"...you'lll make it...you'll be a good potter, you will." After watching so many of your videos i needed to make a comment to thank you for your generosity sharing your valuable knowledge, thoughts, ideas...hugs from Paris.
Simon , excellent points on pricing, , Thanks, when making a teapot it's like making 4 pots with ,lid , spout, handle, etc. so they are time consuming , and expensive. The buyer sometimes needs to hear this to be educated. Also a large vase or bowl, can pay as much as a teapot ,and much less time to make , as you know. Time preparing glazes ,and firing must be added ,too. As a beginner potter, I would try to show only my best pots , for sale, be a bit selective Great videos ,
At some point I will need to sell some pottery. It is accumulating very fast. I'm a new Potter and my work isn't 1st rate...YET, so I'm neverous about putting it out there and being rejected.
im with you on that haha im in 10th grade and bought a wheel and lovin it, and an art show at my school is comin up were i hope to sell a few of my products
Have you ever sold a low priced piece and felt grieved afterwards, that is your gut saying it was too low! It's a lousy feeling to underprice your work. I understand the need to make money to support ones craft but it shouldn't be at the expense of your own self worth. I think it's more dangerous to underprice than overprice.
Simon, you are a gem, I truly appreciate the work you do!
Un tema que estara siempre vigente, como lograr el balance? Creo que un potter de USA ,Jeff zamek escribio "cada vez que uno manipula una pieza, le sube el precio". por eso los bowls, que no llevan manijas ni tapa ni decoracion especial pueden ser de un precio mas bajo.Tambien es importante que uno mismo defina a que publico quiere llegar, y eso define en donde lo va a vender, luego que capacidad de compra tiene ese publico.
Hello Simon. Long answers needed here but I will keep it short. One method I use is to look at Profit Margin (After paying for everything keeping the shop going)=wage. How much money does ones family need to keep going is then the amount of profit needed to break that monthly nut . My nut is $12000 a month. I go back to quantity I can make (how long each pot takes ) and go from there . Because I live in a very expensive place my pots have to be a bit more money and I say that to my customers .
regarding pricing, a fellow potter once said to me. "If you don't value your work, others will not see value in it either." The value that we put on the price tag can in some cases reflect our level of pride and confidence in our own work.
yes, i do agree too , i use to blow glass in a class i was taking in college. and kids were selling there works that they like for about 20 dollars for a nice vase. and i would think to myself. i would rather give them away to people who really and trully wanted them. like family and friend, that to sell them to strangers who are buying them , just cuz they are cheap , and not really caring about the craftmanship that goes into it , and the work.only turning out about 2 pieces a week
I just needed to hear this info. I'm a beginner and not feeling very confident! But someone offert me to work together and I think that's great for now. This person knows the comercial world for years but want to go back to basic. Here in my region it will be difficult to sell i think. Most of the people react that they have more stuff for the same price at IKEA!!! It will be a struggle to build up a pottery but it's my goal as it also is to come to a course Simon. I hope to come in 2010!
It is also important to be aware of what other potters are selling their ware for and ensure you are pricing your pots in a similar range. There can be hard feelings and bickering amongst potters who feel they are being undersold.
Fantastic, this is a great topic! I have also been struggling re pricing. Some people think whoaa that's too expensive while another person about the same piece says you are selling stuff too cheaply...tricky tricky tricky. I do think its really great to think about, "what would I pay for this piece". I do find is very difficult to price my things.
Thanks for that topic. Fantastic videos and I am feeling very inspired after watching them and do get lots of great ideas.
Simon - Great videos. I consider your videos some of the best practical resources on pottery to be found anywhere....
I think a lot of potters (me included) suffer from a lack of confidence that is reflected in our approach to pricing. We have to be strong and confident!
I would also be interested in seeing you address the subject of managing the work in your studio - what is a typical day for your studio, how you manage workflow,etc. You seem to manage it all with ease...
Thank you Simon for doing this pair of videos on pricing, it has been a huge dilemma for me as well. New to making and selling pottery, I have found it difficult to put value to my work, as have as such undervalued it. Even local potters who have been doing well for a few years I have found also undervalue their work, work and people I look up to. It seems to come down to a personal perspective as well, how you feel about your worth. I think we all need to put a lot of pride into our work.
Lastly, those of you that have been potting for a short period of time, look at the number of years Simon and others have been at this. That TIME is what makes them tremendous potters. We should ALL buy Simon a beer (and more) for his dedication to educating us "want-a-b's." A true maestro!
Simon, you need to collate all your videos into a DVD video series. (hopefully you kept your master videos)
To you Simon, much thanks and admiration. We all THANK YOU for your time and dedication.
I was hoping to hear that hand crafted pottery was more excepted there.
If there was a market here for alot of standard ware I might do more but I do better wth one-offs or pieces that are repeated to much. It's disheartning to make pottery to sell for the sake of selling alone. I admit I have made citchy things, for a lower price point!
I would rather give my pottery away to those who appreciate it, and instist on paying for it, then to try to sell it to the lowest bickerer!
I think the area in which one lives and sells his or her work can affect pricing as well. I live an hour south of Santa Fe, New Mexico. In Santa Fe, it is possible to sell work for much higher prices than in other parts of the state because of Santa Fe's reputation as an "international art and tourist destination". If I priced my pots locally for what they would bring in Santa Fe, I would never be able to sell them. People here, even tourists, don't want to pay Santa Fe prices.
Great video. Something for those new to pricing: start low! It's easy to raise your prices if you find pots flying off of your shelves, but I've found people don't react well to lowering prices. The earlier buyers feel cheated. Something to keep in mind when you're sitting down with price tags.
I think when we are new to pricing we can tend to undervalue our work.Sometimes some honest appraisal is good medicine & can assist us . Better quality alround should fetch higher price !? SL
thanks Simon for your words of wisdom. As you say it is a balancing act and I think it also can be influenced by where you sell - craft fair, gift event, website, shop/retail, gallery etc - each attracts different customers and it just adds to the pricing dilemma!
Across the range of what we sell & where we sell it there must be some kind of consistency, is what I want to aim for. There will always be exceptions however, that extra special pot that the kiln has blessed ...SL
Hi! Glad to have you back! This is an interesting but, as you said, difficult subject. It takes some time to find balance in ones pricing. When I started I ran around looking at other potters (scandalous) prices. Some even said "higher your prices and people buy more". But it didnt work for me. When I lowered people started to buy. I too think its much better to have attractive prices and get your things sold and out (struggle). But unfortunate many colleagues do not like that at all = dilemma
Simon!, tu eres un Leach!, y eso es muy importante en el mundo de la cerámica, tener una pieza de un Leach, hoy por hoy, no debe de cuestionarse su precio.
Pricing is a mindset. Presentation and attitude have a lot to do with it. If you are confident that your prices are correct, don't change them. Don't negotiate with anyone. Eventually when you find the customer that likes your work and will pay your price, they will tell their friends. Then you will have more of the right customer. Don't give your work away. No matter how much you lower your price, someone will always want to pay less.
Thanks Simon, I can not decide how much to charge. I sometimes price a large bowl for about $10 US, since I am a beginner, and I ask the interested person how much they would pay for it. I sold what I thought was a $10 bowl for $60! They were very satisfied. It seems I price my work too low, but others think its worth more. Thats my delema! Thanks so much.
There you you under priced yourself ! but you are not so different. I like the comments of 'smathewspots' below pricing is a 'mindset'. He is dead right . SL
Simon why do you feel the people in your area buy your pieces? For instansts do you feel the people the culture, of Spain is more excepting of hand made pottery in general. Many people in our area don't appreciate our hand made pottery because they grew up with the very inexspensive pottery in their country.
The pottery from Mexico it's
very beautiful, but lets face it their pottery is " Dirt Cheap " pardon the pun. Many of the younger generations just want new fancier machine made pottery.
I think here in Spain & perhaps in many other parts of the world the problem when it comes to selling is that people dont look at pottery as an 'art form' , but just a craft of the peasants if you understand me.The public are ignorant in general I think is true to say...some places like Japan its a different story ! Perhaps we need to put more 'artesania' into our work , a word i like because it means 'healthy art' ,as opposed to 'phoney art' or 'phart ' as my elder brother John desribes it ! SL
The only thing that came to when I saw your twin pots is, if they had a top to them, they could be used as a pepper and salt cruet for the table. they would be desireable.
"...you'lll make it...you'll be a good potter, you will." After watching so many of your videos i needed to make a comment to thank you for your generosity sharing your valuable knowledge, thoughts, ideas...hugs from Paris.
Soraya.
meripyare 1 month ago
Simon , excellent points on pricing, , Thanks, when making a teapot it's like making 4 pots with ,lid , spout, handle, etc. so they are time consuming , and expensive. The buyer sometimes needs to hear this to be educated. Also a large vase or bowl, can pay as much as a teapot ,and much less time to make , as you know. Time preparing glazes ,and firing must be added ,too. As a beginner potter, I would try to show only my best pots , for sale, be a bit selective Great videos ,
Dean600 9 months ago
Simon, pricing is a valid subject to bring up and I thank you for taking the step of actually doing this work and talking about it.
It's art, an open subject, and if you're good maybe you will sell. If not, go to pottery barn which unfortunately most people do. God love um.
Joytoy236 2 years ago
Yes, I know that feeling when a pot is sold at too low a price. Thanks for speaking on pots that are deserving of more consideration.
duchampdeb 2 years ago
porque no estudie ingles????
jpgjorgelina 2 years ago
At some point I will need to sell some pottery. It is accumulating very fast. I'm a new Potter and my work isn't 1st rate...YET, so I'm neverous about putting it out there and being rejected.
MauiCin 3 years ago
im with you on that haha im in 10th grade and bought a wheel and lovin it, and an art show at my school is comin up were i hope to sell a few of my products
robsparty78 2 years ago
we do struggle that is for sure
xhellabentx 3 years ago
Love your work thanks for posting your videos
xhellabentx 3 years ago
i have learned pricing my wood turnings from this Thanks
xhellabentx 3 years ago
Hello Simon
Through my years as prof potter I developed aan Excel-sheet for pricing pottery.
It gives a lot of insight in the questions that appear, when a potter is "pricing of his pots".
It helps me a lot.
If you want, I'll share it with you with pleasure.
Frans
fransvdb 3 years ago
Have you ever sold a low priced piece and felt grieved afterwards, that is your gut saying it was too low! It's a lousy feeling to underprice your work. I understand the need to make money to support ones craft but it shouldn't be at the expense of your own self worth. I think it's more dangerous to underprice than overprice.
Simon, you are a gem, I truly appreciate the work you do!
Sheila
sullicorbitt 3 years ago
Hi S - I agree with what you say , & underpricing especially ! Its getting the balance right isn't it ! SL
sleachpots 3 years ago
Un tema que estara siempre vigente, como lograr el balance? Creo que un potter de USA ,Jeff zamek escribio "cada vez que uno manipula una pieza, le sube el precio". por eso los bowls, que no llevan manijas ni tapa ni decoracion especial pueden ser de un precio mas bajo.Tambien es importante que uno mismo defina a que publico quiere llegar, y eso define en donde lo va a vender, luego que capacidad de compra tiene ese publico.
Gracias pór los videos. Marta
martapots 3 years ago
Marta mi gusta sus opiniones ., SL
sleachpots 3 years ago
Hello Simon. Long answers needed here but I will keep it short. One method I use is to look at Profit Margin (After paying for everything keeping the shop going)=wage. How much money does ones family need to keep going is then the amount of profit needed to break that monthly nut . My nut is $12000 a month. I go back to quantity I can make (how long each pot takes ) and go from there . Because I live in a very expensive place my pots have to be a bit more money and I say that to my customers .
guywolff 3 years ago
regarding pricing, a fellow potter once said to me. "If you don't value your work, others will not see value in it either." The value that we put on the price tag can in some cases reflect our level of pride and confidence in our own work.
wphlea 3 years ago 3
I think that there is a lot of wisdom in that comment . SL
sleachpots 3 years ago
yes, i do agree too , i use to blow glass in a class i was taking in college. and kids were selling there works that they like for about 20 dollars for a nice vase. and i would think to myself. i would rather give them away to people who really and trully wanted them. like family and friend, that to sell them to strangers who are buying them , just cuz they are cheap , and not really caring about the craftmanship that goes into it , and the work.only turning out about 2 pieces a week
whatleymattu 3 years ago
I just needed to hear this info. I'm a beginner and not feeling very confident! But someone offert me to work together and I think that's great for now. This person knows the comercial world for years but want to go back to basic. Here in my region it will be difficult to sell i think. Most of the people react that they have more stuff for the same price at IKEA!!! It will be a struggle to build up a pottery but it's my goal as it also is to come to a course Simon. I hope to come in 2010!
Annemasque 3 years ago
It is also important to be aware of what other potters are selling their ware for and ensure you are pricing your pots in a similar range. There can be hard feelings and bickering amongst potters who feel they are being undersold.
hedley3645972810 3 years ago
Fantastic, this is a great topic! I have also been struggling re pricing. Some people think whoaa that's too expensive while another person about the same piece says you are selling stuff too cheaply...tricky tricky tricky. I do think its really great to think about, "what would I pay for this piece". I do find is very difficult to price my things.
Thanks for that topic. Fantastic videos and I am feeling very inspired after watching them and do get lots of great ideas.
Cheers,Julia Franz, Oz
juliafranz72 3 years ago
Simon - Great videos. I consider your videos some of the best practical resources on pottery to be found anywhere....
I think a lot of potters (me included) suffer from a lack of confidence that is reflected in our approach to pricing. We have to be strong and confident!
I would also be interested in seeing you address the subject of managing the work in your studio - what is a typical day for your studio, how you manage workflow,etc. You seem to manage it all with ease...
sanderson32 3 years ago
Thanks for your generous comments ! Yes maybe thats a good topic for some clips ! SL
sleachpots 3 years ago
Thank you Simon for doing this pair of videos on pricing, it has been a huge dilemma for me as well. New to making and selling pottery, I have found it difficult to put value to my work, as have as such undervalued it. Even local potters who have been doing well for a few years I have found also undervalue their work, work and people I look up to. It seems to come down to a personal perspective as well, how you feel about your worth. I think we all need to put a lot of pride into our work.
grimwurks 3 years ago
Will you show us how you pack for shipping, also?
I guess I need to go to your web site and find out how much you sell those items for.
Gloria
glohearth 3 years ago
Thanks Gloria for that idea for a clip ! SL
sleachpots 3 years ago
Lastly, those of you that have been potting for a short period of time, look at the number of years Simon and others have been at this. That TIME is what makes them tremendous potters. We should ALL buy Simon a beer (and more) for his dedication to educating us "want-a-b's." A true maestro!
Simon, you need to collate all your videos into a DVD video series. (hopefully you kept your master videos)
To you Simon, much thanks and admiration. We all THANK YOU for your time and dedication.
ClydeB3 3 years ago
Thanks Simon,
I was hoping to hear that hand crafted pottery was more excepted there.
If there was a market here for alot of standard ware I might do more but I do better wth one-offs or pieces that are repeated to much. It's disheartning to make pottery to sell for the sake of selling alone. I admit I have made citchy things, for a lower price point!
I would rather give my pottery away to those who appreciate it, and instist on paying for it, then to try to sell it to the lowest bickerer!
DASRAY 3 years ago
I think the area in which one lives and sells his or her work can affect pricing as well. I live an hour south of Santa Fe, New Mexico. In Santa Fe, it is possible to sell work for much higher prices than in other parts of the state because of Santa Fe's reputation as an "international art and tourist destination". If I priced my pots locally for what they would bring in Santa Fe, I would never be able to sell them. People here, even tourists, don't want to pay Santa Fe prices.
jcmudpuppy 3 years ago
Wise words
Redshift21 3 years ago
Great video. Something for those new to pricing: start low! It's easy to raise your prices if you find pots flying off of your shelves, but I've found people don't react well to lowering prices. The earlier buyers feel cheated. Something to keep in mind when you're sitting down with price tags.
CheshKitsu 3 years ago
I think when we are new to pricing we can tend to undervalue our work.Sometimes some honest appraisal is good medicine & can assist us . Better quality alround should fetch higher price !? SL
sleachpots 3 years ago
thanks Simon for your words of wisdom. As you say it is a balancing act and I think it also can be influenced by where you sell - craft fair, gift event, website, shop/retail, gallery etc - each attracts different customers and it just adds to the pricing dilemma!
madpotter1 3 years ago
Across the range of what we sell & where we sell it there must be some kind of consistency, is what I want to aim for. There will always be exceptions however, that extra special pot that the kiln has blessed ...SL
sleachpots 3 years ago
Hi! Glad to have you back! This is an interesting but, as you said, difficult subject. It takes some time to find balance in ones pricing. When I started I ran around looking at other potters (scandalous) prices. Some even said "higher your prices and people buy more". But it didnt work for me. When I lowered people started to buy. I too think its much better to have attractive prices and get your things sold and out (struggle). But unfortunate many colleagues do not like that at all = dilemma
kruklena 3 years ago
If you start to low in your pricing its harder to put your prices up than if you start high then come down ! food for thought ! SL
sleachpots 3 years ago
Simon!, tu eres un Leach!, y eso es muy importante en el mundo de la cerámica, tener una pieza de un Leach, hoy por hoy, no debe de cuestionarse su precio.
Besos de Dalmira.
dapottery 3 years ago
Pricing is a mindset. Presentation and attitude have a lot to do with it. If you are confident that your prices are correct, don't change them. Don't negotiate with anyone. Eventually when you find the customer that likes your work and will pay your price, they will tell their friends. Then you will have more of the right customer. Don't give your work away. No matter how much you lower your price, someone will always want to pay less.
smathewspots 3 years ago
Thanks Simon, I can not decide how much to charge. I sometimes price a large bowl for about $10 US, since I am a beginner, and I ask the interested person how much they would pay for it. I sold what I thought was a $10 bowl for $60! They were very satisfied. It seems I price my work too low, but others think its worth more. Thats my delema! Thanks so much.
Jim51964 3 years ago
There you you under priced yourself ! but you are not so different. I like the comments of 'smathewspots' below pricing is a 'mindset'. He is dead right . SL
sleachpots 3 years ago
Simon why do you feel the people in your area buy your pieces? For instansts do you feel the people the culture, of Spain is more excepting of hand made pottery in general. Many people in our area don't appreciate our hand made pottery because they grew up with the very inexspensive pottery in their country.
The pottery from Mexico it's
very beautiful, but lets face it their pottery is " Dirt Cheap " pardon the pun. Many of the younger generations just want new fancier machine made pottery.
DASRAY 3 years ago
I think here in Spain & perhaps in many other parts of the world the problem when it comes to selling is that people dont look at pottery as an 'art form' , but just a craft of the peasants if you understand me.The public are ignorant in general I think is true to say...some places like Japan its a different story ! Perhaps we need to put more 'artesania' into our work , a word i like because it means 'healthy art' ,as opposed to 'phoney art' or 'phart ' as my elder brother John desribes it ! SL
sleachpots 3 years ago
A very useful video, thanks! Certainly is a difficult balancing act between what a pot cost to make, and what the customer is willing to pay.
marcozepp 3 years ago
Thanks Simon, an interesting topic.
jonathanb921 3 years ago
The only thing that came to when I saw your twin pots is, if they had a top to them, they could be used as a pepper and salt cruet for the table. they would be desireable.
EmCSpiteri 3 years ago
welcome back Simon, I struggle each time I
unload the kiln with pricing. thanks for all
the good information. look forward to more
clips.
sybil
potterybysybil 3 years ago