Fursuit Pricing, Explained
I had someone message me on Instagram politely asking why fursuits cost what they do. I had a little time tonight to delve into specifics to help enlighten them and others who have asked this same question.
EXAMPLE SCENARIO: A full fursuit that costs $4500 from a professional maker. This isn’t even considered all that high a price today but it’s a fairly average price for us currently, so we’ll use that as an example.
- MATERIALS:
6 yds fur: $125 - 230
half roll 1/2” foam: $15
half roll 1” foam: $15
half roll blue foam: $6
spray glue: $12
plasti-dip: $14
minky/vinyl/fleece fat quarters: $15
glue sticks: $7
2 spools thread: $7
pens, pencils, pins, chalk, etc: $5
2 rolls masking tape: $4
tagboard for drafting patterns: $2
thrift store sheets for testing patterns: $10
polyfil: $10
eye plastic, buckram, paints, zippers, misc: 30
spandex and other lining fabrics: 17
shipping box, tape, packing materials: $8
__________
MATERIALS -$300 - $405
-Payment Fees
Every electronic payment service will charge fees for using them- the fees are fairly comparable between Paypal, Square, and Stripe. Mailed payments are possible for less or no fees, but you can’t beat the convenience of electronic payments.
- TAXES:
Self employed people have to set aside around 20% of all their earnings for taxes. So 20% of 4500 is $900. Tax refund?? Don’t know her!
- ACTUAL PAY?
So $4500 fursuit minus cost of materials, taxes, and fees actually equals around $3100 in pay. And this is assuming no mistakes are made during fursuit construction that require more materials to be purchased, your equipment doesn’t need maintenance, and you don’t need any special materials not listed above. Also, I estimated the fur price based on a $21-35/yd, but faux fur can cost $65 a yard and higher depending on what it is.
- SUPPLY/DEMAND:
Anyone in the market for a fursuit has undoubtedly noticed that virtually every full time maker usually has a full queue and opens for commissions infrequently. When a popular maker opens, they usually get to pick and choose what projects they want to take on and inevitably have to turn down some applicants. Despite there being more and more professional fursuit builders out there taking commissions, demand for fursuits continues to rise, and there’s still not enough makers to fill the demand. It is a seller’s market- we are able to raise prices yearly and demand does not waver. It’s anyone’s guess when/where we’ll find the ceiling on this market.
- NICHE GOODS:
Fursuits are super niche market and only a relative few of us can
1. produce professional quality costumes
2. successfully run a home business and stay on top of deadlines, finances, customer service, etc
So if professional fursuit builders are a rare breed, those who are reliable and timely are basically a unicorn. Niche markets for luxury items equals luxury prices.
- TIME TAKEN TO CREATE:
Fursuits are a lot of work! There’s no getting around it. Even those of us who have been doing this a long time can take between 75-150 hours to create a typical fullsuit on average, and this doesn’t include all the other work like research, brainstorming, emails, social media, web shop maintenance, and packing + shipping.
- EXPERTISE:
If you’ve been working at the same job for years, you can expect to make more money than someone just starting. The same is true for fursuit builders! We deserve raises as cost of living increases yearly and as we get better at our jobs. So it is not uncommon at all to see fursuit builders gradually increasing their prices year by year.
- NO JOB BENEFITS:
Working for yourself is rewarding but also expensive. If you’re doing this full time and don’t have anyone else supporting you, you have to provide your own healthcare and make sure you have extra money saved for sick time, vacation days, all the stuff traditionally employed people don’t have to think about.
It is easy to be dazzled by the prices professional fursuit builders are charging and imagine we must be loaded, but all in all it is quite a modest lifestyle. Those makers who haven’t gotten fast/confident at building and don’t have a huge fan following may really genuinely struggle in the beginning (which is why I wouldn’t recommend just diving on into professional fursuit building without a plan or fallback). The most successful of us are still definitely not rich. We budget for the things we want and we need and have to weigh carefully any trips or luxuries, just like anyone.
Professionally made fursuits are not affordable to all, it’s true- that’s actually why I started making fursuits, I wanted one but couldn’t afford it. I still can’t justify spending the money to have someone custom create something for me, my lifestyle just doesn’t support that kind of luxury spending.
I was actually really reluctant to DIY my first fursuit it in the beginning, I had no experience with sewing or fabrics at all and had to learn everything from basics. I strongly recommend anyone interested in fursuits try making their own at least once- worst case scenario you waste a few materials and figure out you don’t enjoy it, best case scenario it ignites a hidden artistic passion within you like it did me! DIY can be a wonderful solution for those who want a fursuit but can’t afford a commission.