I've got a question about pricing. A few actually. lol. If you saw a kit that looked visually pleasing on the preview and was priced at $4, would you think you were getting a good deal or that it was inferior to the same kit if it was priced at say... $5.49? Also, how much is a fair price for a 4 page template pack? $3? $4? $5? What about wordart? If someone has 4 pieces in a pack and priced at $2.50 vs 6-8 pieces at $3. I've been wanting to release some of my products at a new store and i'm not sure on pricing. I thought i'd get an honest answer here before going to the store owner. Be honest. My products are high quality and fairly original. You could compare my style to that of Sweet Shoppe or Scrap Orchard.
For 4 templates I think $3-4 is reasonable. If I see a kit I like and it's packaged in a pleasing way and has lots of CT inspiration I'd pay $6-8 no problem as long as it had an alpha and 8-10 papers and 20+ original elements.Of course, I would hope for a nice little newsletter coupon of 20% towards my purchase, I love coupons. The way a kit is presented is very important to me, I can't stand the kits where the elements are on a square, I want to see the elements on the papers.
I price my products to be competitive within the store where I sell - not in-line with what others stores price. I price my full size kits typically in the $5-6 range depending on quantity of elements.
Anyone who thinks cheaper kits are a sign of poor quality isn't really looking at the big picture. If it's a $3 in a mid-top shop, it's probably at least good quality, regardless of price. If it's at Stuff to Scrap, it's probably not worth $.03.
I've got a question about pricing. A few actually. lol. If you saw a kit that looked visually pleasing on the preview and was priced at $4, would you think you were getting a good deal or that it was inferior to the same kit if it was priced at say... $5.49? Also, how much is a fair price for a 4 page template pack? $3? $4? $5? What about wordart? If someone has 4 pieces in a pack and priced at $2.50 vs 6-8 pieces at $3. I've been wanting to release some of my products at a new store and i'm not sure on pricing. I thought i'd get an honest answer here before going to the store owner. Be honest. My products are high quality and fairly original. You could compare my style to that of Sweet Shoppe or Scrap Orchard. November 8, 2011 5:57 AM
--------- I agree with pricing for where you sell. It just makes sense. That store already has a customer base willing to pay the price-points in the store. Hopefully. But it's a good place to start.
I wouldn't call SO or SSD "original", but they usually have high quality products. That doesn't mean your store's customers want to pay $7-8 for a kit. There are a LOT of customers who only shop at SO, for example, when they do their $1 market or big sales.
There are a lot of designers who are very successful making high quality, lower cost items, too. Whether you like their styles or not, it doesn't change the fact that they're successful (Connie Prince and Co. always comes to mind here).
You just have to decide what works for you and how you want to market yourself.
Some people price template packs for over $5 - which I think is insane. I prefer to shop with designers who sell them for much less, because I buy them frequently. I buy a ton of templates on $1 days, too.
Thanks to those who chimed in with their DSD sales. I was feeling good about my $300. It's easy to feel discouraged when others post they made $1000 or more.
I wouldn't get discouraged by reading that people made $1000. You never know what the bulk of there sales was derived from.
For instance, I made just under $1000 this past weekend (and no, I am not the poster from above; this is actually my first post about this topic)... but if I come here and just post that number, it doesn't tell the whole story. Truth be told, about 70% or so of the weekend's income was from CU products I sold, and only a small percentage was from my PU items.
I am curious to know if any designer who sold high-volume ($1000ish+) did it just by selling PU items. I will bet you that very few did. I think that PU buyers are still holding their wallets close, and that the only customers who felt justified in making big purchases were designers who viewed their CU purchases as investments in their business. That's my theory, anyway.
This is great info for all designers! I've never thought of asking any serious questions about how you, ie, customers and fellow designers, feel about pricing. Clears up a lot of unanswered questions. It's also nice to see that not everything on this "smack blog" is that... smack. Thanks for some serious chatter!
I think that theory about CU is dead on. I heard something similar from another designer about her sales over the weekend.
I made just under $400 derived (almost) entirely from PU. I am one of the designers who lost her home the weekend before DSD and given that I had to find and load a new to me shop in about 5 days I think that's decent. I did a few giveaways and so forth because I need to make myself known to an entirely new customer base.
On the Wa, you have to understand that only one or two of the 8 are what they buyer is interested in. The other 6 are just too, too, too. Too something that isn't right, and isn't something we'd say in real life. The other thing is that whatever font you can use, we are tired of. Sick to death of. If you didn't pay at least $29.00 for the font, then I don't care what your WA is, I won't buy it.
I don't usually buy templates. All the layering in QOH style makes me dizzy just thinking about; Paislee Press is too simple (seriously, she *sells* those?) Most are actually bad design, and I say that without an art degree, but they look like a mess. If I see somebody's vacation photos in a LO like YIN does, I might buy it, but for the most no.
There are plenty of great designers who sell for $4.00 a kit. Deca, Alice B at Zig Zag, and more I can't think of right now. They sell smaller unique kits, not mini and not the jumbo ones, and their kits often have an alpha.
While it's true I do not have an art degree, I do have a marketing degree. The trick for a full size, nice kit with mostly original items,, and maybe even a couple of stellar items in it is to end up at 4.00 when you are 30% off. (The new releases should be 20 % off in the store for at least the first 3 days and offer free glitter which is totally easy and fast to make, or free templates or whatever is easy for you.) And also offer another 10 % off for your newsletter subscribers/ & facebook fans. That 10% off comes off the 80% total, so you would be actually selling it for something like 27.8% off. The kits should start around 5.29-5.50. If you have a 40% off sale, you are still making decent money, and if you have to go to 40% off (store) and another 10% off (private coupon), then remember it's only 10% off 60% of the kit cost, not 10% off the whole original kit cost.
A lot of designers have a kit at a reasonable price, maybe 4.50, then have value added items like glitter, templates, alphas, masks, plain papers or distressed papers, or other stuff to make a bundle. I've heard the bundle sells really well because it appears less costly to the customer because the kit is so reasonably priced (the thinking being the rest of it is reasonably priced because the designer seems reasonably priced in general.)
You must have your customers on speed dial. Twitter, facebook &/or a newsletter. And to do that, you must occasionally make it worth their while. If you do this, you will not need to kill yourself for DSD and all the other nonsense; you will have a steady income all year as long as your quality and customer service are high; your style doesn't change so much you lose your base; and you seem to be a decent sort of human being, and not a total jerk (thinking DST posts).
I originally posted that I made between $1000-$1200 and I did the majority of that in PU products. I do have some CU in my store and might have sold a CU product or two, but not enough to notice.
I didn't even have much new in my store for the weekend. I just worked my ass off promoting and marketing all weekend long. But, I am an established designer with a lot of different products to choose from, so maybe that helped me, too.
Well I only made around $100 this weekend. I'm fairly new - less than a year and didn't advertise that much. I don't think the store owner advertised that much either actually. I didn't even see a newsletter come out.
My store owner didn't do anything. I advertised not only my items, but our 'events'. The owner 'forgot' to send out the newsletter and has been absent from the forums, so has their 'assistant'. I've been exclusive to this store for a long time and make an OK amount, but their lack of anything makes me want to look elsewhere.
My store owner didn't do anything. I advertised not only my items, but our 'events'. The owner 'forgot' to send out the newsletter and has been absent from the forums, so has their 'assistant'. I've been exclusive to this store for a long time and make an OK amount, but their lack of anything makes me want to look elsewhere.
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Have you approached the store owner about this? If not, you have no right to bitch and complain.
The reference to Paislee Press got me looking and ITA, silly that anyone would buy "templates" that simple! However, even more unbelievable - and maybe this is a typo - but $24 for 4 CU textures??? Am I reading this right?? I understand selling CU for more than PU, but 6 times as much? I wonder if anyone buys them? http://www.oscraps.com/shop/product.php?productid=26579&cat=329&page=4
I know most of the designers at OScraps and none of them have oversized egos, they are some of the sweetest people I know! I can only imagine you got turned down for the store or CT to be so bitter.
I am just an average scrapper, not a designer. I am not active on any CT's, although I have been in the past. I am not active in any "scrapbook community", I don't post on the message boards, and I don't post my layouts online anymore. I read the Digi boards for entertainment, and am constantly amazed at what people share on the internet. I freely admit to reading the scrapbook smack blogs, it is a guilty pleasure.
You can email me at: DSTHallofFame@gmail.com
1,423 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 1401 – 1423 of 1423I've got a question about pricing. A few actually. lol. If you saw a kit that looked visually pleasing on the preview and was priced at $4, would you think you were getting a good deal or that it was inferior to the same kit if it was priced at say... $5.49? Also, how much is a fair price for a 4 page template pack? $3? $4? $5? What about wordart? If someone has 4 pieces in a pack and priced at $2.50 vs 6-8 pieces at $3. I've been wanting to release some of my products at a new store and i'm not sure on pricing. I thought i'd get an honest answer here before going to the store owner. Be honest. My products are high quality and fairly original. You could compare my style to that of Sweet Shoppe or Scrap Orchard.
I'll be honest. I wouldn't spend more than $3.00 for a pack of even 8 wordarts.
For 4 templates I think $3-4 is reasonable. If I see a kit I like and it's packaged in a pleasing way and has lots of CT inspiration I'd pay $6-8 no problem as long as it had an alpha and 8-10 papers and 20+ original elements.Of course, I would hope for a nice little newsletter coupon of 20% towards my purchase, I love coupons. The way a kit is presented is very important to me, I can't stand the kits where the elements are on a square, I want to see the elements on the papers.
I price my products to be competitive within the store where I sell - not in-line with what others stores price. I price my full size kits typically in the $5-6 range depending on quantity of elements.
Anyone who thinks cheaper kits are a sign of poor quality isn't really looking at the big picture. If it's a $3 in a mid-top shop, it's probably at least good quality, regardless of price. If it's at Stuff to Scrap, it's probably not worth $.03.
I've got a question about pricing. A few actually. lol. If you saw a kit that looked visually pleasing on the preview and was priced at $4, would you think you were getting a good deal or that it was inferior to the same kit if it was priced at say... $5.49? Also, how much is a fair price for a 4 page template pack? $3? $4? $5? What about wordart? If someone has 4 pieces in a pack and priced at $2.50 vs 6-8 pieces at $3. I've been wanting to release some of my products at a new store and i'm not sure on pricing. I thought i'd get an honest answer here before going to the store owner. Be honest. My products are high quality and fairly original. You could compare my style to that of Sweet Shoppe or Scrap Orchard.
November 8, 2011 5:57 AM
---------
I agree with pricing for where you sell. It just makes sense. That store already has a customer base willing to pay the price-points in the store. Hopefully. But it's a good place to start.
I wouldn't call SO or SSD "original", but they usually have high quality products. That doesn't mean your store's customers want to pay $7-8 for a kit. There are a LOT of customers who only shop at SO, for example, when they do their $1 market or big sales.
There are a lot of designers who are very successful making high quality, lower cost items, too. Whether you like their styles or not, it doesn't change the fact that they're successful (Connie Prince and Co. always comes to mind here).
You just have to decide what works for you and how you want to market yourself.
Some people price template packs for over $5 - which I think is insane. I prefer to shop with designers who sell them for much less, because I buy them frequently. I buy a ton of templates on $1 days, too.
Thanks to those who chimed in with their DSD sales. I was feeling good about my $300. It's easy to feel discouraged when others post they made $1000 or more.
I wouldn't get discouraged by reading that people made $1000. You never know what the bulk of there sales was derived from.
For instance, I made just under $1000 this past weekend (and no, I am not the poster from above; this is actually my first post about this topic)... but if I come here and just post that number, it doesn't tell the whole story. Truth be told, about 70% or so of the weekend's income was from CU products I sold, and only a small percentage was from my PU items.
I am curious to know if any designer who sold high-volume ($1000ish+) did it just by selling PU items. I will bet you that very few did. I think that PU buyers are still holding their wallets close, and that the only customers who felt justified in making big purchases were designers who viewed their CU purchases as investments in their business. That's my theory, anyway.
^^^
I meant... the bulk of "their" sales (not there). It's early. Eeek.
I sold just under $1000 in only PU sales DSD weekend. I also worked my ass off. I always wish I made more, but am happy overall with my sales.
I don't sell at SO or SSD, but I'm sure their sales were higher than little "no-name" me.
This is great info for all designers! I've never thought of asking any serious questions about how you, ie, customers and fellow designers, feel about pricing. Clears up a lot of unanswered questions. It's also nice to see that not everything on this "smack blog" is that... smack. Thanks for some serious chatter!
^^^^^
I think that theory about CU is dead on. I heard something similar from another designer about her sales over the weekend.
I made just under $400 derived (almost) entirely from PU. I am one of the designers who lost her home the weekend before DSD and given that I had to find and load a new to me shop in about 5 days I think that's decent. I did a few giveaways and so forth because I need to make myself known to an entirely new customer base.
On the Wa, you have to understand that only one or two of the 8 are what they buyer is interested in. The other 6 are just too, too, too. Too something that isn't right, and isn't something we'd say in real life. The other thing is that whatever font you can use, we are tired of. Sick to death of. If you didn't pay at least $29.00 for the font, then I don't care what your WA is, I won't buy it.
I don't usually buy templates. All the layering in QOH style makes me dizzy just thinking about; Paislee Press is too simple (seriously, she *sells* those?) Most are actually bad design, and I say that without an art degree, but they look like a mess. If I see somebody's vacation photos in a LO like YIN does, I might buy it, but for the most no.
There are plenty of great designers who sell for $4.00 a kit. Deca, Alice B at Zig Zag, and more I can't think of right now. They sell smaller unique kits, not mini and not the jumbo ones, and their kits often have an alpha.
While it's true I do not have an art degree, I do have a marketing degree. The trick for a full size, nice kit with mostly original items,, and maybe even a couple of stellar items in it is to end up at 4.00 when you are 30% off. (The new releases should be 20 % off in the store for at least the first 3 days and offer free glitter which is totally easy and fast to make, or free templates or whatever is easy for you.) And also offer another 10 % off for your newsletter subscribers/ & facebook fans. That 10% off comes off the 80% total, so you would be actually selling it for something like 27.8% off. The kits should start around 5.29-5.50. If you have a 40% off sale, you are still making decent money, and if you have to go to 40% off (store) and another 10% off (private coupon), then remember it's only 10% off 60% of the kit cost, not 10% off the whole original kit cost.
A lot of designers have a kit at a reasonable price, maybe 4.50, then have value added items like glitter, templates, alphas, masks, plain papers or distressed papers, or other stuff to make a bundle. I've heard the bundle sells really well because it appears less costly to the customer because the kit is so reasonably priced (the thinking being the rest of it is reasonably priced because the designer seems reasonably priced in general.)
You must have your customers on speed dial. Twitter, facebook &/or a newsletter. And to do that, you must occasionally make it worth their while. If you do this, you will not need to kill yourself for DSD and all the other nonsense; you will have a steady income all year as long as your quality and customer service are high; your style doesn't change so much you lose your base; and you seem to be a decent sort of human being, and not a total jerk (thinking DST posts).
I originally posted that I made between $1000-$1200 and I did the majority of that in PU products. I do have some CU in my store and might have sold a CU product or two, but not enough to notice.
I didn't even have much new in my store for the weekend. I just worked my ass off promoting and marketing all weekend long. But, I am an established designer with a lot of different products to choose from, so maybe that helped me, too.
Well I only made around $100 this weekend. I'm fairly new - less than a year and didn't advertise that much. I don't think the store owner advertised that much either actually. I didn't even see a newsletter come out.
My store owner didn't do anything. I advertised not only my items, but our 'events'. The owner 'forgot' to send out the newsletter and has been absent from the forums, so has their 'assistant'. I've been exclusive to this store for a long time and make an OK amount, but their lack of anything makes me want to look elsewhere.
My store owner didn't do anything. I advertised not only my items, but our 'events'. The owner 'forgot' to send out the newsletter and has been absent from the forums, so has their 'assistant'. I've been exclusive to this store for a long time and make an OK amount, but their lack of anything makes me want to look elsewhere.
-----------
Have you approached the store owner about this? If not, you have no right to bitch and complain.
Have you approached the store owner about this? If not, you have no right to bitch and complain.
*******
Yeah, store owners can be as crappy as they want to be as long as no one calls them on it.
The reference to Paislee Press got me looking and ITA, silly that anyone would buy "templates" that simple!
However, even more unbelievable - and maybe this is a typo - but $24 for 4 CU textures??? Am I reading this right?? I understand selling CU for more than PU, but 6 times as much? I wonder if anyone buys them?
http://www.oscraps.com/shop/product.php?productid=26579&cat=329&page=4
^^^ that $24 would be marketed towards the big manufacturers, not lowly digi designers, I expect.
OS has always been overpriced. It comes from over sized egos I think.
Over sized egos? Who?
I know most of the designers at OScraps and none of them have oversized egos, they are some of the sweetest people I know! I can only imagine you got turned down for the store or CT to be so bitter.
^^^^^^
I agree!
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