I have come to a point where I gave thought about selling puppets on ebay, etc. I am currently working on one for a family friend, but should I make some just to sell on ebay? I have come out with a spreadsheet of prices breaking down every element of the puppet and pricing it based on cost of materials, and how long it will take me to make it. The most expensive puppet I could get out of the formula is $75 without features. Is this a good price? THANKS!!!!!!!!

Would esty work too? Especially for Custom Puppets?

sorry, Etsy, I get confused.

$75.00 seems a bit low if it is a typical hand in mouth puppet. How many hours does it take for you to make one of these puppets. Don't undersell yourself. That being said that is a good price point if you can make them fast (under and hour) and can sell them regularly. You'll have to sell in volume really to make it worth it from a business stand point. You'll really need to work on selling them, just posting them on ebay or etsy alone won't do it. You have spend time marketing even for those to really make a profit.

If you want to look at it as a hobby that brings in some money to support itself then selling one every couple months may be fine.

Have you priced puppets on Etsy and Ebay?  I agree that $75 seems a bit low.  Haven't looked in awhile, but I recall seeing Glorified Sock Pattern type puppets going for close to $80, and those could be knocked out fairly easily.  Just looked, and while there are a few $40 puppets, most seem to be over $100.  When I considered selling some, I struggled with the idea of charging too much, but you have to realize just how valuable your time is.  And if you start off too low, it may be difficult to increase the price later on.

Thanks guys. It takes me around 12 hours to make one, and materials for fur are much more expensive than fleece, as I use polar fleece and poly foam. It is more of a hobby, and I'm still just thinking about selling them. Also, I have a website, but I'm still working on marketing it. I guess I could put some links to my products there. Joshinshaker.com is the address. Since posting, I have taken Andrew's pricing spreadsheet from a while back and modified it to fit my needs, as I have an hourly rate not a profit margin, and no fixed expenses. Also, if anyone has any tips for getting my website out there, let me know. I feel like it can really help someone.


THANKS!!!!!!!!

Not sure what formula you are using, but if you are taking an average of 12 hours per to complete one puppet, you are not charging for your labor or your intellectual property value. Find a better formula or, in the very least, whatever you come up with in your formula, multiply it by 2 and that would be closer to a bare minimum charge. Also, these are your creations, you don't need to justify material costs, etc. Yes, you need to make back the expenses hat you put in, but in the end its about the valuation that you put on them based on originality of design,time spent, whether there is exclusivity in the design...A lot of variables go into pricing and cost of materials is a drop in the bucket.

$75 divided by 12 is only $6.25 per hour for your labor. That is under minimum wage in most states. Skilled labor should be $15 - $25 an hour.