in my opion and just mine it all depends on you and how much time and wood and baldes you got invested in it  but i will say if it is a all ready made pattern thats not bad but if you have to make the patterns i would charge more and to be honest i have not seen anyone that has made costom portits charge that little more like 50 to 150 buxs i know myself i wont do a pattern i got to get made for less than 75.00 hope it helps god bless and happy sawdust making

O.K. maybe this will a better way of asking.If the group members who are selling at shows or through a web site can just post their lowest price & highest priced item,that way I can get an average of what the going prices are.Just the prices and where you are,just the state or provinc is good.Any help on this is greatly appreciated.Will look back at the thread in a couple of days.

 

Thanks for your time everybody.

 

Scrollpyro (Mike C.)

This is my e-mail for those members that don't want their price information given out.

[email protected]

 

scrollpyro

This is just my opinion from over 4 yrs of doing shows...

People have a somewhat strange perception of what art costs... the have been lead to believe that inexpensive items are not art and expensive ones are..

To give you an interesting example... amongst woodturners there is a saying "If it won't hold soup it is art".. this means that some of the bowls and items we turn that end up having voids and holes because of bark inclusions or other "artistic mistakes", in other words something we would not use at our kitchen table even though it started out for it, now becomes artwork and demands a higher price.

I have turned some pens that needed "redesign" due to faults in either the wood or my technique.  The redesign might be the addition of a different wood to fill a void or maybe some stone powder and epoxy.  These pens were "MISTAKES".. they were not supposed to look that way... buy low and behold.. I got higher prices for them than the same pen in the same wood that come out "PERFECT".

My custom portraits start at $50 and go up from there.  Some of it depends on the complexity of the pattern that I need to design and therefore the amount of time needed to cut it.  Last year I did a custom piece of someone's drag racer.. nasty pattern to work on... final cost $150 in 11x14 with a WalMart frame... he was overjoyed with it..

Do not undersell yourself... but also remember the final pricing also depends on the local that you are selling your items.  I live in Western MD.. this is farm country.. not a lot of rich farmers.. but it is also a commuting community for Baltimore and DC.  I have my pens and other turnings at our local farm market during the months of Nov-Jan... the market is only open on Saturdays from 6AM-Noon in Nov and Jan and 6AM-2PM in Dec.  So far with only 2 weekend under my belt I have sold $300 in pens and other turned items.

Basically look at your market, if you think the economy can handle the price, go for it.. if you are in a depressed area, you might need to rethink your pricing...

But in the long run, I have found that people will pay for quality.

Tom

http://www.oldgriz.biz

Tom thank you so much for taking the time to tell me your opinion. As I see it, at this time the area that I live in is under going a change.Where there once was fields is now $200.000.00 homes and higher going up.Your story got me thinking about what people perceive as art and the price they are willing to pay. The one thing I have noticed is these home owners are not buying crap from wal-mart, just the basics food,clothes, cd's stuff like that. I have some work ahead of me to figure out what these home owner would like for there walls.

 

Once again Tom thank you for your insight.You have gotten me to look at the other side of the scroll saw business and the art of wood working.

 

Mike C. (scrollpyro)

Mike~

 

I'll throw in my opinion for what it is worth, but I have to qualify it a bit so you understand what I am saying. To just answer your question the lowest priced piece in my booth is $65.00 the most expensive is $1250.00.... the most expensive piece I have ever sold was $450 and they didn't blink an eye. Now to clarify a bit... first of all I travel all over (roughly a 10 hour circle) which encompasses as far north as Michigan down to Central Florida all the way to the East coast and as far west as Arkansas. I am extremely picky when it comes to the shows I do. I NEVER do a show that is not juried. I apply to about 70 of the top 200 shows in the country. I have spent a great deal of money on my booth and my display to make it resemble a small art gallery. I frame and mat everything I cut in "expensive" frames. I spend about $16 for double mats, glass and the frame for an 11 x 14 but I can add 35-40 dollars just for the framing. I found a frame wholesaler here and since I buy so many frames I get really good prices. My custom work starts at $100 plus shipping  for an 8 x 10 in a $ 2.50 wal mart frame and goes up from there. You can get by with the higher prices if you invest a little and work a lot. It sounds like a headache and sometimes it is, but I have been making my living with my saw and my designs for 6 months now, so it can be done. That old saying if you build it they will come has certainly worked for me. If I can be of any futher assistance to any of you that do shows or if you have more questions Mike feel free to e-mail me: [email protected]

 

Hope that helps at least a little

 

Shadez

Shadez

 

Thank you for the info on what you do. It sounds like you got a system that works for you.Your prices are about the same as some of the other members.I'm leaning more toward opening a store up. I can't really go to craft shows because there is very little shows put on in Ontario,Canada and I would not make enough money to pay for the gas. From everything I'm reading about craft shows in the U.S. you people have a good thing going, everybody supports everybody.You are all linked together as one big family down there and that is one thing that makes scrolling work.Up here I have ran in to people that just want to make money, and not think about making  the scrolling community in Canada stronger. I rely on the U.S. scrolling community for pricing on what I do. I have a web site, which is a big part of my business and if I open a store I will link that to the web site. The store will have on site wood working, the customer will be able to get some small scroll saw works made well they wait. That gives them the chance to look around and buy some more stuff.

 

Thanks again and thanks to Sherri & Al for you help.

 

scrollpyro.

Example of some of my pricing can be seen at.  www.picturetrail.com/ronadams

 

 

 

 

Mike

You know I don't know. The projects set on my saw and I cut a little now and again and quite when I am out of the mood.  You might be interested to know that my cedar projects are cut from cedar fence pickets that I pick up at Home Depot. I don't have to even plane them just sand them with 80-or 100 grit in my palm sander. I get a 4X6 picket for $1.99

 

Ron

I forgot to add. I give my customers their choice of Oak or Cedar and they almost every time ask for Cedar. Oh well

 

Ron

Ron thanks,I went to your site and you do some very nice work and I got some ideas for pricing from it.Thanks for sharing

 

scrollpyro