Friday, October 3, 2008

Mugs

I threw some mugs yesterday while I was waiting for bowls and plates to dry for trimming.  I've been putting handles on all morning.  It seems to take me forever to finish up mugs.  Perhaps I'm pricing them low for the amount of work that goes into them.

Is this a good time to raise prices?  Clearly...I'm a little worried about selling pots at my upcoming shows.  Has anyone else noticed a slight downturn in the economy?  Until about 10 days ago apparently the fundamentals had been strong.  I hope the sarcasm comes across in this blog post.

10 comments:

Tracey Broome said...

On a bright note, I went to Doug Dotson and Ronan Peterson's sale last Friday night and they were packed. There was a $400 and $300 purchase from the folks in front of me and I had to stand in line to but the tea bowls I wanted. I don't know what the final tally was, but business looked brisk to me. I hope others are feeling as I am right now. I want to hold and use things that local people have made and I can feel good about supporting my own community. BUY LOCAL! Good luck with sales!

Tracey Broome said...

to buy not to but, sorry :)

Deb said...

I think you should set your prices where you need them or want them. Everyone, everywhere, is raising prices on everything. I find it interesting that we as artists either don't feel we can do that as well, or, even worse, drop prices to entice buyers. Sadly, it might prevent some people from making a purchase, but I think the people that can afford to spend the money on a handmade pot, or rather choose to, are still here.

doug Fitch said...

It all sounds a bit gloomy over there going by what I'm reading on the blogs. Things are slowing down a bit here too, folks are scared to spend because of the uncertainty of the climate, it's all a bit worrying isn't it? I price my mugs at £18, don't know how that converts. I hope it all doesn't bode too badly for potters. I'm guessing we'll be ok by and large because we're none of us expecting to live an extravagent lifestyle. Anyway, best wishes from the UK

brandon phillips said...

i have a show in two weeks in a city that is(was?) a huge financial center that was just wrecked by a hurricane(houston). am i worried? yes and no. i've found with pottery that if people want it bad enough they will buy regardless of the price. i sell my mugs for $15-18 at shows which is on the low end here so the people who balk at my prices i think are being unrealistic. i've been toying with the idea of a price increase as well, but i'm just not sure. but i suppose if i were willing to pay $18 for something i would pay $20. i hate thinking about pricing, it sucks, it makes my brain hurt.

abigail said...

I am still waiting for someone to come up with a sarcastic font, Gil Sans Snarky or something, because it would make it so much easier to write funny emails and blog posts.

Bruce Christopher said...

Charge more. Don't look back. You do really good stuff! Thank you so much for our platter. I love it.

abigail said...

I forgot to say raise your prices! Most people don't have any money so you might as well squeeze as much as you can out of those who do.

Keith said...

well...it's nice to see so many comments here. thanks all.

i think that i'll be raising prices on some pieces as i get ready for the show. it's time...plus all of my work seems to be taking me longer as i continually find new ways to add another step to an already labor-intensive process.

hey brandon...is that the bayou city show? my mother-in-law, who lives in houston, has always wanted me to come down and do it...maybe once i get to austin it will make more sense.

brandon phillips said...

yeah, its the bayou city show. this is the first year i've gotten in, its very competitive. i've never heard anyone complain about this show, thats a first