beads. But I am thinking of having a clearance sale on some of the focals that I have dragged from show to show that just don't sell well, such as my hearts and cats. I just want them to be gone to good homes. So that would be my $5 tray.

I love Carolyn's idea of a bag for $20. How big a bag? 3x3? 3x4? Some other size?

[Bead_lover]

Thanks for the info, everybody. All good ideas.

Melody

[lunamoonshadow]

Originally Posted by Icarus Beads

$1? $2? I'm quite shocked.
Do you mean with orphans flawless beads that just didn't fit within the original set (color or pattern)? Or do you mean seconds?

If I have orphans (NOT seconds) and someone is interested in them, I usually sell them at a slightly discounted price. If a normal bead is $12, I would charge for the orphan $8.

But normally I'm just doing a couple of new beads that match and sell them either as a "mini set" or make a complete new set in same design/style as the orphan bead.

You've made me feel SO much BETTER with your post Judith
I was kinda feeling like I should be hiding behind the sofa....'cause I've been taking my "orphans" (which is 80% of what I create right now--it's anything that doesn't become "jewelry" or isn't a "omg, I made a focal!") & popping them in a big tray & marking them "pick a bead $7.00" & then tossing stainless chains out for $3.00 more...copper chains for $4.00....Sold enough of them to cover the cost of my booth space & pay for my pop-up tent @ the farmers/art market this summer...
I see no reason to under-price myself or my glass.
and, as my sister says..."when in doubt, rip off, 'cause you can mark it DOWN later, but you sure as heck can't mark it UP!!".... (you know how you hear kids say "$x, that's a rip-off"? ...really, you price what the market will bear...I don't want to be the $1.00 focal lady! Buy 10, sure, I'll cut you a discount, but they still won't be $1.00 unless they're plain spacers (and for that, I agree with Nikki....Spork...spork, spork...I'm just plain awful at matching spacers!)

[Kalera]

I usually save my "orphans" and sell them all in a huge lot for an average of $2.50-$3.00/bead, but that typically includes a few large elaborate focals that have just been around too long. If I've saved "orphans" for a year I can make $400 or so in a go, that way!

Seconds get thrown into the ocean.

[Lisi]

Wow, I probably should sell mine for more than a buck a bead! But in this economy, I will never get what I use to get for a strand of 100 of them. Highest ever was $368.00 on ebay, back in 2007. In my dreams it would be that ever happening again. So most definitely I'm not taking a chance on ebay, because I always start them at 99 cents. I sell mine on Etsy at $100.00 for 100 and do well with it.

The seconds, or "wonkies" I sell for $25.00 for a strand of 100. I get back the cost in glass, at least.

[maren]

Originally Posted by Kalera

I usually save my "orphans" and sell them all in a huge lot for an average of $2.50-$3.00/bead, but that typically includes a few large elaborate focals that have just been around too long. If I've saved "orphans" for a year I can make $400 or so in a go, that way!

I got one of those batches

[squeek-a-mouse]

Originally Posted by maren

I got one of those batches

Lucky!

[J. Savina]

I make cell phone charms and keychains with my good orphans or small one of a kind experimental beads. If I sell my orphans from my wonky box, I start them out at $2.00 and depending on the artwork that goes into them and the size, I can go up to $12.00. If I want them to all be in one bowl, then I put a string tag with a letter on it that represents..... A = $2.00 B = 3.50 C = $5.00 etc, with a little chart next to the bowl.
So I think it all depends on what your goal is. Selling them too cheap to make some quick cash can quite possibly de-value your work. If a person sees a beautiful bead mixed in with the orphans that has a similar color combination than one you're selling at full price, they may wonder why they can't get the full price one for a buck.

J.

[ellyloo]

yeah, a 1$ 'orphan' on a 15cent cell charm becomes at least a 5-7$ thing all of a sudden.

most of my 'orphans' become pendants.
but i have a 1$ bowl too-earlier beads, beads that are just fine, but *I* don't particularely like them, ones that didn't turn out just right..., and people *LOVE* it.

[Kalera]

Originally Posted by maren

I got one of those batches

You sure did! I think there were even a few small sets in that one.

[NLC Beads]

$5 for anything in the bead bowl - simpler rounds, decorated with swirls, dots, frit, stringer, etc - when I (rarely) demo and sell. I try not to let them go for less than that because, well... That's the bead bowl that gets filled for Beads of Courage, but it seems I need something to sell when I demo. I'd rather it not sell and donate it instead of charging less.

[Aleigh]

Wow....I make mine into anklets, bracelets and bookmarks and get a good price for them. A girl's got to make a living, right?

Amy

[ellyloo]

It all depends on if you go to a GIFT show or a BEAD show.

[SadiesJewels]

I sell simple spacers for $1 each ... simple two layered (encased) for $2 each . large sized but not quite right focals are my $7 beads ... but easy, simple orphans are $5

[Lisi]

If I put mine on ebay I won't get a fraction of what they are worth. If I sell them at the per bead prices of my regular sets on Etsy, I won't get that because most people work with full sets. A bunch of mismatched beads, with no complete sets, so people are not going to want to pay full price for them as it is. Design possibilities are limited, am I right? This is just my opinion.

What do people do with orphan beads??? If they are large and focal size, I can understand, but what about the "regular size" beads? Really small beads like spacer size, I just sold 253 non-wonky ones for $120.00.

[lunamoonshadow]

Originally Posted by Lisi

If I put mine on ebay I won't get a fraction of what they are worth. If I sell them at the per bead prices of my regular sets on Etsy, I won't get that because most people work with full sets. A bunch of mismatched beads, with no complete sets, so people are not going to want to pay full price for them as it is. Design possibilities are limited, am I right? This is just my opinion.

What do people do with orphan beads??? If they are large and focal size, I can understand, but what about the "regular size" beads? Really small beads like spacer size, I just sold 253 non-wonky ones for $120.00.

This--look @ the fringe--that's where tiny spacer-type orphans go in "my" stuff....they go into "fringe"!

[killerbeedz1]

Originally Posted by Carolyn M

I get them to fill a small baggie for $20.00. It works so well, I get rid of my beads very quickly that way!

That's a real good idea! Never thought of that.

Patsy

[StOrM]

Originally Posted by Kalera

Seconds get thrown into the ocean.

Where do you live??? LOL think i need to go swimming

[Kalera]

Originally Posted by Lisi

If I put mine on ebay I won't get a fraction of what they are worth. If I sell them at the per bead prices of my regular sets on Etsy, I won't get that because most people work with full sets. A bunch of mismatched beads, with no complete sets, so people are not going to want to pay full price for them as it is. Design possibilities are limited, am I right? This is just my opinion.

What do people do with orphan beads??? If they are large and focal size, I can understand, but what about the "regular size" beads? Really small beads like spacer size, I just sold 253 non-wonky ones for $120.00.

I have a lot of clients who do bracelets or necklaces where each bead is different... I have had clients purchase multiple matched sets just so they could break them up and do this. I think that's what happens with most of my "orphans" too.

[Kalera]

Originally Posted by StOrM

Where do you live??? LOL think i need to go swimming

Hehehe! I usually do it at either Cannon Beach or Manzanita, on the Oregon Coast. The kids LOVE throwing beads into the water!