Are patterns too expensive?

Hello dear handicraft enthusiasts and fellow designers,

today I received a comment that shocked me a bit at first.
This comment was left on my pattern for Seppl Schlafmütze and reads as follows:

"I think €5.99 for a pattern is pretty steep".
At first I was quite surprised by it, especially since this customer didn’t buy the pattern and therefore, I think, can’t really judge whether it’s worth the price.
After thinking about it a little, I came to the conclusion that I should write here in the forum, and deliberately publicly too. 
I’d really be interested to know how you all deal with this topic and react to something like this. 
I found a wonderful article about this by Tines Häkel.Boutique. 
http://www.haekelboutique.de/2017/01/08/warum-kosten-anleitungen-eigentlich-geld/
I would like to thank you very much for it; I don’t think it could be explained any more thoroughly.

We all put an incredible amount into every single pattern and don’t do it just to earn money. On the contrary, normally a pattern, no matter which category it’s from, could never be priced high enough for all the work that goes into it. 
But I don’t want to complain; I just want to explain, and I hope I’m not completely wrong about that.
I wish everyone a lovely evening
Best wishes, Susann 

Hi Susann,
this is an issue that comes up time and again. I’ve experienced it myself many times. There have even been comments “pointing out” that there are free patterns for them online. Yes, a jacket is a jacket and a hat is a hat. But I can say for myself that my patterns are designed and made by me. :)

These days, I don’t worry about messages like that anymore. Customers decide for themselves what they buy and how much they’re willing to pay for it. How often do we, as authors, see people asking here, “How do I crochet or knit this? — I don’t understand the pattern!” But those are often patterns that were downloaded for free from the internet. Of course, there’s no Support for that.

And one more thing: across the entire web, patterns by German authors are the cheapest. If you look at English, French, and especially American patterns, they’re simply much more expensive, yet they sell very well. Maybe that has something to do with the “new/old German” ‘stinginess is cool’ mentality.

Best regards
Petra

So far, I haven’t received comments like that, although I can imagine that, given my pricing, they might still come.
Fundamentally, I believe that many authors undervalue their patterns, which creates price pressure and, consequently, certain expectations. In such cases, I like to cite the example that while the yarn may cost something—sometimes quite a bit—the pattern for making something with that yarn doesn’t.
Personally, I’ve come to the conclusion that an enormous amount of time and work goes into every single pattern, and I want to be paid for that. I’m not holding a gun to anyone’s head to make them buy my patterns; if someone doesn’t want to pay what they cost, they don’t have to. My pricing is more about my belief that work—no matter what kind—should be paid for. Of course, everyone is free to choose not to buy what I’m offering, but I don’t think that, as an author, you have to justify setting a price for your products that you consider fair. What you do is your job, and just like your customers, you have bills to pay and, possibly, mouths to feed.

If someone wants to give their patterns away for free—that’s their choice.

Since I’ve been writing my own, I know just how much work goes into some of them.
Not just the writing itself, but also the process leading up to it—

not to mention creating the prototypes.

Some people don’t seem to realize that selling patterns is a source of income for some people.

Good morning!

I’ll be honest: I think your prices are “steep.” Not unjustified given the amount of work that goes into a pattern like this, but still very high for a buyer.
I also know that in other countries, people pay much higher prices for crochet and knitting patterns than what’s typical in Germany. Why? I have no idea.
Likewise, I don’t understand why so many people are willing to spend so much more on a sewing pattern than on a crochet or knitting pattern. It doesn’t really involve any more work.

As for me, I decided at some point not to base my “financial appreciation” on selling a single pattern at a high price, but rather on selling many patterns at a lower price.
That’s because the chance that the work will actually be financially appreciated at some point is much higher that way.
A pattern I offer for (justified, but still high) €5 will potentially be bought by far fewer customers than the same pattern for €2.
And, based on experience, so much fewer that the high price doesn’t make up for the lower volume of sales.
In other words: I’d rather sell 100 copies at €2 than 10 copies at €5 ;)
Even though I naturally wish people would value my work differently—and thus be willing to pay more for a single pattern.
But since that’s not the case, and I still want to sell, I adapt to the market’s “pricing policy.”

And no, I don’t think it would help if, in the future, all designers set a minimum price of xyz€—customers would still generally not be willing and\/or able to pay the higher prices, and it would just lead to (even more) violations regarding the sharing of patterns...

LG

Dear Susann,
I just took another look at your Seppl and read all the comments. First off: I think the price is justified, because it’s a very comprehensive pattern—it covers not only the doll itself but also all the accessories. Many customers seem to see it this way too, because—judging by the sales figures—your Seppl is very well received, and the comments and reviews also show a high level of satisfaction. On top of that, your customer service is excellent; no question goes unanswered—and that, too, takes time! So your quality is high, and there are plenty of people willing to pay a fair price for it.
All in all, your Seppl is a commercial success; putting together this pattern has been worth it for you. But—and this shouldn’t be forgotten—your Seppl also has to cross-subsidize patterns that aren’t doing as well. That’s how every business does its calculations.

And anyway, what’s inexpensive, and what’s expensive?
A pattern for a fairly simple hat with a standard construction or baby booties—whether crocheted or knitted—costs between €1.00 and €2.50 here on the forum.
Is that inexpensive compared to a complex pattern for a doll that includes a hat, booties, a onesie, a diaper, fingers on the hands, a face, a hairstyle, and much more? That’s a question only each person can answer for themselves—whether they’re the designer or the customer.

Personally, I often find that the patterns which are very elaborate and original—and have a relatively high final price—are actually too cheap (considering what they offer), while simple constructions and designs are sold for a comparatively high price. (The emphasis here is on “comparatively” —it’s often the patterns with a low final price that offer a balanced price-performance ratio.) This discrepancy in pricing arises because many people base their decisions on the final price rather than on value for money.

Warm regards,
Steffi

Good morning.
I’m “just” a customer, but maybe that’s exactly why I can offer a different perspective.
When I was new here (about 2 years ago), I only picked out free patterns. Partly out of stinginess, partly because there are plenty of them, and partly because I wasn’t sure if I could do it. And spending money on something I can’t do is kind of silly, after all.

And then my learning process began (I guess everyone goes through that here),
Some patterns are incredibly elaborate, some are simpler, but they’re actually almost always easy to understand. And then there’s you, dear authors, who reply quickly. Sometimes really incredibly quickly.

That’s how I gained the courage to spend money too. The first pattern I bought cost over €5. It was a dress for the Schlagermove. I’d been thinking about making it for a long time. I made it and was totally happy. The pattern was elaborate and actually foolproof. But I wanted different sleeves, so I sent an email and got a great idea for how to make my sleeves work.

The €5 were worth it.
Today I’m happy to spend money on good patterns because I’ve realized how much work and love you put into them.

When I buy a book with patterns, I don’t have anyone to help me. But here there’s you all, and that’s great. 

Each of you has to decide for yourself how much work you’ve invested and set your prices accordingly. Your little dolls already look incredibly elaborate, and I also think the prices are justified. 

But every customer can also decide whether they have the money and want to spend it, and some people just have to learn first (like I did) that it really is worth spending money.  

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATTERNS, IDEAS, HELP, AND FOR BEING HERE....
Sandra 

Hi Susann,

first off: I bought the pattern for Seppl and Lotta from you, as well as various individual clothing items.

When I first stumbled upon your dolls, I thought to myself: Oh my gosh, that’s expensive.
I fell in love with Lotta and just had to buy the pattern for her.
And what can I say: I haven’t regretted it.

The pattern is simply fantastic, and the result is more than amazing. Lotta is a real showstopper.
Unfortunately, I haven’t made Seppl yet because some other project always gets in the way.

A tremendous amount of work goes into the patterns, so the price is definitely justified.

Best regards
Heike

I’d also like to comment on this, since I, too, am affected by the “stinginess-is-cool” mentality—as I’m sure almost every pattern author here is.

I once wrote the following post about this on my Facebook fan page:

Today I’d like to briefly outline how I calculate the prices for my patterns and what my customers get for their money.

1. From the initial idea to its implementation and the finished product, weeks of daily work go by—sometimes late into the night

2. From writing the pattern to publishing it online at crazypatterns, it takes yet another few weeks of daily work (including test knitting and test crocheting by various testers).

3. The platform crazypatterns retains 30% of every sale for its services (providing web space, instant download, support, advertising, etc.). On top of that, there are taxes, because the tax office wants a little money, too. ;-) That means I get “only” half of each sale.

4. All my patterns include knitting or crochet charts created using professional software on a computer. I’ve seen some “cheaper” patterns by other designers who, for example, simply draw the crochet charts by hand and then photograph or scan them. I can do that by hand too, and certainly much faster. But: it looks unprofessional and simply doesn’t meet my standards for quality.

5. In addition to the knitting or crochet chart, the vast majority of my patterns include step-by-step written instructions for those who prefer not to work from a chart. In addition, many of the patterns include photo tutorials.

6. Every pattern includes a diagram to illustrate the structure

7. Every customer receives lifelong support from me for questions and/or problems. I always respond promptly, whether on the weekend or even while on vacation.

And all of this for just 3.79 euros. I think that’s pretty decent, don’t you? ;-)

I’ve received a lot of positive feedback on this post. When I look at patterns in the English-speaking world, they’re significantly more expensive, and in some cases, you get much less for your money.

But I think what’s even worse isn’t that there are always “price-cutters,” but that many patterns are shared illegally… It’s comparable to illegal music downloads, which cause artists—especially those who aren’t “superstars”—to suffer noticeably…

✌You’re right!✌

“Seppel” is just too cute!

First of all, I’d like to thank you, dear Sandra, for your post here. :-) And as a buyer, I completely agree with that.

Dear Susann,
I also bought your Seppl, simply because I fell in love with it. And it was absolutely worth the price to me. When I saw the scope of the pattern… wow… the amount of work that went into it, the attention to detail, and above all, how much time! For that, the price is still a bargain.

From my perspective, I can recommend that you not let comments like that get to you. Yes, it hurts. But just ignore them. It’s just one person’s point of view—not even a customer’s, as you write. Because if they were, they’d know the value is much higher.

Most customers aren’t even aware of the points Michaela has compiled. I think it’s great that she mentions this and brings it to people’s attention.

When I buy a magazine for 5–6 euros that might have a pattern I like—one that’s also very general and brief—I spend the money without batting an eye. I’ve switched to buying patterns only from the authors themselves—specifically here. That’s worth much more to me. And I’m more than happy to pay the price for it.

Since I’ve been putting a lot of my own ideas into practice lately, I unfortunately don’t have time to work through all the patterns I’ve bought. But who knows—maybe I’ll run out of ideas for a while someday... ;-)

So far, I’ve followed Nina’s approach with my own patterns. However, I’m not sure if it’s really true that a lower price attracts more buyers. Because when I like something, I buy it, no matter how expensive it is.

If I had a pattern that required as much effort as Seppl, it would cost just as much as yours, Susann. So don’t worry about an opinion you don’t have to share. By the way... every successful person has critics. I guess that’s just part of it. ;-)

Best regards
Monika

Hello everyone, thank you so much for your encouraging words—it’s put my mind at ease a bit that I’m not completely off base after all. Now it’s back to work with renewed energy, because I still have plenty of ideas :)

Best wishes to you all, Susann

Hi Susann,

I bought your “Seppl Schlafmütze” pattern. It’s comprehensive and very well explained. A lot of love went into it, and the pattern isn’t too expensive—if someone thinks otherwise, they don’t need to buy it. You’ve done everything right; keep up the good work.

Whether something seems “unprofessional” or actually is shouldn’t even be on the list in public discussions like this. That kind of thing really annoys me. I can offer crochet charts created on a computer and still make them seem less professional with awful detail photos and/or poor grammar (commas are often left out entirely these days).
My crochet charts are created by hand, and I’ve already been asked what font I’m using - so it’s definitely possible to produce clean work.

Besides, I generally find it awful that, as a writer of crochet patterns, you constantly have to justify why you charge XXX € for your patterns. And then there are these constant comments that SOME people make a living from this. Huh? No one bats an eye at that in any other profession.
That’s a profession, period. You get paid for it, period. As a customer, I can decide: do I buy a loaf of bread from the bakery for 5,- or one at the discount store for -,99 - without thinking: oh man, how can anyone make a living just from baking bread?

I write good patterns, offer help and advice, and even send out patterns at 12:22 a.m. that were accidentally deleted for the third time. That’s worth the price - and the same goes for the vast majority of pattern writers I know. - Great, now it turned into a justification after all :-))

In most other professions, it’s taken for granted that people earn money from them.
Handicrafts, on the other hand, are seen by many as more of a hobby than a source of income.

Marion, your points are great!

I’d like to add that, for me, a professional pattern is one that the customer can follow step-by-step and understand clearly, whether it’s hand-drawn or handwritten or created on a computer. I’m speaking from my own perspective as a customer. And that’s exactly how I write my patterns. 

That’s exactly what I expect as a customer: that a pattern works and that I can find all the necessary material details, such as yardage and manufacturer… (which, unfortunately, isn’t always the case even in well-known craft magazines!) And then I can still decide whether I want to buy something or if I think it’s too expensive. Sure, 5 euros for a pattern might seem like a lot at first glance, but when I think about how much time and effort it takes to write it up clearly and neatly… And when I know I can count on the author’s help at any time if I run into a problem, the whole thing looks very different! So: A heartfelt thank you to all the authors who put so much effort into their patterns and who patiently answer questions from customers who are a bit slow to catch on!

Thank you so much, Christina! :-) It’s truly a joy for all of us to have customers like you who appreciate our work so much.