Yesterday I made time...okay, not exactly, but despite the fact that I'm still (and always) buried in LASR/WC/Goddess Fish work, I decided I would make time to do some other things.
So... I wrote.
Only it wasn't as successful as I may have liked, since the story is coming out like a bunch of dog excrement. It's frustrating: I know the characters, I have the plot loosely outlined, I have a pile of scenes I can see CLEARLY in my mind, but when I write them??? They are horrible. Stilted. Dull.
Should I push through and get it down on paper? Or do I stop and try to figure out why this book, which should be quite fun and sexy, is coming out dry and boring?
I also spent some time with DD.
We played Battleship for an interminable amount of time. Then we were going to put the rest of her jewelry up on Artfire, but got sidetracked. We received an email from another artisan telling us that DD's items were lovely, but that we weren't pricing them high enough -- that the low prices were indicating to possible buyers that we didn't value our work and made them hesitant to buy.
And I sat and wondered if that were true.
And I agonized... because we price them to make a profit, but not a huge one. And we're not trying to rip anyone off. But, OTOH, are we making it look as though her work is cheap? Not worth anything?
I'm still not certain ... and we surfed both Artfire and Etsy to see what other people charge, and we are lower than most.
So, what do we do?
For now -- we put a about a quarter of the items on DistinctivelyDD on sale to clear out the older items for the new stuff she's making (LOTS of earrings for $1.99/each!) and will contemplated the prices. You should go look. *G*
Frustrating. What do YOU think?
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I forgot to bring in my birdfeeders last night... and just now, as the sun was rising, my heart was in my throat. Had the bear gotten them? I didn't want to lose my stupidly expensive, squirrel resistant Droll Yankee Dipper.
:::Peeking out through my fingers:::
PHEW! Still there. I'm so lucky!
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You Are a Verb |
 You are an active and proactive person. Verbs are doing words, and you are a doing creature. You're always up to something. Inaction drives you crazy. You get bored and restless easily. And even when you take time to sit still, you don't quiet your mind. You are in a different state every few minutes. Whether you're thinking, working, playing, loving, wondering, reading, or simply smiling - you are a verb all the way. |
Yep, yep, yep....
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10 comments:
I think you should raise the prices, at least $5 a pair. Still with shipping that's very reasonable.
I have the same type of price problem as well when someone wants to buy my quilt. I know that I under-price myself big time, but I'm not making quilts for a profit.
Since you are, your prices should be competitive with others selling the same type of items.
You Are a Noun
You are very concerned with the material world and what is actual.
Facts interest you, and it's likely that you keep up with the latest news.
You do well with ideas and concepts you can actually see. You are a very visual person.
You are the type who knows every person and place in town. You're very well informed.
50% accurate
Have a great Monday.
I wouldn't cut the prices too much. Honestly, I think so many people are strapped with the economy it's just tight competition and a decrease in sales.
The jewelry is beautiful. I want to buy some of my own but have to wait. We had to purchase some things for the kiddos, which means "mom" had to wait. ;)
Jaime
I'm a verb too. Wonder if that means anything?
If you raise the price,give them free shipping. That always makes it seem like a bargain. That way you can make a little more, and perhaps sell more. They are really beautiful.
My husband has his own little Kindle publishing business going. He takes various open source material and formats them nicely for the Kindle (versus dumping text), adds covers, does all the metadata stuff. He’s discovered that by pricing them a bit higher, he sells more. People assume higher price = better quality. (Up to a point. Priced too high, and I don’t think he would sell as much.)
As for the writing, it sounds to me that you simply haven’t gotten into the voice/groove of the story yet, and that will come. I’ve discovered how I feel about any one particular writing session has little bearing on the quality of the writing. Sometimes I feel like I’m hacking it out, but when I review later, the scenes are surprisingly good (for a draft).
Other times, when I’m “in the zone” and think I’m doing the best writing ever, upon review, it reads like I’d decided to write after downing a bottle of Nyquil.
Just write. You’ll find the rhythm you need if you do that.
I think maybe raise the prices a bit as a trial to see how things sell that way.
I'm a noun. Hmm. Not entirely correct.
Hope you have a good day.
Trying to price things IS a pain. Hope you figure out a good compromise.
I'm glad we don't have to worry about bears here!
Urgh.. Hate pricing.. Good luck. :)
Glad you made time for writing!! :)
Pricing is always a tricky thing, but if you're making a profit and already selling then may your pricing is okay?
Re the writing - I always think my writing is terrible. I've found it's best to push through and get the first draft on paper, let it sit then reevaluate. Sometimes I even surprise myself!
Pricing right should be judged on a case by case basis. What works for one business, won't necessarily work for another.
As long as you're making a profit, it doesn't make sense to raise the prices significantly just because others are doing it. It seems risky.
MomJane's suggestion of free shipping is brilliant. It's a good incentive if you raise prices.
I'm willing to bet your competitors don't do that. That's a plus.
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