What is a reasonable price for a fully sequined neoprene (swimmable) tail?

[MermaidParties]

I'm wanting to try my hand at making a fully sequined tail that's swimmable, like Hannah's and if I succeed, I'd like to sell them to the public. Take into consideration the amount of sequins needed (around 2,000) and the time to sew them on individually then tell me, what do all the mers out there think would be a fair price? Let me know your thoughts :D

Thanks everyone!

[Mermaid Hamant]

That sounds great! What material would you use? Hannah uses neoprene.

[Alveric]

Add the cost of the sequins to a fair rate for your time/labor sewing them on. Such skilled labor should be $10 per hour at the very least, probably more. I have no idea what sequins cost.

[Samantha Siren]

I just looked on ebay for you and sequins are extremely cheap! You can buy loads for a few dollars!

[Kanti]

What Alveric said.
First, I'd put down the cost of all the materials. So however much neoprene you use for a tail plus the
amount of sequins you think you're going to use.
Then sit down and record the time it takes for you to make one tail and pay yourself $10 an hour.

I saw an interview with Hannah once and she said it took her around a month to finish her sequin tail
o_o and honestly it's a lot more work than caulk so it's certainly going to be a lot more

[Blondie]

Hmmm well, I think that the price of the sequins has nothing really do do with the tail. It's more the cost of labor. I mean, unless you have a quicker way of sewing them on besides using your hands. I would probably sell then for $350-$400 at the least. I mean. It takes serious time and dedication for those tails.

[AniaR]

Kariel said if she ever sold her sequined tails she'd sell them for around 2500 because of how much time they took to make (something like 400 hours?) I see on some places that sell sequined tails (like aquatails) I think they're around 1000

[Gem Stone]

If I were making the tails, I wouldn't go under five hundred

[merboy78xy]

well, again, as a costumer in theatre, there are different payscales depending on what "station" you're in, but also I know that seamstresses in smaller cities often charge around $25 an hour! So $10 an hour doesn't seem precisely fair to the person sewing. However, I also think that $25 is highway robbery! hehehe. So I'd say: either charge around $15 to $18 an hour plus materials OR make one, and see what a pain-in-the-butt it is, and how long it takes-- then put a flat fee on it. Obviously, the cheaper you make em, the more people will be inclined to buy from you-- but at the same time, handsewing sequins is a HUGE, LONG, ARDUOUS process, so DO NOT undersell yourself. I'd say that $800 to $1200 depending on how you feel after making one would most likely be appropriate. But that's just ME.

[AniaR]

yeah, over here 10/hr is min wage so I'd charge more than that too- but even at 10/hr for 400 hours! that be 4000$ woo! *faints*

[MermaidParties]

Thanks you guys! I don't know why I didn't consider giving myself an hourly rate haha It's new for me to make things for people and charge, I always just did it randomly for friends. I am definitely starting a sequin tail and I'll let everyone know how it goes. And thanks for the Ebay suggestion, Samantha! I actually found exactly what I wanted on ebay for a pretty decent price and I am going to need a lot of them haha I'll start posting some photo updates as soon as I start.
Thanks everyone!

[midwesternmermaid]

I'm excited to see what you come up with.

[MermaidAiera]

Oh god full sequins? I'm in the middle of that right now..For all that work? At LEAST 1000$. Not only are supplies not cheap, but it's wayyyyyy too much work to go underpaid ;)

[MermaidParties]

Thank you MermaidAiera! :D