Thread: Is it worth it?

Hi there, Welcome to the forum, I'm 14.

Beaut piece of work, never seen anything like that before.

Anyway, price wise, I think that if you got the right market, and advertising, I bet you could get close if not that exact price.

Even if you made up your own website, for some of your work. Here is mine.

Try some interenet advertising, and look around for a gallery/furniture store, that might be interested.

Anyway, keep us informed,

Regards.........Joash

Dan,
Geez some of young blokes turn out some amazing stuff. Well done!!.

$1200 does seems a bit steep, and I would have thought something in the region of $900-$1000, but then I'm no judge. You know what the material cost, and how many hours went into it, although placing a price on your labour is always difficult in these situations. I remember when I got a bee in my bonnet about ships in bottles. Each one took about 30 hours, but who is going to pay those sorts of rates at even $10 an hour?

Anyway excellent work, and I have only one criticism and that is that I can see a rather nasty pinch point between the table top and that arm rest when you open out the table.

Ian

Thanks for the replies guys

The materials cost me roughly $300, but the is alot of hours involved in the labour.

I agree that pinch point could be nasty, as could a few other areas, (as a mate learnt the hard way), but the design is near impossible to change even slightly as all the angles have to be spot on for the folding/unfolding of the table.

Cheers, Dan

Hmmm

I know a guy who used to make them - identical design. He reckons he and his partner came up with the idea but there is bad blood between them now. I'll ask him next time I see him if he was pulling my leg or not. He sold his for around $800.

Here is a link the patent:

http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/a...tails_arrows=0

It include the names of the original owners of the design. It also say something about coming from New Zealand if I understand it properly.

The prices of the design I copied varied according to the size.
1.2m 4 person $900
1.5m 6 person $1050
1.8m 8 person $1200
2.1m 10 person $1350

Cheers, Dan

it looks well put together but personally I dont like the design; it looks to "Industrial" with all the corners and such. but again, seems well made.

as for what shall you sell it for ? whatever you can get. I personally charge $35-40 per hour labour (attitude dependant) and mark up the materials by about 15-20%. dont short sell anyting you make, you cant compete with the chinese and Indoneasean mass produced rubbish, select your niche and stick out your chin!

Originally Posted by Zed

it looks well put together but personally I dont like the design; it looks to "Industrial" with all the corners and such. but again, seems well made.

as for what shall you sell it for ? whatever you can get. I personally charge $35-40 per hour labour (attitude dependant) and mark up the materials by about 15-20%. dont short sell anyting you make, you cant compete with the chinese and Indoneasean mass produced rubbish, select your niche and stick out your chin!

hear hear

I'm listening

It include the names of the original owners of the design.

Where are you reading that? All I can see is a bunch of blank fields :confused:

Originally Posted by silentC

Where are you reading that? All I can see is a bunch of blank fields :confused:

Click on Main

Very good stuff Dan,

I don't doubt that with a little bit of effort you could $1,200 for that piece.

Thanks anyone for the replies, definately something to think about. I just wasn't sure if they will sell, but from your comments its sounds as if there is a market.

Still interested in thoughts of how to sell them if anyone has any ideas, that would be great.

Thanks again for all the replies.

Cheers, Dan

At a $1200 price point, sold in a furniture shop you'd put about $5~600 in your pocket... so you'd want to reduce your material and labour cost.
The best way to reduce labour cost is to mass produce, the time it takes to make 1 you can make several parts of say 20 at a time. Make up a jig's for nearly every part of the shaping and assembly process that allows you to bang them out real quick.
The disadvantages of mass producing is an inventory of material stock needed and working/material/storage space.

To reduce material cost's you need to buy in bulk, if you register as a small business you can get supplies at wholesale prices, and work the tax system to your favour.
Possibly look at a cheaper secondary wood for parts that can be painted? Can some parts be made from metal, possibly farm out the manufacturing to someone else allowing you to concentrate on the wooden parts.

Hi Dan,

That is an excellent piece you have fabricated and it is definitely marketable.

A lot of good advice has already been posted and is worth looking into.
Here is some more...

Selling your product is all about exposure.
Most forms of productive advertising are expensive.
Publicity, however, by definition, is free.

If I had a piece like yours that I was trying to move I would be wanting to get it on display somewhere.
Pick the best garden centre in your area, walk in with those photos, introduce yourself, explain to the manager that you have a piece of furniture that you want to sell and ask if he/she would be interested in putting it on display ON CONSIGNMENT (which means that they don't pay you for it unless they sell it).

There are quite a few other options for the same concept - it is amazing where you can get your pieces placed if you don't want any money up front - especially if you are a young person displaying some initiative and enthusiasm.
Other locations could include shopping centres, local banks/credit unions or even a council venue.
I did exactly this with some designer homewares I prototyped and fabricated on a small volume a few years ago. I placed all of my units in the five hottest design shops in Brisbane, just by walking in and showing it to them.

Another option worth considering is to approach your local community newspaper. Again, the quality of your product, youth and enthusiasm should be enough for them to at least think about printing one of those little articles with a photo and a headline.

The suggestion of registering yourself as a business is one of the best ones you will receive.
It doesn't cost much to register a business name.
With a bit of small business education (there is HEAPS available), an ABN and a bank account you will be amazed at what the world of small business can offer in terms of tax concessions and returns on material costs.
A web site in the same name is also worth thinking about.

You might find that you can't get a good return on your labour in the short term, as charging going rates for Australian labour often renders handmade peices unsellable - but as the time is all yours, a good way of looking at it is to think that anything on top of your actual "cost of materials and fabrication" is a profit...at least in the beginning when what you are really looking for is exposure.
My approach to this sort of marketing is that anything that doesn't actually put you out of pocket is a win.

Remain enthusiastic and don't stop looking around for ways to display your product - you will be amazed at what opportunities turn up once a few people find out about you.

Regards,