Making tails to sell, oppinions appreciated!

Hi all!

I am probably one of the newest members to this site, but try to take me seriously when I say;

I will be making tails to order by next summer!

I have been doing tons of research and I plan on offering fill silicone tails. here are the details.

The silicone will be both pigmented, then painted with silicone paint for detail. The scales will be raised, as they will be molded. The waist will be blended unless requested otherwise. The flukes will be large and realistically proportioned, they will be one solid piece with the monofin sandwiched between with silicone to form a strong bond. Paint jobs will be custom to the costumers, though pre-selected colors will also be available. Custom fluke and fins can be added for an extra fee.

These tails (without custom fluke and fins) will be $1500.00 I'm trying to offer a quality tail for a lower price that's easier to save for. The way I plan on cutting cost is making my own custom flukes from nearly unbreakable polycarbonate. Not only will this provide strong propulsion, but it will cut the cost of making it by $300.00, which then translates into savings of the final product.

The website will also feature in detail video and picture tutorials on how the tails are made, as well as where to buy the supplies. I want those who visit the site to know how to make a tail on their own if they cannot afford to buy one.

I want this to be a great service that you can depend on, I'm happily taking critiques and suggestions on how to make it better.

I think $1500 is a decent price for a full silicone tail.
Of course, we'd just have to see an example of your work to really judge the quality and design of the
tails to really appraise them.
I think it all sounds like a good idea, especially the polycarbonate flukes, but for now I'd REALLY try
to get an example of your tail out there and some different flukes as well as demonstration videos of
the custom fluke in action.
The mermaid business is a LOT about looks, so if your tails have no visible seams, have attractive flukes
or extra fins, that will be enough to sell them off. If your work is really superb, you can probably even charge
more into the $2000-$3000 range.

Good luck with your endeveur :) can't wait to see pics of your work!!

I'd just caution that many people who tried making their own monofins did not find they worked well for MOST cases. Not all cases but most. I would do serious testing with your home-made monofin and the silicone before you decide that's the route to selling it. I think most professional tail sellers that I know of that made their own monofin for heavier tails have gone back to buying because of issues customers were reporting. Just my two cents :)

Thanks everyone! Testing is in the works, everything will be ironed out before I begin selling.

Photoshoot will happen beginning of next year, shortly after I will begin selling.

I'm hoping to always keep pricing low, and quality high. Custom fluke design and extra fins bringing it up to $2,000 at the most. I want everyone to have a chance at owning a tail.

Also, I'm considering the company name of "Desert Mermaid" because I'm stationed in Arizona. Opinions? To cliche?

I think that's a cute name :')

You have some great ideas, and Raina makes some good points. Good luck!

YAY MORE TAILMAKERS :D
and i agree, test everything a lot, especially the monofin if youre making it yourself. but $1500 is a great price, and only an extra $500 for custom fluke and/or fins? PFFFT, merfolk are gonna love you :D
i cant wait to see pictures!

Good Luck, sounds good!

Sounds good. Just like Raina said I think the polycarbonate fins may break under the weight of trying to lift the silicon fluke maybe learn how to make monotone from the same materials finis makes theres

well, this is intriging! Good luck with you endever! I will we looking forward to pieces of your work ;)

I am looking forward to those tutorials! I want to know how you will go about doing all of this (as a beginer myself)! Good luck!

This could be interesting. I can't wait to see what you got.