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I am in need of information on how to set a price and contract for handmade invitations. I have been designing cards and invites for many years, but only for family. This is the first time I am dealing with an actual customer.
I would appreciate any info on how to price based on design, make a contract, deposit info, etc.
Well IMHO though I haven't done it myself - you need to price up supplies, time and expenses. Supplies is probably the easiest to quantify. You may be able to estimate how long it will take you to complete the project including design time, shopping for supplies time, creating time. Then you should include expenses such as S&H, gas, a nominal charge for the use of your room (heating, cooling, electrics).
Don't operate at a loss. The number of times I hear people undervaluing their time and not taking into account "renting" the space and tool usage from themselves etc. However, I wouldn't go overboard on expenses.
I make invites! Each invite I do is priced differently. Obvisouly, the less detail the cheaper it is. Keep track of all your materials even the ones you've had for years you still need to factor them into the cost. I've found the easiest
way to price is per invite. Mine range anywhere from $3-$10. HTH Good lck!
I recently did these simple invitations for a friend's parents. The inside info - where, when, etc. was printed on the computer.
She was very pleased with them and I charged $3.00 each plus the cost of my materials. I didn't count "rent" for my Cuttlebug embossing, lol. But, next time, I will.
It really depends on the amount of layering and embellishments you use.
I personally have never charged for ink useage, "renting" of tools, or my time.
I take actual cost of product used and at least double it, sometimes 250%.
Usually comes out to around $2.50 - $3.50 per card.
I used to have an excel spreadsheet (horribly outdated---from 2005) that had all the materials I owned on it with the cost I paid and the qty in the pack in another column. I would simply type in the qty I used on the card in the qty column, and it would calculate it all out and add it up at the bottom. For CS, I would put .25 as the qty if I only used 1/4 sheet, or .13 if I used 1/8 sheet.
I had it calculate ribbon and thread by the foot.
I did a shower invite and charged $3.50/ea. I didn't use any special tools and the cost for material was $7-10. I made 30 cards and it took me about 3 hrs to do.. I'm slow, I get distracted and bored when making the same type.
I used a little bit or ribbon, tiny safety pins, embossing on the "you're invited", two strip layers, and a flower with a brad in the center. Sounds like a lot but I got a lot of these on sale too that's why the cost wasn't high. I have a pic but I guess I never uploaded it to SCS. I'll try to do that later and post.
I just recently did 125 wedding invitations for my massage therapist and charged her the actual cost of supplies (approx $175) plus about $10.00 per hour of my time. It ended up taking about 18 hours to complete ($180). She massaged me in exchanged for my time. I guess when you calculate it all out, it ended up being almost 3.00 per card. Personally, I think that I undercharged her a little bit for the amount of time it took me.
Always, always account for your time and materials. Keep your receipts and bill them seperate from your time. If you don't mark materials up, people are less likely to question your billing of time. I know this from doing specialty finishes for clients. Always pass any material saving on to your customer, that leaves them more money to spend on something else.
Handmade Invitation Pricing
