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VallierBearsHello everyone,
I was wondering, When you come towards your final price of your bear, Once you've added Materials up and such, How much do you charge by per hour of sewing?
Would be very interested to know everyones different price range.
Hugs,
Richy~
Richy....I think you would feel undervalued if you charge by the hour...... some of them just take longer than we think they should.....just pick a price you will be happy with and that is about it.
Initially.... our bears do not bring much in the way of dollar value...but as we gain experience, manage to find a "cute" or other factor that draws a collector's eye.... and after we sort of "get known" in the bear making and collecting world..... or somehow get lucky and find an instant niche.... perhaps the price tag can go up a bit. Some folks figure the cost of materials and double it.... hard to do with miniatures as the material cost is not high... ...but it is also sometimes a bit more fiddly..so how to figure that into the equation ..it is the age old question..... ..
Bears by EdieI don't factor in an hourly sewing rate either - actually rarely keep track of how many hours go into each bear - and that can really vary, whether it is one that just seems to work right off or if I have to play around with it a while, making changes or trying different accessories or costuming until I get what I like. So two bears that would seem to have been about the same amount of work might actually be vastly apart. I tend to price at what I think they will sell for - which is easiest to do if I sell them on auction as then I am not the one deciding the final price - just the start or minimum I want if I put a reserve on. It's always a bit more difficult to come up with prices if I am doing a show. I think my prices do tend to reflect how much I like the bear, as well as the amount of work - if it is one I really like and am hesitant about parting with the price is usually higher!
I would never sell anything if I charged an hourly price....they would be way to high!!!! I would go with what everyone above says....and remember your work may be equivelant to other well know artists but until you are more known you won't get the same prices, unless you are one of the lucky ones, but I know most of us started low and have worked up to where we are now, and even with that sometimes things go for alot less than the one before, or vice versa...go with your heart Richy, thats about all I can tell you.
hugs,
Krista
Also... (regarding "hourly rate") it is SO hard to figure truly because not only is your time obviously spent creating your bear, you also have your time spent ordering materials, doing accounting, photographing bears, updating website, listing on eBay, other marketing, emailing about new bears, packing and shipping......
Making bears is NOT a "get rich quick" scheme, that's for sure LOL!!!
Flying Fur StudiosI agree with Laura, website updates, shipping, packaging etc. YUCK
and for me, I make a hefty hourly wage at my 'real' job. So if I consider that's what I'm worth, my bears would have to sell for thousands and that just wont work, although I wish.
Makes it hard to EVER consider making bears full time. 
Back Road BearsRichy.... this thread might help you.
http://www.teddy-talk.com/viewtopic.php?id=10785
It provides links to some rather in depth discussions we've had about pricing bears. NOT charging by the hour but rather by the inch; taking into consideration accessories, extra detail, size, etc. You might want to think about pricing your bears that way instead of adding a "by the hour" price.
Matilda Huggington-beareAnd we cant forget the One only critter factor as well. 
If I factored in everything for just one of my little ones, we would be looking at a starting price of $240.
I charge half that and I ALWAYS!!! lose money. ....sigh.......
