Sometimes we will get one of two comments from a customer:
1. “Wow, the prices on your kits are so reasonable.”
2. “Why are your kit prices so high?”
(Filed under: You Can’t Win No Matter What You Do)
A lot of factors go into pricing a kit that have nothing to do with the cost of be raw materials.
First and foremost, you’re paying for the design itself and the instructions for the design. How much a design is “worth” is kind of subjective and varies with individual designers. Then hours and hours of work go into writing instructions and drawing diagrams that are easy to understand. Patterns are printed, so add the cost of paper and laser ink toner. You would not believe how much printer toner we go through – at almost $900 a set.
When you see us at a show, most people don’t think about the our costs (and generally, they shouldn’t!). But those costs must also factor into our kits. Consider our most recent show, Bead Fest in Philadelphia.
- Jill drove so that we would have all of our merchandise: Austin to King of Prussia: 1,663 miles each way.Our car, the wonderful Element, gets 22-24 miles per gallon. Cost of gas: $500+
- Several days of hotel driving to and from Philadelphia. Cost of hotels: $400+
- I flew to Philadelphia for two reasons: so the animals wouldn’t be alone as long, and because the car was packed from floor to ceiling. Cost of airfare: $250
- Which reminds me – we had to get a pet sitter for the 6 days I was gone. Cost: $150
- Booth space at the show: $
- Hotel while we we were at the show: $700
- Cost of meals on the road. Who knows?
When we’re home, we have costs to subscribe to a postage system, and mailing costs themselves. When the economy tanked, we started doing free shipping, but did not raise any prices. Additionally, we have all the smaller fees: for the website, for