hello,
I was wondering how to price making a master that will be sent to
Indonesia for reproduction.
I’ve been told different answers but everyone says “more than for a
single piece.” what is the industry practice. thank you
ellen
Ellen,
If I understand your post, you are making a model for someone that
will then be used for reproduction.
If you do wholesale model making, or make a piece retail, why would
you charge a different price dependent on how it is going to be used?
I make models, and I mold them and cast multiples for my customers.
I have made models for customers that have them reproduced overseas.
What the customer is going to do with it does not ever influence the
price I charge. I do not understand the thinking.
Richard Hart
By master, do you mean master model for casting? (tool for creating
rubber molds for casting) or do you mean master sample? (finished
piece of jewelry, wearable, serves as an example of how a piece is to
be produced) Are you the designer of the piece?
If you are executing a master model or master sample from a design
that has been provided to you, I would say to charge by the hour,
plus overhead. Say materials and overhead = $98.00, plus 8hrs at
$35.00 hr = $378.00. What you charge by the hour is up to you, I
have seen from $25 up to $110. Of course, the more expensive folks
are very experienced, fast, and do incredibly high quality work.
If you are also the designer, I would say the pricing could be very
different. Not my area of expertise.
Dear Ellen,
I do a fair amount of master pattern making. All I charge is my
usual business-to-business rate for repairs, wax carving, etc, which
is 15+tax per hour.
If other Orchid members think I would be justified in charging more
for making masters I would be very interested to hear their opinions.
Adrian
What the customer is going to do with it does not ever influence the price I charge. I do not understand the thinking.
Of course it is different! Ever heard of a little something called
artistic copyright?
Talia
KC, Kansas
What the customer is going to do with it does not ever influence the price I charge. I do not understand the thinking.
If you wrote a book, wouldn’t you expect to get paid one amount for
a manuscript that would be read by just one person, and much more if
it were going to have a print run of a hundred thousand copies? An
individual customer is not going to make money off of your creation,
only wear it. If money is going to be made, the originator of the
design is entitled to a share.
I believe that is the thinking.
–Noel
Of course it is different! Ever heard of a little something called artistic copyright?
I believe this thread started about someone who was creating a model
for a customer, to be produced overseas. If I am creating something
for a customer, and they are communicating to me what to design, how
can it be considered “artistic copyright”. I do not even know what
that means. How about artistic egoright?
The concept of a copyright is that you create something that only you
can manufacture. If you create something that is perceived as unique
and desirable, you can charge whatever the market will bear. If you
create something from someone else’s idea, what is attributable to
you other that technical ability? When you do design work for
someone, if it is something that could be done by others at the same
price as you do it, what are you adding to it “artistically”. If you
are adding something to improve the design, you might get be able to
get paid more, but the basic idea is the customers, and it is still
not yours. My customer has control over what is done with what I
design for them.
If I produce a piece and someone wants to produce it overseas, then I
am in negotiation to get as much benefit from my design as I can.
Once my design goes overseas I know I have no control over who steals
it and reproduces it. Even if it has a copyright.
Some designs, I would like to request that they not tell anyone who
made it. I would not like the design work to be attribute to moi. My
ability to design and make custom pieces allows me to get paid $200
per hour for labor alone on some pieces. What I do is unique enough
that my customers will pay that.
My opinion is that not all jewelry is art, when a design transcends
the boundary, and your customer considers it art, you have also
transcended a monetary boundary. Concept or beauty of design
translates into monetary benefit. That is my experience.
Richard Hart
Thank you all for all of your opinions, help, etc. I just thought
that I’d follow up with my end of it. My client said that she could
go downtown (LA) and get a silver charm with a mold made for $150 and
she would own it. so, I think it ultimately comes down to “whatever
the market will bear.”