Additionally, materials. Time. Profit.
Need help mathing? Materials run around $80-$100 depending on sales and where I get materials from. Not just fabrics. Everything. Thread. Snaps. Elastic. Batting. Interfacing. Piping. Hooks and eyes. Bias Tape. Depreciation costs of machines, tools, and equipment. (If you don’t know why that would be taken into account, take a basic accounting class). Also keep in mind I’m not a business that buys in bulk. Some of the satins I use are $12 a yard. If I bought in bulk I’ve found some as cheap as $1 a yard, but I’d have to buy like $300 worth at a time on rolls I physically cannot even lift and have no means to store. So yeah.
Time. My time is valuable, so if you want it, you must offer me something valuable in return. I will NOT work for less than $15 an hour, and even that is low considering I don’t have an employer matching me for a 401K, or helping me with insurance, PTO, etc. That’s all on me to pay and save for on my own. So for now, that is my price, take it or leave it. I personally don’t give a damn if you can’t afford me, because I’m not gonna spend my time on you for less because then it’s at MY cost. Also, let’s not talk about the multiple houses I could have bought with my student loans, lol. Let’s additionally consider that I could work ANYWHERE ELSE for less work for the same amount of money. So if you want something at $5 an hour, forget it. Go to someone who is faster or works for less. These things take me 2-3 weeks to complete. If I spend 2-3 weeks on a costume and only come out with $400ish profit, what the hell do you expect me to eat? $400 is easily my rent, yo.
Profit. Not just spending money for funsies- I’m not a teenager living in my parents’ place without bills to pay. Profit leaves room for not only me to afford life necessities and some frivolities, but also savings. And in fact, not just personal savings, BUSINESS savings. What happens if my machine goes down for two weeks and costs me $100 in repairs? I will need not only savings in a business account for the machine, I will need savings to cover either refunds to people whose deadlines I can’t keep, and/or for me to survive off of. What if a package gets lost? Something gets damaged? I want to upgrade my equipment? Orrrrr like I mentioned above, what if I wanna buy something in bulk because it’s a smart investment? No thriving business would EVER charge just the bare minimum of time and material, because that’s just shortsighted. You MUST leave room for profit to add to savings.
Don’t be dense and childish, demanding that if you can’t have it, no one else can either. You wanna run a business and make stuff affordable, be my guest, not a soul is stopping you. But then again, you’d have to outsource to overseas counties and have employees be paid in coins, but hey, if your pocketbook is the most important, screw everyone else, right¿ I’m a couture designer, not Old Navy. My stuff isn’t off the rack, it’s custom made with love, care, craftsmanship, and skill. That’s literally what couture means. You want affordable, go to Party City. I won’t even judge ya, sometimes you just need things cheap.
I could EVEN recommend you to great commissioners who charge less that would want your business. You know, if you cared to share your name. But with this attitude? I’d hate to send you to them. You sound like a “can I speak to the manager” kind of customer, and they don’t need the unneeded stress and drama. Oh, and for the record, I offer an option without the leotard *because* I know people can get a cheaper leotard somewhere else. Like I literally don’t care if you get it from Amazon, another Etsy seller, make one on your own. My listings are intended to be flexible that way. I ALSO SELL MY PATTERNS SOOOO if you want to make one exactly like mine, the patterns are going up and there are free video tutorials on my YouTube. For patterns that don’t have tutorials, I’m happy to explain it as best I can. If someone wishes to splurge on me for my work and -shocker- I do have orders, then I am deeply humbled and honored to create them a custom piece of art.
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