Puppet Patterns: What's A Fair Price?

[Buck-Beaver]

For these I am leaning towards $20-25 dollars just because as you say that makes them accessible to not just puppet builders, but more of general craft audience as well.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Patience]

Puppet Patterns

B-B

Personally, I can't wait to see what you are selling!

I looked around and came across this: http://www.biblepuppet.com/welcome.htm

I paid $10.00 it was also a download, but not worth even the "postage" if you understand my meaning. The guy did send back my money after I sent him links to the free patterns. His suggested materials: "Felt squares from Walmart"! Not my idea of professional quality puppets or patterns.

Not that I think anything you create will compare to this stuff! Just wanted to let you know what you have to compete with. Be sure to build a site that lets people know you are a Professional, not someone drawing freehand circles that require felt squares.

As a Newcomer, the only reason I'm unwilling to shell out the big bucks $50.00-56.00 for the PP patterns, is because there just wasn't enough detail information about what to expect on the web site. I had to come here for opinions. My experience is, people tell you what you want to hear sometimes, just to get your $. (I've been burnt! and it shows!). PP doesn't say what size puppet you can expect to make. That lack of infomation made me suspect what they were selling wouldn't be worth the extra $. It was great to get opinions from those already familiar with the patterns. Opinions from people who had nothing to gain or lose from giving me the info is worth so much more!

Again, as a Newcomer, (not sure if I am different or the same as the rest of the Newcomers) I don't want to make a puppet for the sake of making something that resembles one! I want to make it the way the rest of you make them. I thought long and hard, did lots of reading, watched valuable videos on YouTube and ExpertVillage, before deciding this is something I wanted to do. I may be new to Puppet Building, but I consider myself an Artist not a crafter!

An aside, make some tutorial videos on YouTube or ExpertVillage, and advertise your website. Either show making (parts) of a puppet using your patterns. Or do a skit using puppets made with your patterns. Always leave your web address in the bi-line, on your profile and on the video itself, for advertising.

Please put me at the top of your e-mail list when you decide to release your patterns! Any idea when that will be?

Patience

 

[ravagefrackle]

not sure about price myself, but what do patterns that you buy ata fabric store run?i know i have seen many crfat patterns from compnaies like Butterick, and Mcalls,over the years, i would say that since it is being done on a smaller scale that your price could be higher than those since it is a niche market , and those whol really want or need something like that will be willing to spend more for a quality product from an independent source.

 

[Patience]

Puppet Patterns

B-B

Personally, I can't wait to see what you are selling!

I looked around and came across this: http://www.biblepuppet.com/welcome.htm

I paid $10.00 it was also a download, but not worth even the "postage" if you understand my meaning. The guy did send back my money after I sent him links to the free patterns. His suggested materials: "Felt squares from Walmart"! Not my idea of professional quality puppets or patterns.

Not that I think anything you create will compare to this stuff! Just wanted to let you know what you have to compete with. Be sure to build a site that lets people know you are a Professional, not someone drawing freehand circles that require felt squares.

As a Newcomer, the only reason I'm unwilling to shell out the big bucks $50.00-56.00 for the PP patterns, is because there just wasn't enough detail information about what to expect on the web site. I had to come here for opinions. My experience is, people tell you what you want to hear sometimes, just to get your $. (I've been burnt! and it shows!). PP doesn't say what size puppet you can expect to make. That lack of infomation made me suspect what they were selling wouldn't be worth the extra $. It was great to get opinions from those already familiar with the patterns. Opinions from people who had nothing to gain or lose from giving me the info is worth so much more!

Again, as a Newcomer, (not sure if I am different or the same as the rest of the Newcomers) I don't want to make a puppet for the sake of making something that resembles one! I want to make it the way the rest of you make them. I thought long and hard, did lots of reading, watched valuable videos on YouTube and ExpertVillage, before deciding this is something I wanted to do. I may be new to Puppet Building, but I consider myself an Artist not a crafter!

An aside, make some tutorial videos on YouTube or ExpertVillage, and advertise your website. Either show making (parts) of a puppet using your patterns. Or do a skit using puppets made with your patterns. Always leave your web address in the bi-line, on your profile and on the video itself, for advertising.

Please put me at the top of your e-mail list when you decide to release your patterns! Any idea when that will be?

Patience

 

[Bear Man]

That is one problem I have with the Project Puppet patterns, and that's that you can't really see what the pattern creates. It would be nice to see what the canvass looks like before it is painted on.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Please put me at the top of your e-mail list when you decide to release your patterns! Any idea when that will be?

This is actually an old thread; a couple years ago I was thinking about doing this, but it wasn't practical to ship stuff from Mexico (where I was living at the time). I have a lot of puppet building patterns and information I plan to put up for free on PuppetBuilding.com when I have the time to get them properly scanned and traced...it's just hard to find the time to do it these days.

Besides, since this thread was created Project Puppet has done a wonderful job of releasing patterns I don't really see the need for someone else to be doing it unless they have something totally different.

 

[Patience]

Patterns

B-B,

I would still like to see what you are planning to offer. I'm sure I am not alone when I say I'd be willing to pay for it too! Because I believe there is room for an alternative to PP. I've heard great things about them, but I am still reluctant to buy without seeing what I'm going to get. If you go to the fabric store, you can look at the cutting layouts and even read the directions if you want to take the time. I want something more than a simple description for the $XX.xx

This statement makes me think it may not be worth the money "enjoy the simplicity of our one-piece patterns" If this is a professional pattern, it has to have more than one piece to it! Or maybe I haven't learned as much as I thought!

When I first started my journey into puttetery, I spoke to someone who made puppets a long time ago. He told me 2 things, which I consider the most valuable info I've received so far. 1. attach the neck to the waist for greater natural movement.
2. design the puppet with an open mouth for less resistance.

The first I makes perfect sense, and something I would have figured out while making the first puppet. The second makes sense, when you realize that it is not your fingers doing the talking it is your thumb.

Hope you haven't given up the idea of selling. I guess I need to look at the date of the Post before I reply. I just got so excited to find an alternative, especially from someone who everybody here considers to be an authority!

Thanks

P

 

[Whispers]

I am one of the people that find the PP patterns to be expensive, I have a collection of patterns and not one of them is over 20$ and from those few patterns I've been able to adapt them to suit my needs.

I think you should price them based on what you desire is.
Is it to make an enormous profit? Or is it to share the information you've learned and help others grow while still gaining some profit?

I think patterns over 25$ can already be in the range of too pricey, especially if they aren't offering too much.

Remember that you will DEFINITELY sell more than one pattern and if they are affordable and as great as you think they are, your peers and people here will have no problem with recommending your patterns to others. After the first few sales you will gain back the time you spent and everything after will be profit.

Compromise between yourself and your customers. Remember that both of them should be happy.

 

[staceyrebecca]

Out of curiosity, what did you end up selling them for, where did you make them available, & are they still?

 

[Buck-Beaver]

I am one of the people that find the PP patterns to be expensive, I have a collection of patterns and not one of them is over 20$ and from those few patterns I've been able to adapt them to suit my needs.

I have to say that the Project Puppet Patterns are very reasonable for what you get. If you sell one puppet made from them for as little as $100 you've made back the cost of the pattern, your materials and have a few bucks to spare. That's pretty good.

Price does not necessarily determine quality, but I suspect that there's a good reason people on MC rave about Project Puppet and not the cheaper patterns...and that difference is reflected in the price. I do realize that they might be more than some people have to spend, but to put this in some perspective, ten years ago those types of quality patterns with clear, easy-to-follow instructions were almost unavailable at any price. The few "professional" (I hate that word) patterns and kits out there cost twice as much as PP and they wouldn't allow you to sell puppets made from them.

Out of curiosity, what did you end up selling them for, where did you make them available, & are they still?

I didn't end up selling them; I have plans to put several of them online at PuppetBuilding.com, but just haven't gotten to it. I work 60-70 hours a week right now so it's difficult to find the time to put in to projects like that unfortunately.

If somebody is handy with Adobe Illustrator and/or Corel Draw and wants to volunteer to help me put them together properly I'm happy to make them available for free under Creative Commons licenses.