Sock monkeys!

angelkay

wanna-save-more

WOW angelkay they are amazing

Well done :T :T :T

nunnygirl

Angelkay, they are wicked :T

angelkay

hiya,

i was wondering if someone would maybe like to give me some help, I posted some pics of my monkeys on FB and have had some interest on them from friends of friends wanting to know how much i sell them for. So far i have only been making them as gifts. I have no idea what to charge for them I know someone on ebay sells for £10 - £12 but i dont know if mine are the same quality as that sellers and would someone be willing to pay that for a monkey - i dont wat to be cheeky and ask too much but idont want to give them away for next to nothing (different being gifts as i love giving as gifts to people i know)

nunnygirl

Angelkay, work out what it costs you in buying the socks, the accessories etc, then factor in time, say so much on hour to make them

I know a friend who charged herself £2 an hour to make one and she could stitch one up in an hour and a half, £1 for 2 pairs of socks and £1 to £2 for accessories and she was selling them for £7.50 each, but she was like you, she'd only been giving them away as presents to people and word of mouth got it to where it was.

Sian_the_Green

angelkay wrote: »

hiya,

i was wondering if someone would maybe like to give me some help, I posted some pics of my monkeys on FB and have had some interest on them from friends of friends wanting to know how much i sell them for. So far i have only been making them as gifts. I have no idea what to charge for them I know someone on ebay sells for £10 - £12 but i dont know if mine are the same quality as that sellers and would someone be willing to pay that for a monkey - i dont wat to be cheeky and ask too much but idont want to give them away for next to nothing (different being gifts as i love giving as gifts to people i know)

I think £10 to £12 is a bargain for them to be honest, they are really lovely! Perhaps you could arrange something where if they commission one you charge for the individuality of it too, maybe whizz up a certificate of ownership on the computer or get some brown paper bags and personalise tags to go with them. I don't think it is unreasonable to ask £10 plus given how long it takes to make them, no employer could get away with charging only £2 an hour As you love making them I wonder if you could try a different tack with friends of friends, people could supply the socks to you and then you could charge a construction fee! Or if they are someone who has another service that they offer e.g. grow own veggies, make lovely cakes... you could ask for that in exchange rather than money. Just a thought, not sure how practical it would be!

nunnygirl

Oh no sian, I didn't mean like that. Judith (my friend) feels really bad charging for her monkeys as she enjoys making them so much, but she realised about 2-3 months ago that if she charged a little bit then it can buy her all the stuff she needs to keep making them. She doesn't do it for a profit.

What you have suggested is a fabulous idea, getting people to bring the socks they like to be turned into a monkey or using monkeys or currency for other things, I never thought of that :T :T

Sian_the_Green

nunnygirl wrote: »

Oh no sian, I didn't mean like that. Judith (my friend) feels really bad charging for her monkeys as she enjoys making them so much, but she realised about 2-3 months ago that if she charged a little bit then it can buy her all the stuff she needs to keep making them. She doesn't do it for a profit.

I didn't mean to say your friend was doing the wrong thing, I think making them for that price is a bargain! As long as she is happy at that price it is great. I think the problem is that mass produced items go so cheaply (jam, toys, cakes) that it makes it hard for craftspeople to charge a fair price.

nunnygirl

Ah, now I get you, apologies! Now I've read what you wrote previous it makes a lot of sense!

I wouldn't charge for my monsters/monkeys as I don't think they are anywhere near the standards of anything any of the rest of the people who post on here make.

I finished a Wegetarian Wampire named Wlad the other night for my grandad, but it ain't as good as some of the others I've seen on here. I just need practise really. Still having problems stitching noses/mouths on monkeys, I think thats why I've changed to monsters for a bit as I find them easier to stitch up.

I don't know if this will work but I'll try Wlad

He's got a little teal blue cape on the back to help him fly, but you can't see that on the picture, and he's fluorescent yellow, the picture doesn't show that up so well

angelkay

thanks ladies

as i dont make one from start to finish i do the out sewing first in a batch of a dozen - then stuff then assemble i have no idea really how long they take individually - the last time i did one from start to finish it took 4 hours but that was just when i started out so i reckon it wouldnt take so long now.

it costs me about £2 for a plain monkey. then i usually add hat/headband, jumper, skirt, scarf, some have footballs, some fairy wands, a couple have tiaras, some have rings, etc so i guess all the little bits add up.

i have had interest from a friend that i have known online for the past 4 years and charged her pretty much what it cost to make and then postage on top and this morning i got a text from another online friend saying her online friend wanted to know the price which is why i asked - i dont know the person but then i dont want to try and take the you know what and ask too much. different if i had them on sale in a stall then it would be up to people to decide yes or no but i dont want her to feel like she has to pay what i ask or feel akward about saying 'no thats too much' as shes already said she wants one iyswim lol its all soo stressfull lmao

i had intended on linking the monkeys in some way with adding a charm to each and being along the lines of buy me and collect my pals which i why i have a stock of them but it never occured to me what to charge I was going to do the adoption/birth certificate thing too

i guess i just dont want someoe to feel ripped off yet still feel like i am getting what they are worth and being paid for my efforts and time which is a bit tricky to get the balance right

thanks for your replies and sorry for the essay lol i should be pleased that folk want to but them n think they are nice but i'm stressing out lol

xxx