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Barling Bears Barling Bears
Nr. Maidstone, Kent
Posts: 1,523
Website

Hi Paula, bear_flower

Yes, it would be great to have a topic on the time it takes to complete certain aspects in bear making.

I never charge an amount per hour for making bears (my prices would be stupid if I did!! bear_grin ) .  I just settle on a price that covers my costs and feels "right" without over charging at all.  I'm not a good business woman I'm afraid, and there have been times when I have returned from a show and worked out "my profit" only to find that by the time I have added everything up and compensated for having to buy replacement material in order to make a new replacement bear, I have hardly made a thing, often finding it would have been better not to have done the fair at all and still have my bears!!!  Oh dear, I am way below the minimum wage level!!!!  I think I have been looking upon it too much as a hobby and probably not how I should be looking at it!!

Look forward to the new thread!

Hugs

Marilyn bear_flower

puca bears puca bears
Posts: 1,934

You and me both, Marilyn!!!! I am definitely NOT a good business woman...........
And as for time taken to make the bears - all I can say is that I am SLOW! I tend to make up new designs as I go along, like the one I m working on now............head, then neck, and body........ now I'm on the legs, and I will end up "roughly stuffing" the parts so far, and pinning it all together so I can figure out how the arms will be......I think leg no2 will be sewn QUICKLY, as (not unusually) I am in a slight panic over the amount of fabric I have left for the arms............ Plus, I'm using a very thick fur (not my normal thing) so I'll probably end up with an ursine teletubby!
huggies
Maria

FenBeary Folk FenBeary Folk
Pointon Fen, Lincolnshire, UK
Posts: 2,234

Paula, I had not thought about undercutting the other bear makers, it puts a completely different perspective on it and I would not want to end up being scowled at all day.

You are so spot on about the costs, I suppose I was so bothered about just covering the cost of materials that I am in danger of doing as Christine says, getting known/stuck on low prices and eventually getting despondant.

I naturally do love people and I know once I am there it will be great, but its getting there.

On a lighter note A BOX arrived today from Probar :dance:  :dance: only placed order at weekend, the wonders of a credit card bear_grin and I have growlers, I soooooo love them, hubby is working on saturday as well, so a whole 12 hours of bear making :dance:

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