Thread: How much do I charge for jigsaw?

That question is next to impossible to answer...... so many things come into it.
Try to figure out the material costs..... wood/mdf, glue, estapol, blades .... wear and tear on tools.... I know... it's tiny amounts but they add up...... in the long run you know you'll have to replace things.
Be honest with yourself and take a look at your project.... how professional is it?

After that pay yourself an hourly wage you think you wouldn't mind working for.
People will tell you to tripple what you've come up with so far.... but that really doesn't work.
It all depends on where you are trying to sell and who you are selling to... if you live in a poor or country area you're just not going to get what you'd get in a big city.

It also depends on how badly you want to sell... are you happy with coming out even? Are you happy making pocket money , or making enough to buy more materials? Or are you only happy with a really good profit?

If you manage to double the figure you came up with for your materials and wage, you'd be doing ok on a market or selling from home, less for friends of course If you sell from a shop you have to have more to cover costs.

Not sure if this helped?
Juvy

How much is the customer prepared to pay and more.

Fifteen or twenty dollars.

Thank you. That price sounds good.

I'm with Juvy, first be honest with yourself and the quality. Next thing to do is go to Ebay or somewhere similar. I choose Ebay myself, and then do a search for similar work, making sure to click the little box that says worlwide.Look in the two dollar stores and see if you can find such work. Usually, it will be a lot less than that price suggested, sadly.

The thing to do is to make things that are one of, by making it for an individual, which may turn a profit for you. Most of my stuff is usually given away as a present to friends and helpers.

You're right on Buzza, making one off's the way to go ..... you can ask more for them .... only thing that stops me from doing that too often is simply that with the bigger income also comes much bigger risk.
When I do a portrait of someone .... the whole time I'm designing and cutting it I think.... what if it doesn't come out right.... what if the customer doesn't like the way it comes out..... etc.....
You can't resell something personalized if a customer doesn't like it... or if you make a mistake.... a lot of times you can save it, but if it's customized it's buggered...
Also one off's take much more time.

When I design a pattern it takes the same amount of time no matter if I end up cutting and selling it one time or several times....

Really..... I do wish I could just scroll and give it all away.... would be so much more fun...... but then I couldn't buy more wood....... hmmmm....... lottery comes to mind....

Juvy

this is an old thread I know but I thought I would add to it for future references.

I have noted that good jigsaw makers seem to be charging between $1.00 to $1.50 per peice of the jig saw and then charge extra for the little whimsies and such.

Allthough I have seen some like STAVE PUZZLES charging upto a couple of grand for some serious puzzles.

I have just 'discoverd' the joy of making jigsaws for my kids and was thinking it might make some extra christmas money later in the year if I go to the markets.

Wow... this IS an old thread.... lol
I tend to make the bigger puzzles for younger kids..... so I don't charge per piece. It's a bit hit and miss.. depends on the size and number of the pieces and the type of wood.

I've had several in the local shops here and hate to say it, but they don't really sell all that well.... don't think I sold more then maybe 5 all year.
For this to work I think you need to specialize in something... come up with something unique.... which is very hard to do now.
These forums are great for ideas, but you also loose a lot of ideas this way lol

I think if you go to markets with some unique puzzle idea.... something fairly personalized that's not available in shops, yet still fairly quick and easy for you to make... then you might have a winner.

It's not easy to find something that's unique and still quick and not too expensive to make.
Good luck
Juvy