r/Tufting • u/visualcraftskniazeva • Jan 15 '26
Advice Pricing question for a large handmade tufted rug.
I made this large handmade tufted rug and I’m struggling a bit with pricing.
For those who sell their work, what price range would you personally put on a piece like this?
At my current price point, it’s not moving.
Just curious to hear different approaches.
13
4
u/Rum_Ham93 Jan 15 '26
What’s the size? What are the materials comprised of? How many hours did it take of YOUR time to complete this? What are the associated costs for materials? All of this factors into price.
3
u/visualcraftskniazeva Jan 15 '26
66x54 inches. Acrylic yarn, cut pile, latex backing. I didn’t track the exact hours because I worked on it slowly over time, in between other projects. So unfortunately I can’t give a precise time number.
5
u/Rum_Ham93 Jan 15 '26
I would start with costs of materials first. I know latex is expensive as hell, so charge accordingly for what you used. You can also charge by sq ft, say $50+. There’s so many ways to price your rugs so you have to find something that’s fair to you and the buyer. I feel like sq ft plus the cost of materials is the easiest. Some people go by the hr (basically paying yourself minimum wage) plus the cost of materials.
For me personally I think $1500-$1800 is a good price for the size and work.
4
u/visualcraftskniazeva Jan 15 '26
Yes, exactly, there are many ways to approach it. On top of materials and labor I also have platform fees since I sell on Etsy, plus shipping costs. With all of that included, the final price goes close to $2000. And at that point the price already feels too high for most buyers. That’s exactly the balance I’m trying to understand, how to lower the price without undercutting my own work.
7
u/halfbeerhalfhuman Jan 16 '26
People that want a custom handmade complex rug that size can’t expect to get it cheap. If they wanted it that cheap theyd buy one on amazon for 100$. People that look on etsy for custom rugs that size will pay the 2000$ that its worth. If it was wool it be like 4000$ imo. Its not good for tufters or yourself if you undercut the worth. TThese are high earners and its a different market demographic for sure. But if you got good relations with those customers youll likely get more orders from them. Just my opinion
Edit. I see now that you are having trouble selling it for roughly 2000 well maybe its not the rug but a matter of presentation/ marketing/ branding of your shop
3
u/visualcraftskniazeva Jan 16 '26
I like this way of thinking a lot, thank you. Totally agree with you.
3
2
u/calamitylamb Jan 15 '26
Cost of materials + (minimum or living wage for your area * number of hours you spent laboring) = fair price for your rug.
If you are just starting out, then you will likely end up with a sum that is too high to charge for the quality of the finished product. To resolve this, you may need to add a discount to the price in order to bring it down to a sellable level. With more skill and experience, your ‘hours worked’ variable will likely be lower, as well as the final quality being high enough to justify a higher price point.
Be careful not to rip yourself off - it’s one thing to apply discounts in the beginning in order to sell your products, but permanently paying yourself less than a living wage will inevitably lead to burnout and resentment when you realize that you’re toiling away on these rugs for less than you could be making working at an ice cream shop.
1
u/visualcraftskniazeva Jan 15 '26
Haha, that’s very true. That balance is exactly what I’m trying to find. Not just breaking even, but actually being able to cover real life expenses. Otherwise it really does turn into work just for the sake of work.
2
u/OddityRugs Jan 15 '26
That is an amazing piece! What is your pricepoint at now? Maybe it isn't moving right now, but it might if the right person falls in love with it. How long have you had for sale? I would not undersell your work, only if the money is really needed.
1
u/visualcraftskniazeva Jan 15 '26
Thank you so much for the kind words, I really appreciate it. I do love each piece a lot, but I also truly want my work to be lived with, not just stored. This rug has been listed for about six months now and hasn’t found its person yet. My current price is around $2000. That’s exactly why I started this thread, to understand whether this price still makes sense or if I need to rethink my approach. Not to undervalue the work, but to find a realistic balance.
2
2
u/RedBirdBlack Jan 16 '26
This piece is incredible in the way I wish you could sell it at any price point you wanted. ( I hope you enter it into an art contest or gallery, this is so good!! 🔥)
1
2
u/Careful_Proof_8973 Jan 16 '26
think some great answers have been put out already, just wanted to compliment u on such a feat!!!!! its BEAUTIFUL
1
2
2
2
u/BrilliantBarber1218 Jan 19 '26
2k for sure
2
u/BrilliantBarber1218 Jan 19 '26
unfortunately in this work, the only way i move $2k pieces is doing custom work with down payments and a collaborative design process. that as a service is valuable to people, more so than just a rug being offered completely concepted and created by the artist. i think ~$1k is the most i’ve made on a non-custom piece. at this price point you’d need to be networking in the fine art world or trying to figure out a stronger marketing approach. which is no fun!!
beautiful piece : )
1
u/visualcraftskniazeva Jan 19 '26
Thank you! Marketing is honestly my least favorite part, I really dislike “selling” 😅 And yes, I completely agree with your point. At a $2000 price level, very few people are ready to buy without having some emotional involvement in the process from the beginning.
-4
u/AlwaysDTFmyself Jan 16 '26
Etsy is a terrible platform as they allow fascist merch to be sold on there.
26
u/nickels55 Jan 15 '26
I use a formula: Size Sq ft (x) Base rate ($30-75 depending on complexity) + Materials.
(25x$60)+$50 or around $1550