selling bottle stoppers

[tribalwind]

i went to a wine/liquor store yesterday to buy a bottle for out
secret santa at work, the owner asked if i wanted to buy a stopper
and corkscrew( both were cheapo plastic) and i mentioned that i make
them,(i did not mention that i have made but 3 total hah!but i have
been crafting and selling the flutes for 2-3 years or so). he
got very excited and wants me to bring some in to sell. him being an
indian man and me being caucasian he was further shocked when i said
i make indian bansuri flutes,and i distinctly heard his jaw hit the
counter when i recited a hindustani raga(hyme/song) on a flute i
made that was in teh car haha!im thinking this warmed him up quite well!

but anyhow, im not sure what to charge yet for these.4x material costs? never sold kit-type things where i had to buy parts for it,i know like anything it "depends" on alot of difeferent factors.i will search the archives for prices on kits,finishes,asking prices and all that jazz~

if anyone has a MSRP and good deals on kits lemme know,,also was thinking maybe those interested could do a little group buy and divy up a 100+kit?
thanks

[HomerJ]

Like many other things, it depends how much you like doing them. And it depends if you're after making money or just financing your hobby. There are many things I've done for "free" (i.e. got paid for the materials, and whatever router bits/hardware I needed, thats it) simply because it allows me to make something I like without spending money or having to find a place to store the finished piece!

Then again, if you can finance the purchase of additional/better tools by making a profit on things you buy, I don't see anything wrong with this.

The only other help I can provide is the following link to Lee Valley's stopper hardware:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...50,43243,50237

Make sure you set the currency in US$!

[kwgeorge]

Well congratulations on the potential income from your hobby. Although in this case I can give you little advice I have no idea what that kind of stuff will sell for. What I would suggest is searching around on the internet and finding people who have web sites that sell these kinds of items and see what there pricing is. Also remember you are going to have to let the guy whose store you put your work in make a buck also.

[Maax]

You might check out this Yahoo group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopper/

[Jim Boyd]

http://www.calvines.com/cat/Bottle+Stoppers.html
http://www.paulswood.com/stoppers.htm

[tribalwind]

thank you all
im not expecting to make a killing on bottle stoppers lol,it would pay for a new tool or supplies,
i'll probably go at around $8-10, maybe 15 for nicer ones,
i figure he'll want to double my price at least and i cant see many spending more than $25 or so for one. ill haggle with him offer a discount for 2 dozen or more maybe, i found someplace to buy the PSI style chrome stoppers 100 for $1.85ea, could sell some,,and have LOTS of pointy adult stocking stuffers hehe.

[Scottydont]

I sell mine for 15-30 dollars depending on the wood. There is a supplier on www.penturners.org that sell the chrome style. My work buddies drop 20-50 bucks on a nice bottle of wine. 15-30 bucks is not out of line.

[gerti]

I like Berea all-chrome bottle stops, they have a nice weight to them:

http://www.bereahardwoods.com/page23.htm

Website isn't great, but they have a nice catalog and great service over the phone.

Pricing: Do not sell them to cheap! Making an occasional trinket is fun, but when you have to make bunches it easily can become real work... Time how long it takes to make one from start to finish. Figure out how much you want per hour. Calculate materials (don't forget sanding paper, finish, allowances for the occasional blank to blow appart). That should give you an idea for a minimum price. Then add some!

Also remember that what we wood workers think are 'the nicer ones' is not necessarily the same as what other people think.

Gerd

[sdmaker]

quote:Also remember that what we wood workers think are 'the nicer ones' is not necessarily the same as what other people think

Very true!!

[CrashResq]

I've been selling stoppers to several local wineries (bet y'all didn't know North East Oklahoma is becoming the new Napa Valley... well, that might be pushin' it a bit!) I get $12 for cork or silicone stoppers and $16 for the chrome ones. Two of the wineries sell 'em as fast as I can drop them off.

Gerd is dead on the money on not selling too cheap and especially the comment about what we think is nice is not necessarily the same as what other people see as nice... go nuts and make all kinds of strange shapes and sizes... and as far as wood... I bet I've sold more pine stoppers than any of the exotic's!

Bill (in OK)

[tribalwind]

Thanks again guys
i'll take your advice and begin with a bit more 'padding' on each stopper price,and then maybe do a 'bakers dozen" deal
if it pays for my finishing supplies i'll be very happy!
i made some out of applewood from my yard last night and they look great(to me anyways!) theres some reallly deep spalting lines in some of it that just looks terrific!

regarding Designs, do you find you sell more simpler ones with clean flowing curves etc, or ones with more time/detail put into it(beads,coves,inlays?)

i definitely know what you mean about it becoming work when you have to fill an order,,when i made 25 keyed flutes for a music teacher friend i certainly felt that type of pressure,and this was a donation to boot! but in that case it still felt great afterwards and my payment was getting to watch the kindergarden children play their FIRST instruments!