[Join-in Survey of the Week] Price of the pattern - how important is it to you?

Hello to everyone here in the forum,
this thread is aimed at both buyers and sellers.

How important is the price of a pattern? Where does expensive or affordable start for you, or which pattern details do you use to decide how much you would be willing to pay at most? Or is it more important to you that you like the pattern or the result?
What is good value for money for you?

@Sellers
how is the price of patterns determined? If this question feels too private, you can also answer very generally and without details. But perhaps this thread can help build more understanding for the concerns of buyers and sellers.

I wish us all an exciting discussion.
 

It depends on how much you want the pattern.

My absolute limit is 3.50 euros. I can’t afford to spend more than that, since I also need money for the yarn. That said, I sometimes find 2 to 3 euros for just one pattern to be too expensive. It depends on the specific design. If there’s a specific pattern I really want but I’m not willing to pay the asking price, I’ll definitely look through the free patterns, search for cheaper patterns with a similar design, or check sites other than Crazypatterns. Personally, I think Crazypatterns is relatively expensive, but the shop does offer some very nice patterns.

Hello everyone,
for me, all patterns generally have the same prices across all platforms—except for special “promotions,” where I offer discounts on individual patterns for a limited time.
How do I determine my prices?
That’s a good question.
Most are between 3.00 and 3.50. Those are the ones that required a “normal” amount of development work.
However, I also have individual patterns that are significantly more expensive—or, conversely, cheaper. For some, I spent a relatively long time on development (Poldi the Dragon), while others were quick to create (Bear Comfort Blanket).
In other words, you can tell from the price how complex it is to make a particular animal—the cheaper the price, the simpler or faster it is to make.
My patterns are written in quite a bit of detail, include plenty of photos, and I’m available to answer questions (though not always immediately within a few minutes). I’ve also frequently worked virtually with customers to crochet individual parts or more difficult sections together, using photos along the way.
Of course, the price has to cover all of that.
Once you deduct income tax, VAT, (PayPal) fees, and other charges from the selling price, there isn’t actually that much left at the end of the day. I’d go so far as to say that the majority of designers can’t make a living from this—even though they invest a significant portion of their time in the creative process.
 

Ideally, the profit from selling craft patterns looks like this:
Profit = (high sales volume × affordable price) – expenses
The more expensive the pattern, the lower the chance that it will be a bestseller. Exceptions prove the rule.
It would be better to focus on sales volume rather than a high price, even though the reasoning that a lot of work justifies a high price is understandable at first glance. However, a high price often—though not always—acts as a barrier to sales. I haven’t gained my experience with this topic in the crafting world, but it should be at least partially applicable there as well. Maybe try Googling “passive income”? That would refer to patterns that continue to sell even though the work involved in creating them is a thing of the past.

Enough talk. My better half buys the patterns for both of us, and she does a great job. So I only deal with the prices indirectly.

You’re the best judge of how much time it takes to make a finished piece. Naturally, that means the pattern will be a bit more detailed or a bit more concise.
I think the price should be based on that.
Of course, you also want people to view your patterns—and, consequently, to buy them.
I’m still in the early stages, so I’m still figuring out the best prices for my patterns. But if I find that the patterns aren’t going over particularly well, I’ll always lower the prices.

Best regards, Dorigurumi

Dear Dorigurumi,
this is the best example of short-term thinking. If you want to sell, you have to think long-term.

The market value of a pattern should determine the price, not (just) the development costs.
Market value means: Are there (many) comparable patterns?
Yes? Lower the price.
No? You might be able to get away with a higher asking price.

The buyer doesn’t give a damn about the development time or the labor hours that went into the pattern; the buyer only cares whether the pattern is great or if there’s a similar one available elsewhere for less.
You can’t force patterns—which are meant to be sold over and over again for years to come—to fit the pricing model of a one-off item (made once, sold once) at all costs.

I’m logging out now, because talking to a brick wall isn’t doing anything to help my stomach ulcer.

In my opinion, there’s nothing more to add to Richard’s answer. You only put in the effort once, but the pattern stays around forever, and if the value for money is right and there’s a great idea behind it, it will still sell years later. Of course, when selling a pattern you can hope for a boom, but I think steady good sales are better in the long run and show general popularity rather than just a short-lived hype.

Of course, you also can’t ignore the regular costs that streifgetier mentioned, and you have to add them to the price of the pattern. PayPal, crazypatterns, and our dear government all want a share of every sale. But costs like the work involved, business registration, and equipment for creating patterns and photos only come up once.

In general, for me it depends on the pattern. There are very good, very detailed ones that describe a complex or complicated finished result. Personally, though, I wouldn’t spend money on patterns for socks, shawls, or hats. Nothing against my fellow designers of hats, socks, and shawls — your work is great. But with a bit of experience, you can recreate patterns with the help of Google and YouTube. Which brings us to the topic of the target group ... for beginners, these patterns are probably very helpful and worth the money. Probably also for those who are a bit lazier, who don’t feel like measuring and calculating themselves and just want to relax and crochet along ;0) 

And let’s not forget the growing number of designers. In my opinion, that’s also a reason to offer good quality at a reasonable price. Which is not to say that you should sell yourself and your patterns below their value.

A difficult topic ;0)
I’m off to do some crocheting again *grin*


 

* Of course, the first sentence should read “value for money.”
 

Interesting topic!
For me as a designer, pricing is primarily based on the scope of the pattern and, to some extent, the amount of work involved in making it.
For example, if a shoe pattern covers many sizes (children’s to adult), it’s more expensive, but the customer also has more ways to use it than, say, with a watch pattern, which is available in only one version.
My patterns always include options for variation (e.g., different embellishments on the hats) as well as additional tips, tutorials, crochet charts, and tables. Along with the detailed descriptions and numerous step-by-step photos, this is intended to provide customers with added value compared to magazines and books, which justifies the price.
In some cases, the material costs for developing the patterns are high: for example, the yarn for my clogs costs between €10 and €25 per pair, and I’ve developed a total of 11 sizes. That’s quite a bit, and some of that is factored into the pricing.
Then, for each pattern, I have to pay commission, VAT (thanks to the EU, I have to pay VAT on all patterns except those sold in Austria—which is a small portion—even though I’m a small business owner), and PayPal fees when I receive payment.
Advertising on Facebook also costs money, which needs to be taken into account.

Generally speaking, I find that patterns in the German-speaking world are, on average, significantly cheaper than in the U.S. (Patterns by American designers on Etsy usually start at €5–6 and up).
I understand that customers want to buy at low prices, but as a designer, I’d also like to earn something from it.

It would be great if even more customers would share their thoughts here! Knowing the customer’s perspective is incredibly important!
Best regards,
Karin

Interesting topic. I’ve done a lot of comparing when setting the price for my patterns, and I’d say I’m right around the average.
It can sometimes take a very long time to finish a pattern. Charts have to be created, and the exact steps have to be described in such a way that it’s truly “foolproof.” Then the pattern is test-knitted by at least three people. I won’t
get into the English translation right now—that’s not the issue.
Then you have to factor in the fees you have to pay to make the pattern available on various platforms: taxes, if you’re not exempt from sales tax; advertising costs; and so on.

Finally—and this is my personal motto: When a buyer purchases my pattern, they receive lifetime support. That means they can ask questions at any time, and I’ll respond promptly—even if I’m on vacation, for example.
My approach isn’t “you bought the pattern, now figure it out on your own,” but rather “you bought my pattern, I’m happy about that, and I want you to be able to knit a beautiful shawl (or scarf) that you’ll enjoy for a very long time.”

I’d also really appreciate customer feedback. Most of the time, all you hear is “that’s too expensive for me,” but I’m interested in why. Personally, I think that up to 4 euros is definitely still considered “affordable”...

Best
regards, Michaela