newer companies charging as much as more established companies?

A newer company doesnt mean they should charge less if theyre using proper materials and putting the proper time and care in to their product. but if its a cheaper product they should charge less. If its as good as big named companies then they can charge just as much. Just because a company's name is bigger doesnt usually mean they'll double their price for no reason, while it can be more expensive its usually priced per quality of the item or materials cost of the item.

 

I think if they are going to not handel your doll as well they they should not charge as much( because they don't take as good of care of it ). But if it was taken care of wasn't dirty and was packaged nicely, and was a all arounf well made doll. Then even if it was a newer company they should be able to charge just as much as any other compony.

 

When considering a doll, I look at the doll first and not the price. Do I like the face? Is the body acceptable? Do I like this doll more than other dolls I am considering? What is special and different about the doll? Price is pretty far down the list.

That said - the price the company charges is what they need to have to stay in business and to live. This is probably not a hobby to them only - it is what they are trying to do for a living as well. I would expect a new business to have more costs than an established one. A business that is just starting to do international sales may also have greater expenses. If a company is putting the same amount of work into making the doll as an older company then they will likely expect to get a similar price for their product. Having worked in resin and resin casting of items for dolls, I can tell you that there are a lot of expenses involved, including the fact that the weather plays a part in how well or even if you can successfully cast the resin. There is equipment and safety gear that are necessary. The cost of the resin is another factor. I think the new companies should charge what they need to survive. The dolls are sculptures, and as with any other art form the artist improves over time. You can look at the progression of jointing available in the dolls to see how they have evolved as a whole. Perhaps their first doll isn't as good, but they may improve. Hopefully they will watch feedback and change. I believe it is up to the buyer to determine if the price asked is something they are willing to pay for the doll in question. That specific doll. Are the buyer's reasons for getting the doll worth the time and effort of getting the price together. Quality should be a factor. I prefer to actually see a companies dolls before buying them. I study the available pictures very hard and I find DOA to be a good reference to the kinds of problems such as poor resin quality or packaging. I say let them charge what they like and do your research before buying - and then enjoy your doll!

 

This is a tough argument. On one hand, the established companies have reputations, and like any brand-name, part of what they are selling on is reputation. On the other hand, the higher the profits a new company has, the more they can grow and increase their quality, and add new sculpts as well as clothing and such, as well as returning their start-up costs.

My first doll is going to be from a new company, and he is quite inexpensive for his size ($130 for a 28-cm), but I have heard great things from other people who own dolls from the company, so I would be willing to pay a lot more since I love the sculpt. However, without this little bit of reputation, I would be really nervous about buying him at any price.

 

A new company does not have the economies of scale that an established company does, so their costs are effectively higher per production item.

for me, quality is a different/separate issue as even established companies can have bad runs, or production problems if they increase production quantity.

bottom line, reputation of the company, popularity of the doll and average market price will determine the pricing of a particular doll.

 

If the company can deliver the goods at the right quality then they can charge at higher prices if they want to, regardless of how long they've been in business for.

However, I would personally be quite wary of ordering from a brand new company with high prices and little feedback or owner photos, so I feel it might be to their advantage to start out with lower prices, or perhaps starting with tinies or separate heads which sell lower anyway and moving onto larger goods once they've built up a reputation.

 

Like others have said, new does not equal lower quality or less professional. The start up costs for making dolls and getting a business running is pretty high since most companies seem to start out very small. The general price of these dolls really is pretty reasonable for how much it costs to make. Especially for a new company that has just spent money on supplies and equipment (or hiring casters), and since making these dolls takes a lot of time and can really be a full time job, having prices that are too low would cause them to become bankrupt pretty quickly. Now, lower prices might help them establish a customer base and a good reputation, but they shouldn't lower their prices just because they are new.

 

It seems your problem isn't really the age of the company so much as the quality. I wouldn't judge all new companies (or anything for that matter) based on your experience with just one. I know a lot of skilled artist who had lower prices when they started selling their work in order to facilitate more sales to try to "get their name out there". I've known some who didn't. that's really just a financial choice. I know when I start selling my dolls, my prices will be based on the current market. But I take a certain pride in my skill and my quality of work.

Also, if you look on this forum far enough I bet you can find a thread about an established company that has put out a poor quality doll.

 

So judging by everyone's responses would it be okay for an artist to sell their own sculpt for a similar price as other dolls of that size on the market or should they sell for less?? Im really curious because I've been making my own tiny, he is 14cm tall and I was considering casting a few of him to get use to working with resin and I'm not sure what to do with the extra's when I have them (assuming that they're good quality that is :P)

 

Higgy: That's really up to you You have to look at the money and time you put into making the dolls, how much profit you want, and also how much you'd be willing to pay for the (essentially) exact same thing made by someone else. People may be hesitant to buy from a new dollmaker for the same price as from the established companies, but if you think it's worth it, then go ahead--if no one shows interest, or shows interest but not for the price, you can lower it. You also might want to show doll people the dolls, both online and in person, and ask what they'd be willing to pay. What's the highest price they would consider, and what would they consider fair. Especially since the difference established companies have a pretty large discrepancy in the price of similarly-sized dolls for various reasons.

One-man operations and tiny companies have different things to worry about than large companies, new dollmakers have different costs than established ones, working in different sizes each have their own challenges. When you buy from one of the big companies, part of what you are paying for is their reputation, but from the newer companies, you're paying off their start-up costs, and their process likely isn't as streamlined. So I guess there is no easy answer.

 

higgy,
i would say it's ok to charge the same, however as a newcomer to the market, you will have to (a) convince your customer of the product quality and (b) convince your customer of your reliability. and most important, people also have to like your doll/concept.

 

I think it would definitely be okay for an artist to sell their doll for a similar price as a company, as long as the quality is similar (not that they couldn't if the quality was a little worse, but I think the price should be based more on quality). Some even slightly more established artists charge a lot more than the typical company price since making dolls by yourself takes so much time. I think it really just comes down to finding the most you can charge that people are willing to pay.

I think part of the appeal of these dolls is the high prices. If they were very easy to afford, easier to obtain, they just wouldn't be as special. If a new company/artist charges too low, they might loose some of that appeal or people might even assume that the dolls are lower quality for them to be charging lower than average. The slightly unobtainable aspect really fuels people's desire to get one of these dolls, and it wouldn't be wise for a new company not to play into that as long people are willing to buy and the company isn't trying to rip their customers off.

 

Wow, thank you guys for all of your advice. it seems really reasonable. Especially trying to figure out what other doll people think he is worth. there is a tonne of time and effort going into my little boy, but I think it would be wise to wait and see the quality of the end product before i decide. (getting a little ahead of myself! lol)

All I can hope is that he turns out really nicely^^

 

The company that I ordered form obviously understands that a "DEAL" will draw customers in order to build a hefty reputation. I received my doll and he came with EVERYTHING including shoes! SHOES!
lol
He was at an incredible value and he came quickly and well WELL built. I was quite delightfully surprised.

I think if a company can't indeed keep their prices low, then they should maybe have a couple dolls that are reasonably priced so that you get a FEEL of the company. Or you can have a new site like Angelheim where they have products that are OOAK, thus making you more intrigued to buy them.

Not every company that charges alot is great of the bat, or stays great for that matter. I've heard a lot people say that Dream of Doll's products weren't as good as they used to be.

And others have good and bad experiences with long running companies to date. It doesn't hurt to keep a reasonable price in the beginning and life of your company to be safe.

 

Business 101 really... a company must be profitable, which means they need customers to sell to and prices to cover the cost of making the doll with enough left over to run the company.

Starting aggressive means you sell for quite cheap, at or below cost. A quick way to bankruptcy without a plan to turn that attention into money somehow. Risky, but that's why it's aggressive. The funny thing is that too low a price can turn people off--people as a whole believe that you generally get what you pay for, so a low price means it must be junk in some way. (Bootleg? Lead? Melamine? Reconstituted sewage? See: China)

Charging comparably to other items on the market is probably a more sane choice.

On the other hand, if a company wants to start with a premium price, that is their choice. Without a reputation, they would have to do a hell of a sell though; they'd have to prove that they're worth it. No customers = no money. But this is not impossible: every company was new at some point. Making a product that appeals to a currently underserved group is a start, as they'll likely pay premium price for something that they simply can't get elsewhere.

Marketing helps--anything they can brag about, they should. Superior materials, strict quality control, innovative design (special joints perhaps), "made in ___", etc. Get some early adopters and then you can proceed to make them loyal with customer service. That's how a reputation is built.

A company charges what they must to survive, in both the short term and the long term. Being new has little to do with it.

 

Angelheim is a great example of this principle applied intelligently. Though I wasn't able to take advantage of it myself, they had a sale on their first release -- and qualifying purchasers during that period would get a lifelong discount. It wasn't an enormous discount (10% and 5% respectively), but considering the rarity of discounts of any kind on dolls from what I've seen, it's definitely something.

 

I do not believe that a new company should necessarily sell their products at a lower price just because they're the new kids on the block. If a new company comes out with a gorgeous doll that I positively love, then I won't bregrudge them their asking price and I'll buy the doll with glee. And if their price is too steep for me, I still wouldn't hold it against them.

Profit is not a dirty word. It's such a hard thing to be a budding business these days, that if a new company comes out with a new doll that's equal in quality to say, Luts or Iplehouse, then they should price their dolls accordingly.