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Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips

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  #61  
Old 2011-07-22, 7:39pm
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Lisi Lisi is offline
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Originally Posted by Sadie Mae View Post
Ok, so what are the prices today?? *smiles*

The way the economy is going we'll be using beads for trade again soon!!!
IMHO - the best way to figure this out is grab a cup of coffee (or whatever flicks your Bic) and do some serious research on ebay and see what they are selling for.
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  #62  
Old 2011-07-22, 8:13pm
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I still like to explore and play with the glass... it all depends on how inspired I feel. I've been making a lot of focals lately, and that's where I usually just mess around and see what happens.

But for bread and butter I still make a lot of really simple sets. I like to make my own cane for sets and see what comes out.
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  #63  
Old 2011-07-22, 10:19pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalera View Post
I still like to explore and play with the glass... it all depends on how inspired I feel. I've been making a lot of focals lately, and that's where I usually just mess around and see what happens.

But for bread and butter I still make a lot of really simple sets. I like to make my own cane for sets and see what comes out.
Your beads are beautiful!

I love organic beads, but when I try to make them, I get mud. LOL
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  #64  
Old 2011-07-22, 10:22pm
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Aw, thank you! It does take practice to get colors that won't gray each other out, but it's fun.
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  #65  
Old 2011-07-22, 10:24pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sadie Mae View Post
Ok, so what are the prices today?? *smiles*

The way the economy is going we'll be using beads for trade again soon!!!
That would be awesome!

I traded a few of my beads for a leather and silver bracelet that was made by a local artist in Sedona a few months ago. It was a fabulous trade. The barter system is alive and well.
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  #66  
Old 2011-07-22, 10:28pm
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Originally Posted by Kalera View Post
Aw, thank you! It does take practice to get colors that won't gray each other out, but it's fun.
I work with dark ivory a lot (understatement), and it doesn't play well with some of the other colors, but I love the reactions that do work well with it.
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  #67  
Old 2011-07-22, 10:34pm
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Oh, very! I love dark ivory. With many colors, you can help mitigate the ivory reaction by covering it with silver leaf, which also does a gorgeous number on the ivory.
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  #68  
Old 2011-07-22, 10:35pm
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Your work is also so gorgeous! I love the crispness!
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  #69  
Old 2011-07-22, 10:55pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalera View Post
Oh, very! I love dark ivory. With many colors, you can help mitigate the ivory reaction by covering it with silver leaf, which also does a gorgeous number on the ivory.
I use silvered ivory stringer in most of my beads, but I haven't explored the idea of using the leaf in other ways. Thanks for the suggestion!
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  #70  
Old 2011-07-22, 10:56pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalera View Post
Your work is also so gorgeous! I love the crispness!
Thank you!
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  #71  
Old 2011-07-24, 9:35am
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Kalera, thanks so much for the info regarding wholesale vs. retail glass. As much as I love having a wide color pallette, I don't wanna sit on a whole bunch of glass I might get tired of, and the idea of putting out a large chunk of cash for a single wholesale order just gives me the heebie jeebies.
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  #72  
Old 2011-07-25, 2:31am
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One thing you've got to factor in too is the cost of living... meaning that there's no way I could make a living here in Switzerland with 12$ an hour. Minimum wages here are around 20$ per hour and my own wholesale rate is way higher (factoring in experience and all that too) so I can't compete with people selling beads at that kind of rate... so I don't try. I've stopped selling on Ebay years ago because of that and chosen to do one-of-a-kind pieces.
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  #73  
Old 2011-07-26, 5:50pm
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I think there are many paths in lampworking. For me, materials or how fast I can make a bead has very little value in my final price of my beads. I create my glass beads as a means to connect to my soul. I create to express my own uniqueness as a person and leave a remembrance of myself to prosperity. I create to uplift others and bring joy into the world.
I feel I will receive the greatest rewards by staying true to my inner guidance. The greatest peace is to allow others to find their path and keep my eyes on my path.
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  #74  
Old 2015-09-11, 8:24am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis Brady View Post

My advice to people wanting to treat their craft as a business is the same advice I've been repeating for years:

Don't ask people to buy what you like to make.
Make what people ask to buy.


If you do that, there's an exceptional chance you can make a good living from your work. If you don't do that, there's an equal chance you'll create a large collection of your own work.
And that is why I have a large collection of my own work! I've been going back and forth between making what I like and making what I know will (probably) sell. I always feel defeated when I make beads that I don't love but know will sell. For me, this is a hobby, although I am always THRILLED when I sell my own work. I do, however, tend to keep my own favorite pieces.
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  #75  
Old 2015-09-11, 10:37am
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Originally Posted by AVTrout View Post
And that is why I have a large collection of my own work! I've been going back and forth between making what I like and making what I know will (probably) sell. I always feel defeated when I make beads that I don't love but know will sell. For me, this is a hobby, although I am always THRILLED when I sell my own work. I do, however, tend to keep my own favorite pieces.
Neat to see this thread pop up with all those posters we never see anymore. Lots of good advice.

The discipline of having to do MTO's and following some of current trends has led to more sales than me wandering around in my glassy wonderland. But that wandering around has made me a better artist. So, try not to drink too much of the Kool-aid, and stay aware of what you need to do to make this a good biz.
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  #76  
Old 2015-09-11, 10:48am
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Interesting to see this thread pop up again after more than 4 years.

I've been thinking a lot about pricing lately. I've always been in the camp of "pricing is a personal decision."

But lately I am noticing that "artists" are selling perfectly nice bead pairs and sets at prices like 12 beads for $8.

In the meantime, I've tried to raise my prices because for every bead I have to dip a mandrel and clean the bead, string it, photograph it, send an invoice if it sells, ship it, etc.

While I don't think a beadmaker has an obigation to the lampwork community as a whole to price their beads any other way than they way they want to, I can understand why the public would choose the lower priced beads.

So I struggle with myself. Do I lower my prices, because some return is better than having a lot of inventory? Or do I stand my ground on principle and donate all my excess inventory to Beads of Courage.

I'm lucky that I don't depend on bead sales to pay the mortgage or buy food. But I do need to sell beads to justify buying more glass and supplies.

Plus as Alexis said, it makes me happy when people like my beads and buy them. It's all about validation for me.
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  #77  
Old 2015-09-11, 11:48am
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I agree with all of that, Elizabeth. Those low prices some have are difficult to deal with.
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  #78  
Old 2015-09-11, 6:05pm
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So what do you all think of the prices in the various FB groups? I see lots of stunning work going for what I feel are bargain basement prices.
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  #79  
Old 2015-09-11, 7:41pm
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So what do you all think of the prices in the various FB groups? I see lots of stunning work going for what I feel are bargain basement prices.
Lots of that, but also the opposite, unremarkable beads selling for incomprehensibly high prices.
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  #80  
Old 2015-09-12, 6:52am
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I think the lower pricing is doable because of the venue. FB has no listing fee, and mostly only one 'fairly good' picture is needed, and being able to list only 2-3 can be compensated by listing on several different groups.

-D
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  #81  
Old 2019-06-07, 7:07am
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I got a request for a wholesale order for a brick and mortar store, so I want to BUMP this thread! Can we get a 2019 check-in?

Does $1 per minute still make sense, after all these years, or does it need an inflation adjustment? (If you use this method)

If you sell wholesale, what is your minimum order?

How are you pricing these days?
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  #82  
Old 2019-07-15, 5:05pm
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Honestly, I think that for good quality beads, the price should be much higher than $ 2 or $ 3. It's manual production, not mass production. I only make glass as a hobby and I never sell my work, but if I do it, I can not imagine a price less than $ 6-8 per unit.
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