How much is considered alot for a fabric mermaid tail?

[MermaidIndie]

So In another thread earlier today I mentioned I was locally making mermaid tails. Im not like trying to become some giant tail maker I just enjoy making peoples mermaid dreams come true. I know several tail companies charge generally from $80-100 for a tail. Ive been adding up costs and even with man hours mixed in I only reached $65 is this too little to charge?

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Buy some monofins and you can charge more

[Mermaid Wesley]

Don't forget thread, shipping costs for supplies, etc. Monofins all run more than 65 so I assume you're not including the monofin in this price. With a monofin 100 is basically at cost.


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[PhaylennMurúch]

how much are you giving yourself for hours worked? I was told once that if you're not giving yourself at least $12 an hour, that you were underselling yourself. My costuming generally includes $15 an hour for work done and I'm never wanting for people who'll pay for my stuff

[MermaidIndie]

Well, I'm thinking in putting in shaped Finis wave monofins and those are 59 on the finis website but only $36 on Amazon. Which I think would be ideal if I'm doing this one tail at a time. The fabric I'm looking into is a heavyer nylon spandex and then a four way stretch velvet which I'm waiting for a sample of to come in the mail. Otherwise at the moment I was just using the spandex from Joann's. The fabric is 10 a yard from califabrics and shipping is like 3 dollars. The Monofin is 34.79 + 7.00 which is $41.79 plus the like 13 for fabric is $54.79 plus $12 for man hours is $66.79


The crash of waves and salty air are the signs of freedom

[Mermaid Wesley]

Oh no hon. You need to be making more than 12 bucks a tail. And the problem with amazon is that you might be able to find one for that price now but what if you get an order and when you go on amazon you can't find any cheaper anymore? You don't want to have to change the price on your customer. Plus is the 34 dollar monofin new or used? Would you be ok with selling a used monofin in a tail? But definitely charge more for your time. What if you mess up and have to buy some more materials? Plus there are little things you don't think about. Strong thread is pretty pricey especially if you have to keep buying new spools in different colors. What about supplies for making patterns? Butcher paper perhaps? Pins? Needles for your sewing machine. If you sell on etsy they take a small chunk of your earnings, gas for driving to Joanne's, taxes too. Even if you're ok with making 12 per tail in profit, you're going to be unable to goof up. 12 bucks vanishes fast if you have to buy an extra yard of fabric or if your sewing machine breaks. Lots can go wrong. I'm charging 120 for a basic fabric tail right now and I've been told I'm WAY undercharging. It's up to you, but I'm just warning you, little things add up.


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[Sherielle]

Do not undersell yourself. It just harms you and the other tail makers. People pay up to $400 for fabric tails with monofins and extras like dorsals and heel fins and fluke fringe. I wouldn't hesitate to charge $100 up for a custom tail, more with a monofin.

[Vrindavana Starfish]

What everyone has said is right on. If someone only wants to pay under $100 for a fabric tail, they should make it themselves. It's not just your time and materials they pay for, but your expertise. The last thing you want to do is undersell yourself.

[Morticia Mermaid]

I can attest to what everyone else is saying in regards to undercutting yourself. I am going to be looking at reevaluating my prices next year as I've been having more and more people tell me my stuff is worth far more than what it is currently priced. With my current prices, I actually only make about $150-200 per tail depending on what monofin people go with, more often than not I get less because nearly EVERY tail I send out has a free gift with it. And sometimes I get even less depending on what upgrades people ask for.

I completely understand wanting to offer a lower costing tail, I was the same way at first. I've had my prices set for 2 years now and, honestly, its really hurting me because it makes me feel like my time is worthless. Best thing to do is research artisan and tailors hourly rate and set your personal "pay" that way. That's what I am going to do when I reevaluate my prices.

[Mermaid Luciana]

If it's solely spandex (and/or neoprene), with a monofin, the most common price I see is between 100-300 dollars. Without the monofin, tends to run between 100-200 dollars. Part of what also goes into pricing is the time put in, the skill level, and overall time spent on said making.

Whenever I made a tail, this was basically the cost breakdown for me:
1) 2 yards of spandex = 30 US dollars
2) thing of yarn = 1 US dollar
3) If I had put in a monofin, it'd cost anywhere from 40-80 Us dollars
4) Sewing machines can cost anywhere from 100-300 US dollars, from what I've seen.

So, take out the sewing machine, this tends to cost anywhere from 70-115 US dollars.

Personally? If I was to start a tail making business, the lowest I'd go in terms of pricing would be between 100-175 US dollars (depending on fabric, if a monofin is involved, etc...). Like someone mentioned earlier, if you're going to charge less than 100 per tail, just recommend they make it on their own. You'd be losing money in the long run with those cheap prices (below 100).

[PhaylennMurúch]

Never go by Amazon pricing, as it fluctuates like hell. So 67 for the fin, 20 for the fabric and let's give you 15 an hour for work. Say it takes you 2 hours from first lay of fabric to that final seam. That's about $117 to just break even. Now you want to make at least 30% profit. The total cost should start at 160 for a basic no frills tail.

Places like finfun can charge less than $50 for a tailskin because their tails are mass produced. But once you get a custom job price doubles


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