Thread: how much would u pay?

Hey
I remember when you came here asking for advice on waht to build for your project.

If your current question is about marketing the finished table ...

based on the photo you've provded, my considered answer is $20
$10 for the jarrah as it might be useful for something else
$10 for the marri because from you photo it looks more like firewood than furniture

If your photo was clearer, showed the table in it's final form (even if the legs are not as yet firmly attached) my answer would be totally different.


ian

Originally Posted by ian

Hey
I remember when you came here asking for advice on waht to build for your project.

If your current question is about marketing the finished table ...

based on the photo you've provded, my considered answer is $20
$10 for the jarrah as it might be useful for something else
$10 for the marri because from you photo it looks more like firewood than furniture

If your photo was clearer, showed the table in it's final form (even if the legs are not as yet firmly attached) my answer would be totally different.


ian

u bein serious? or do you just need a better pic? my woodwork teacher said itll be at least a grand.

i remeber youto

Yep, photo is crap, I can't make head nor tail of it.

Regarding price, it is only worth how much someone is willing to pay. As you are not a known artisan with a name, $1000 is pretty unlikely unless you find someone with plenty of money who really takes a shine to it, finding this person is the problem. An average Joe might like it but only be willing to pay $100.

Originally Posted by Burnsy

Yep, photo is crap, I can't make head nor tail of it.

Regarding price, it is only worth how much someone is willing to pay. As you are not a known artisan with a name, $1000 is pretty unlikely unless you find someone with plenty of money who really takes a shine to it, finding this person is the problem. An average Joe might like it but only be willing to pay $100.

Burnsy, you are being a bit harsh, I know a guy who would pay $500 just to see that picture, mind you, he happens to be blind.
Seriously dboy, it is difficult to evaluate this particular picture. could you post a better picture.

Be nice folks.

Sorry guys, I did not mean to come across that way, the crap comment was regarding the photo not the piece, I can't make out the piece so was reinforcing the need for some better photos.

My comment regarding what it was worth was general, if you check ebay there is usually some newly made tables and other pieces up for sale and these show that some great work can sometimes not fetch much at all, unless the right person is bidding. My comment regarding artisan's with a name is very true, many of these guys can sell a bread board for well over $100, yet if I made an exact copy I would be lucky to get $30. Much of this is due to market exposure, if you have a name and your pieces are being sold out of a gallery in a flash tourist or wine growing region you are going to get a far better price than selling it through word of mouth, an ad at the local general store or a paid ad in the paper.

$1000 may be the true value if you take materials, time and skills into account, it is very hard however for the average woodworker to actually get this return, no matter how good the piece actually is. By all means try and get $1000 for it and good on you if you do, I am just saying that I don't think it will be easy.

dboy, I have seen an old redgum tree stump polished up as a coffee table ...fourty hours of work went into it ........and it looked great, it sold for $2950.....so there is always hope ....now if you can post a better pic ...then perhaps you will get a fairer appraisl

Originally Posted by

Be nice folks.

Why?

Truthful is more fun.

Agree with , he's a young'un, help if you can.....

Young'un, maaaaate,
Look at your picture, think for a moment that you don't know the design.

Its a photo of wood, could be firewood ,could be a planter box, could be anything.

If Enzo Ferrari showed you a picture of a few lumps of steel, plastic and aluminium and asked what it's worth............you get the picture?

What it is ultimately worth is down to the consumer, is it of original design, is the detail work outstanding? or is a common design, is it similar to a Super A mart job?

I'm a rank amatuer when it come to doing this, if the consumer pays for my material costs, then as far as I'm concerned I'm ahead. If you were a well known dead designer, 100k is not out of the question........

Originally Posted by dboy000

u bein serious? or do you just need a better pic? my woodwork teacher said itll be at least a grand.

i remeber youto

I'm being very serious (even if my spelling is off)

I'm approaching your request on the basis that you are looking to market your finished table, either as a one-off (often described as a studio piece) or as a prototype I, as a retailer, would examine before ordering a production run of 10, 20 or 100.

from either perspective, I can't tell, from your photo, if I'm looking at firewood or a piece of studio furniture that wouldn't be out of place in a museum of modern art.

you with me?

you're a student doing a design and technology course which usually means that how you document the project is as important (if not more important) than the skill you demonstrate in the finished piece.

as a learning for you, how you market the piece will have a very large bearing on how it is percieved.

your initial attempt at marketing sucks (sorry but I can't think of a kinder term)

how about you take some more photos
try to get a neutral background (bed sheet or similar) rather than a cluttered workshop
work on getting the lighting relatively even so there are no dark shadows
position the piece so that what it will look like when finished is readily apparent
take pictures from the perspective of a person walking up to the table, sitting in a chair close to the table, etc.

try to accompany the pictures with some text that describes the piece, something more descriptive than low table (1.4m x 0.85m) marri top on jarrah legs

if this is too hard, post some better pics and I'll give you my honest (second) opinion.


Oh, print this and similar posts in this thread plus the posts in your original thread and add them to your portfolio describing how they helped you to refine your final project



ian

BTW, I'm yet to meet a teacher who will give a student honest business world feedback

ok wen i go bak to skool next week i'll upload some more better photos

why do you guys think it looks like fire wood, its faults filled in with resin, dosnt look bad but its just the photo.

Originally Posted by dboy000

ok wen i go bak to skool next week i'll upload some more better photos

why do you guys think it looks like fire wood, its faults filled in with resin, dosnt look bad but its just the photo.

I think you will find the fire wood comment is just a metaphor no-one actually thinks your work looks like firewood in the true sense. It is just that not knowing the project like you do, we can't make head nor tail of the photo so it could well be firewood. Definitely post some more photos, I will be keen to see them, what year and school are you at? Also interested to know what type of tools you have been using to make the project.

Originally Posted by dboy000

why do you guys think it looks like fire wood, its faults filled in with resin, dosnt look bad but its just the photo.

I can't tell from the photo that the fault is filled with resin

from how the picture is composed (presentation of the object) I can't see if the fault compliments your design or if you've just accepted a piece of really crappy wood because it was free and the size you wanted.

if you really think the piece is worth over $1,000, rather than saying "doesn't look bad, it's just the photo" try instead something like "marri top made from timber salvaged from the old Swan brewery after the fire of 1999. The fire damage at one end of the top has been retained as a reminder of the night Perth lost its industrial icon"


ian

I should copyright my words !!

DBoy,

I also remember your original post. I thought you where a little testy. Now, I find you quite testy & defencive again. I understand that you may not like some of the comments you read on the forum, but there are a couple of things you should try to understand.

While this forum is open to and welcomes everybody, this forum is mainly read & written by adults, & although this may seem a little politicaly incorrect, it is mainly adult men that you are dealing with.

It may help you to undestand that getting testy with people that have had more years working with wood than you have had hot meals is not likely to produce the results you are seeking. If somebody writes something that revs you up, try doing this next time. Don't Respond. If you need to respond, try this. Dont Respond for 3 days after you get reved up.

Now, I thought that the post left by somebody a little earlier was a bit harsh, but lets be honest, you picture is crap & while your young eyes may be able to see some detail, mine can't.

I am looking forward to seeing some better pics.

To your original question. The average customer cannot tell a M&T joint from a staple, so if they see a coffee table for $1000 & one that looks similar for $150, which one do you think that The average Customer will buy. Which one would your mum & Dad buy?

An items value is what somebody is prepared to pay for it, & you will be competing with imports that are made by people who will work all day just to feed their family that night.

Learn to enjoy your woodwork mate, because if you can make enough to cover you timber & glue then you will be doing well.