Is what you get out.
Well mostly.
I’ve been run off my feet lately so I haven’t put the time and effort into my little business that it deserves. New job, new flat, new kitten… and suddenly almost a year has gone by.
Luckily other folk have not been so lazy, so I have had a review of the first metal toy I made, lathe-turned from stainless so basically indestructible. She gave it a good go though…
I do want to make more but I struggle with pricing something like this. I mean, the raw materials aren’t cheap – the stainless billet I used for this was about 25 quid’s worth, compared to wood which is free. But time, too – steel takes far longer to machine and finish than wood. To make them sensible to sell, I’m looking at pricing over £50, and it feels slightly uncomfortable. That said, my reviewer linked me to some Uberkinky products that are in the hundreds, so perhaps I shouldn’t fret so much. I think it’s a common feeling among crafters and small makers – if we factored in the hours put into our work and paid ourselves minimum wage, no one would ever buy! So we end up undervaluing what we do. When you’re up against wholesalers that buy in bulk and have the pile it high, sell it cheap mentality, it feels like we’re very easily ignored.
What do you think? How do you balance it?
