Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register

How much will everything cost?

mtm88781

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
Posts
219
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
Messages
219
So, I went shopping at Jo Anns, and came home with three yards of fleece and three yards of the thickest batting for only thirty dollars. Everything went well with sewing, and as we speak my pigs are enjoying their new cuddle cup.

I have decided to pursue this, since it came easy to me, and open an online shop selling cuddle cups, cozies, tubes and bedspreads for pigs, as well as hammocks, sleeping bags, ang tubes for mice, rats, and hamsters.

How much do you think I should charge, or how much do you you think each item will cost from the list above.

Please keep in mind, I am not doing this for profit, and I am going to donate a certain percent of every sale to Small Angels Rescue, the small animal rescue I adopted from and contuniue to foster for.

Any help would be appreciated, and the more help, the faster I can start sewing, and the faster I can donate to Small Angels to help save even more animals.

PS- Since 2003, Small Angles has saved over 900 guinea pigs, not to mention the amount of hamsters, gerbils, mice, rats, and chins that pass thru them every year looking for a better life, free of neglect and abuse :)
 

amcashes

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Oct 24, 2010
Posts
169
Joined
Oct 24, 2010
Messages
169
I would do some research and see how much they go for on other websites and then cut that price a bit. So they are getting a good deal and you will still make more than what they would cost to make each. You know what I am saying?
 

cam767

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jul 25, 2010
Posts
761
Joined
Jul 25, 2010
Messages
761
You also need to figure out how much material you need to make each project and go from there. You want to at least make sure you are covering your cost so that you can continue to make them and not put a financial burden on yourself. After that you could compare what they are going for and adjust your prices accordingly. On your website you can advertise how much of your sales goes to the rescue (say 20% or $5 of each item for example). If you get the material on sale you can mark the prices lower as a sale price or charge the same and donate the difference on top of the regular amount to the shelter. This way you are keeping prices low and helping the shelter by donating your time and any profits you make.

I think it's great that you are willing to do this. Rescues always need money for vet bills, meds, veggies, etc. I'm sure they would appreciate it.
 

pinky

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 11, 2010
Posts
10,837
Joined
Feb 11, 2010
Messages
10,837
Watch for the fleece to go on sale and then buy remnants. They are always 50% off the regular price but are cut an additional 50% off when the fleece goes on sale for 50% off. You can get a yard for $2 to $3. Hobby Lobby also has good sales on fleece.
 

mtm88781

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
Posts
219
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
Messages
219
amcashes - thanks so much for the idea! Cuddle cups are around fifteen dollars online, which is a crazy price, condidering I can make one for five :)

can767 - Thanks! With one yard of fleece, I think I can make five cuddle cups. I will deffinately cover the cost of materials, making sure there is no financial burden on me. Yea, I think I am donating five dollars per purchase, and will make that very apperant on the site :) I am glad to do this, considering sewing came easy to me, and I like to help in anyway I can.

pinky - I have heard people talk about buying remnants. What are they, and how big usually are they. I need them to be big enough to work with, as I have to show good craftsmanship considering I am selling theese, representing not only myself, but also the rescue :)

Thanks again guys, and any more suggestions / input is ALWAYS welcome!
 

Holly&Fred

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Posts
255
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Messages
255
Remnants are the last little bits of fabric left at the end of a bolt. Usually stores cap the amount they'll make into a remnant at 1 yard or so. The fabric is generally discounted by about 50% of its original price. So, you'll find a lot of pieces that are 1/2 yard or so, and the selection will thin from there if you need more. Usually they're good quality pieces -- very few places will make damaged fabric into a remnant, but always check the pieces before you get them home to make sure.
 

pinky

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Feb 11, 2010
Posts
10,837
Joined
Feb 11, 2010
Messages
10,837
amcashes - thanks so much for the idea! Cuddle cups are around fifteen dollars online, which is a crazy price, condidering I can make one for five :)

can767 - Thanks! With one yard of fleece, I think I can make five cuddle cups. I will deffinately cover the cost of materials, making sure there is no financial burden on me. Yea, I think I am donating five dollars per purchase, and will make that very apperant on the site :) I am glad to do this, considering sewing came easy to me, and I like to help in anyway I can.

pinky - I have heard people talk about buying remnants. What are they, and how big usually are they. I need them to be big enough to work with, as I have to show good craftsmanship considering I am selling theese, representing not only myself, but also the rescue :)

Thanks again guys, and any more suggestions / input is ALWAYS welcome!

Remnants are the pieces of fabric at the end of the bolt that they sell when they put a new bolt of fabric out. They are usually under 2 yards of fabric. I've always found pieces large enough to make my fleece pads. I've got them less than $2 sometimes. Occasionally I find cotton batting remnants, too. Just ask where the remnants are when you go to Jo-Ann Fabrics. They usually have racks full of them.
 

lissie

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jan 25, 2009
Posts
8,190
Joined
Jan 25, 2009
Messages
8,190
Don't forget to add labor cost for the time you spend on sewing them.
Thanks for doing this for the rescue.
 

anwaflynurse

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jul 26, 2010
Posts
138
Joined
Jul 26, 2010
Messages
138
JoAnn is actually one of the most expensive places to get fleece unless there having a great sale. Look around in neighboring communities and see if there are any small sewing stores that don't deal in all the crafty stuff, just fabric. There is a store by me here in Minnesota called Mill End Textiles. I can get remnants and fleece for almost half the price of JoAnn. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE JoAnn. I am addicted to their fleece patterns and could wander around the craft section for hours, but I always run to Mill End to see if they have the same fleece pattern or a similar one for MUCH cheaper. There are some things I have to get at JoAnn, like the velcro I use for my cage liners. Can't find it anywhere as cheap as JoAnn sells it, and if I stock up on their 50% off sale, I can't loose! (I wish we had a Hobby Lobby here in MN.) The best of luck in your new venture.
 

mtm88781

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
Posts
219
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
Messages
219
Thanks a lot guys for filling me in on what a remenant is. I now understand, and it sounds like a great way to save money.

Yea, I figured Jo Anns was a little on the procey side of the fence. I will look at some other places and compare prices whan I go fleece shopping again :)

Thanks again, for the great help everyone has provided :)
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.

Similar threads

B
Replies
0
Views
263
Benny20
B
pumpkinsowner
Replies
3
Views
785
bpatters
bpatters
TheGuineaPigGal
Replies
2
Views
2K
TheGuineaPigGal
TheGuineaPigGal
Top