How do you, really you, set your item's price?

Because you're usually getting inferiorly made items, or flawed in most cases (not all) but also, everyone else is wearing it to...

I think its hard to justify spending a lot of L$ on an item like clothing shoes and accessories right now for people, and since RL many people are reverting to resale stores for their stuff pricing in SL is very important..

Designers know looking at an item if it took you a long time to make, details and etc... but for the most part many don't and dont care they want quality for cheap....

I spent weeks looking for animation (standing sitting etc. not sex) and the difference in price is unbelievable, some sell 250-150L, but I found this one place with som GREAT stand animation (not static) for 35L EACH! I think I ended up buying about 20 or so went home and removed from my AO hud a few 150L ones that I was not to happy with...

After reading the preceding posts...an addendum to mine:

I agree with Belle in that I don't sell clothes, so I wouldn't have a clue to know where to begin with pricing those.

In what I *do* sell - ie primarily home furnishings, I think I have one item priced at 100L but everything else is more the 25-60L range. I think those were the items to which my friend was referring.

I'm also beginning a new line of furnishings in the near future, so will be going out on a comparison shopping trip to see what similar items are going for...and if possible to determine, what is actually selling for that price.

I do agree (I think someone said this) that if I make the texture myself, I will charge a bit more for the item.

More Friday morning musings while I prepare for the day...

I took a look at your glasses. Even bought a copy. I think if people aren't buying them for L$125 it's because they aren't finding them, not because they aren't worth that much. Problem is, your store isn't a "glasses store", so I wouldn't go there looking for glasses.

L$25 is approximately free for me. It's about nine cents. I won't buy everything I find at that price (or even L$0) but anything that looks worth the time to try on is worth L$25. That's probably why you're selling them at L$25. It doesn't mean you're finding people who want glasses, it means you're finding people who think it's essentially free.

Most people who pay nine cents for something on impulse, like I did, will probably do what I did. I tried them on. They fit alright but needed to be adjusted upward. No problem. I'd like the thingies that rest on the nose to not stick down as much and the lenses need to be larger or farther apart, but...I don't really need glasses, so I'll probably never find the time.

My Primoptics that I actually went looking for and paid a few or several hundred L$ for? I took the time to edit them.

If I were going to recommend anything, I'd say find a way to make them worth more than L$125 and sell them for more than L$125. Sell one color-changing pair rather than several individual colors. Maybe script them to flip up on your head. Seems to be popular, though a problem with hair so I have no need for it. Anything else in glasses is probably diminishing returns, but color change is nice, and people seem to want to flip them up on their head. Also think about presenting them in an awesome display to increase the perceived value.

To attract people who want glasses (so you can sell them for more than nine cents) you have to figure out how to get their attention in a market with 400 other people selling glasses. When you figure that out, please share.

I think anya has a good point. I only knew you made glasses because I was in the little mall your shop is in visiting another store and saw yours sitting over in the corner and said "oh there's immy's store must look at it"

Marketing them is a big thing and just lisitng them on SLX isnt really enough unless they have some standout feature.

One thing that I am suprised more people do not do here is cross marketing with friends... if you have a friend who owns a clothes shop get her models to put on your glass's and put up a small sign in her shop "glasses available at Darkly Cute" and in your shop use the same picture and have a sign that says "dress available at XXXX's"

Networking like this will increase sales for both parties.

I have my original artwork up at 250L. I've had them in different price points over the years, but it has been 250L for a while.

It is . . . well, when I put them up, significantly higher than the other artwork in the place I put them up. That other art gallery, close by, sold non-original work.

I am in something of a grey zone with the price at 250L. Too much, as far as I've seen, for non-original work (unless erotic), too "low" a price for original artwork. 2 years ago I was advised by someone that sells his artwork at 1000L to start low and work up. I think I started at some low percentage of 1000L. Didn't really sell anything. My price fluctuated.

I've found that my stuff can sell at 250L to 500L. But mostly if it is near somewhere people would already be going for something else. As in in an art mall (wonder if that one is still around), or a home store. If by itself, in its own gallery, it won't sell. I had 1 sale at my stand-alone gallery in Nautilus City. Same price point. (I do not have enough information to include my new gallery location in this price examination).

I haven't shifted price in something like a year.

/me waves at Anti.

I walked all over your store but never found the glasses. Since this isn't an eyeglass store, anyone that buys one is doing it on impulse. I would put them more towards the front of the store where people will pass by them wherever they're going.

I have done a few different things over the past couple of years. First I priced things low and gradually raised them. I noticed the price point at which they sold the most and generally left them there. But then I started enhancing the same objects with scripts, better textures, etc so I again gradually increased the prices.

For things I sell like curtains, I intentionally price them low. My reasoning is that when I was first shopping for curtains I could only find expensive copy versions and often I only wanted one curtain. So for me to spend 4-500L on one curtain was too much in my eyes. Consequently, I sell most of my curtains from about 50L to about 100L each but they are no copy. That way someone who needs one curtain spends less than someone who needs 10 which to me is more fair. I have recently been asked to sell copy versions and I have priced them for those who would normally buy 20 or more of my no copy versions. For them the higher price is a savings over buying 25 separately.

I also routinely run a secret sale...so one item of a set will be half price or at least marked down from the rest. I notice which things tend to sell well and at times will lower the price on a whole line of products if this sale is making a big difference in how many are bought.

These things have worked well for me so far. But as others have said....if something isnt selling, I would not blame that solely on the price since there are sooooo many other factors in play.

It's true that my store is more of an eclectic "things I made" shop. I just used the glasses as my most generic example. Thanks all for the tips and advice. (^_^)

I am looking into updating my glasses to scripted color change options. I just have to get off my lazy duff to set up the scripts. (>_<... Most of my script writing time has been taken up lately by my doll keys (I plan to really take off on that bit and probably some more EGL accessories) =^-^=

Bradley, you sure you went to my store? It's a reeeeeealy tiny place and a whole half of it was dedicated to glasses. I gotta check my TP landing point. (T_T)

Still... Not so much about ~my~ store... I shared my story... Okay... your stores, your stories. What helped you set your prices and have you been satisfied with the result? (^_^)

Ok I have to ask...what is a doll key??

I think it's one of those big wind-up things that a RL doll would need wound in order to walk and talk. You attach it to your back.

I'm cheap, that's my pricing policy. Problem with that is some people think cheap is crap, I had one person tell me they were delighted with my product and had used it, bought a more expensive product then took that down and went back to mine because it was better, but they'd been reluctant to buy my product in the first place because it was only L$10.

Yeppers! (^_^)y

do the doll keys do anything other than just attach to the back?

I have seen some in world, that were very intricate, and thought at the time it was something I would like to try, but, was unsure if it involved a lot of scripting, or if they just simply attached and that was it

/me waves back, and my ball testing alt adds a coy wink

My own scripts are simple and slightly different from most doll keys. I'm not using menus or keeping track of time. Basically you, as the wearer, will unwind with time and need to be wound back up. When you're unwound none of your motion controls will work, so you can't move on your own. You avatar will be placed in a keeled over/collapse pose. Also, you can't self-wind. (^_^)

I kinda spell it out better here: /117/c1/313389/1.html

If you visit All Dolled Up or Doll Works I think you'll find some people that offer strictly the scripts leaving it up to you to design your own key. But, I don't know what kinds of full-perms deal they would have... Which is why I just went and wrote my own. =^-^=

** I just can't shut up about myself, can I? (T_T) **

tis ok imnot, I did ask

I wish I was a scripter hehe

when searching xsl I came across one of your keys (or your only key, not sure how many you have made)

and I understand what you mean, just wish I knew how to script something like that LOL

not even sure how you would stop someone from being able to move their avatar (the wind up, wind down I could probably work out)

My recommendation after going to your store... make more stuff. You need to fill the store with goodies. No bare walls! Heck make the vendor boxes bigger if you have to but it's better if you have more product. It means more chances for things to sell and it looks good too. You've got to overwhelm the shopper with a cornucopia of choices.