Hi! I hope you are having a lovely day. It's beautiful and sunny in Montreal today and I'm sitting just beside my window enjoying the sun!
I'm also giving some serious thought to the fact that I need to make some price adjustments ASAP. This, to keep my business in the growing path and I'd like for this year to make lost of innovations to apply to my jewelry and make new designs that I have in my sketch book and in my head. I also would like to enter the world of retail as I've been approached by amazing shops that are interested in carrying my work and so far I haven't been able to say yes to them because of lack of time but most importantly because I have to make adjustments to make it worth for me and my business.
Most importantly, I'd like to keep offering this personal touch that I love so much about what I do and the way I do it: I like to take time in every piece I make, to finish it just the way I envision it and to deliver a beautiful piece of jewelry to every costumer. A piece that will not be forgotten in a drawer but will be enjoyed for a long time, not only for the beautiful and simplicity of its design but for the quality on its craftsmanship.
And to be able to maintain my mission, I have to adjust and raise some of my prices.
I'll be doing this in the next couple weeks, as I study each one of my pieces to see in detail where improvements need to be made and taking factors like time into real consideration for pricing.
At the end, I truly believe this changes will not only be beneficial to the growth of my business but to the person who buy my jewelry as well: I want my costumers to keep enjoying a special and unique piece of jewelry, made specially for them, with great craftsmanship and I also want for them to obtain a beautiful keepsake and not something disposable :)
I'd love to hear what you think about handmade & pricing! and as a costumer but also as a small business owner, what does handmade mean to you? thanks so much for your comments bellow ;)
Iveth! te cuento como vendedora (nueva en etsy pero no en el rubro)q opino exactamente igual q vos, y q lo vengo aplicando dsd siempre. Acá en Argentina no es facil el tema precios por una cuestion de realidad economica que pasa el pais. Pero sinceramente yo me tomo TODO el tiempo del mundo para hacer CADA pieza, buscando, no se si la perfeccion pero toda mi dedicacion para que la persona q se lo lleve, si bien pague un precio no tan accesible, se este llevando la calidad q justifique el precio. Por otro lado el metal esta caro, y es una realidad, si le sumamos tambien que realizar las cosas integramente a mano o poner todo de vos para el diseño de la pieza, todo eso tiene un valor. Y quedate tranquila q yo aprendi q el que realmente quiera la pieza lo va a pagar, porq va a sentir el amor y la dedicacion q le pongo a cada trabajo. Y eso es impagable, sobretodo tambien para nosotras q somos quienes diseñamos y realizamos la pieza, saber que eso que te costo una cantidad de horas se va con la persona que DEBIA SER. Saludos desde Sudamerica :D
ReplyDeleteHola Guada! muchisimas gracias por tu comentario tan chido!
DeletePienso exactamente igual que tu y tambien valoro tu situacion ya que estas en las mismas que yo. Una vez recibi un etsy-convo preguntandome por que vendia en $140 dlls una pieza de plata? y sabes, ahi todo quedo super claro para mi: ese precio no es por que yo este vendiendo una pieza de plata, yo estoy vendiendo mi trabajo, mi tiempo, mi saber, mi artesania, mi propio diseno y ahi mismo van unos pocos de suenos e ilusiones, por que estar vendiendo algo que no solo nacio en tu corazon y mente sino que tambien fue hecho por tus manos, es en mi opinion, una de las cosas mas valiosas que existen :)
Y tengo la confianza que las personas que aprecian mi trabajo lo entienden!
Abrazos y suerte con todo!
Hiya! We are a small business too, and everything we do is also handmade. We were just having the discussion on whether to bump our prices up or not. While we love having very reasonable pricing we feel we may also be undercutting ourselves. It's tough but what we do is personal and involves a relationship with the buyer- making a more intimate and personal transaction. I think you were very nice and polite in making this post explaining why. We may just do the same! ~Cheers
ReplyDeleteHi Eugenia!
DeleteYou made a great point: sometimes is easy to undercut ourselves in the hopes of giving a better price! and the thing is that in doing so, I truly believe we are left with less time/energy to make what we do truly valuable.
Thank you so much for your opinion! I wish you the best!!!
Hey Iveth! After the new year I decided to upgrade the quality of materials and with it came a pretty big price bump. After the holidays I realized I was getting a little overwhelmed with keeping up with my "day job" as a student and working overtime at home to stay on top of shop orders. To address this, I increased my prices and decided to focus more on quality instead of quantity. This has worked well for me in the past few months, I am more comfortable where I am and can take more time for my studies and personal life :) Good luck with your changes!!
ReplyDeleteSasha (whatnomints)
Hi Sasha!
DeleteI think that's the key, right?! if we want to keep enjoying what we do we have to allow ourselves to have time for family, friends, school and of course, a lazy afternoon ;) Thank you so much for your opinion!
I think you're absolutely right. If you need to adjust and raise some of your prices, so that you can improve them and grow your business, I say: do it! Your work is really amazing and I'm sure this is only going to make it better. I adore handmade products, especially if I know the products are created with tons of dedication and love.
ReplyDeleteHi Camila!
DeleteIt's great to read the opinion of someone who enjoys to buy handmade products and to know the qualities you look in them.
Thank you so much for your comment!
Hello :) I think it's alright to raise prices for your jewelry made with love- they are so pretty!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Erin! :D thanks for visiting my blog!!
DeleteQue buen post Iveth! y que buena decisión! tú trabajo es totalmente hermoso y hecho con mucho cuidado, es necesario darle el valor justo y estoy segura que tus clientes no tendrán problema. Yo estoy pensando hacer lo mismo paulatinamente, es mucho trabajo y uno a veces se olvida del valor del mismo con afán de hacerlo más accesible a los clientes, pero no funciona así, la gente paga por algo bien hecho y eso implica mucho mejor trabajo! :D aplausos!!!!
ReplyDeletei love your honest approach to your business. you have to do what you think is best, no worries! i just found your shop and think it's lovely :)
ReplyDeleteThank you!!
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