Etiqutte for pricing

Jewelry Discussion
1

Hello Everyone!!

I am hoping some of you can help point me in the right direction
in terms pricing your own work. I have noticed at shows and web
cites that it appears that some people are selling there work
directly to the public at wholesale prices, while other it seems
to be retail. To my understanding, when you sell directly to the
custom it is always retail. I am just puzzled when I come across
300 dollar custom gold pendants being sold directly to the
public. Did I miss something? Are we all working for half a
peanut?

Thanks for all the continual feedback from this forum! Much
praise to all!

Katrina

2

Technically when you sell your work to the public you are
selling retail no matter what the price is. Legally you cannot
sell to the public and tell them that they are buying at
wholesale. Ethically if you are a wholesaler you should not be
selling to the general public as you are screwing both your
retail customers and ultimately yourself.

3

Dear Katrina, You are probably looking at foreign labor at $1.00
per day when it comes to that stuff. I can guarantee you the
jeweler who made that piece is not making much. If he or she
sells a zillion units the profit could be ok, but the market is
hard to get into. That is the hard part of working in the
jewelry industry in the US.

Best regards

TR the teacher

4 
   To my understanding, when you sell directly to the custom it
is always retail.  I am just puzzled when I come across 300
dollar custom gold pendants being sold directly to the public. 
 Did I miss something?  Are we all working for half a peanut?

Katrina & all

Years ago when I was just starting out, I attended a session
where the speaker was a gallery owner. His statement/point was
that you should sell to the public at retail and to galleries &
stores at wholesale. You should not be undercutting your
retailers and if you make the sale you deserve the profit.
(Makes sense to me!) He also stated he (and most) galleries would
drop you if they found out you were selling to the public at
wholesale prices.

FWIW
Lorri

5

Thanks to all for their say on pricing!

I probably should have been a little more clear about the type
of work I was referring to. The type of jewelry that I was
questioning was designer, one-of-a-kind peices. Currently, I
sell to galleries and to the public. I agree with everyone’s
response that to sell wholesale to the public is not the correct
option, it is a good way to make enemies though (retailer and
other fellow jeweler’s). I am new to jewelry designing, but I,
like the public can spot a deal that is too good to be true!!

Katrina Barnett