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sararini — Too Expensive for You vs Too Expensive, Period
Published: 2014-10-21 03:57:52 +0000 UTC; Views: 2583; Favourites: 96; Downloads: 0
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Description Friendly reminder not to tell people their adopts are too expensive. Saying it's out of your price range - that's okay. But don't come to us, we who are selling adopts for hundreds of points, and say we need to lower our prices. Because if you think about it in real money, it's pretty darn cheap. Starting bids never seem to exceed $10.

Friendly reminder not to be afraid to raise your prices. You put hard work into your adopts, you deserve more than a mere 20 /25 cents.

Friendly reminder that to SOME people, this isn't just a hobby, something they do for fun. It's something they want to pursue a career in. And sometimes adopts are their only source of income. Twenty five cents a piece wouldn't put food on the table even if you slaved away, making a ridiculously impossible amount of adopts.

Friendly reminder that, hey, I have the right to be charging minimum wage. We all do. In fact, charging minimum wage for our art would be the right thing to do. If my starting bids were the minimum wage in my state, in points, that would be 1,500 points each, $18 each for two hours of work - each. But we don't because we know there are people who can't afford it. We cheat ourselves so others can get what they want.

Sorry for the ranty post, but all of these professional artists I look up to are always saying not to underprice yourself. They say it just makes it harder to actually sell your stuff for a decent price - and they're right, because once you start charging a buck or more for a design, it's seen as too expensive because people are already used to buying adopts for so little.

I'm constantly torn between charging a price that's right and fair for the amount of time I spend on my stuff, or underpricing myself just to make sure I do make a profit, even if it's a smaller amount than I'd like. I don't really do commissions anymore because I don't usually enjoy them, and since I always charge so little, it's never worth it. Three hours of work for a dollar or more is just completely unfair.

I don't know where I'm going with this. Just because we're drawing ponies, just because we're not up there with the pros, working for film and video game companies, does not mean we cannot charge a respectable amount of money.

Someone commented on my auction saying they were too expensive. I'm not mad. I'm used to that by now, and I understand. But I've been wanting to talk about this for a long time now, and that comment gave me the little push I needed.

I understand if my adopts are too expensive for you, but they are not too expensive, period.
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Comments: 28

yggdrasiles [2017-09-25 20:28:22 +0000 UTC]

The main issue with me is that whenever I raise my prices, they never sell. I personally don't consider my prices expensive? (10-50 points, and rarely more expensive). It's a bit disheartening and I start to wonder if my adopts aren't as good as others... Either way, saving up is rather difficult.

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AllyRat [2017-09-25 07:26:18 +0000 UTC]

Oh my gosh yes!! Thank-you for saying this because I experience this so often.
Legit today I was told that $40 for a ref sheet like this piff poff  was too expensive AND SELFISH D :< Like??? A ref sheet like that takes 5-6 hours, that means I'm making $6-$8 an hour which is wayyy below minimum wage in my country. 

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Iionteeth [2017-09-24 20:06:59 +0000 UTC]

Oh my god bless your soul for making this. It's a struggle for both adopts and commissions. It seems like if you're not a popular artist, you can't sell your things for more than like $20. The max amount someone has ever paid for my art was $15, but I put hours of work into every piece. I know I deserve more that but it's a battle of fair price vs cheap so people will buy :/

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Derepesy [2017-09-24 18:41:44 +0000 UTC]

This can honestly be said about regular commissions as well. I basically make less than a dollar for 3 hours of hard work for my commissions. I never seem to be able to sell my commissions for 100 or more. Its kinda heartbreaking and it breaks my motivation. I work so darn hard on all of my art and yet I only get 75 for a drawing that I spent +3 hours on. And then I feel guilty for trying to raise my prices up to 100 . I basically never have any points and I can rarely afford any commissions because of it. Im lucky if I have over 500 , which I will then nearly instantly spend on other commissions and YCH's. 
My only actual money income are adoptables. I spend a shit ton of time on them and I sell them for around 300 . Which is alright. It takes around 2-3 hours to finish one of my adoptables. However I rarely actually sell them for money. Thats why I sometimes do 1$ batch sales. Making those batches is a pain, because I have at least 5 characters in there. It takes me a few days to finish one batch and then it takes me around 2 hours to sell them all. Its not very efficient, but thats the only way I seem to be able to actually get money. Right now I dont need money for anything more than just games or other commissions, but it would be nice to get a bit more than just 5$ for 3 days of work. 
Honestly, bless this journal

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Meerkattu In reply to Derepesy [2017-09-24 19:21:44 +0000 UTC]

OH SHIT REALLY? ;0; (forgive my interpution) but your art is freaking awesome! i would pay much more than 75pts for your art! :0

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doqsharkk [2017-09-24 18:15:37 +0000 UTC]

//blesses this post

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Flvffyfox [2017-09-24 18:14:30 +0000 UTC]

bless

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tzunaci [2017-09-24 17:55:10 +0000 UTC]

i wouldn't even stop this at adoptables,, my commissions are hella underpriced so that people will buy them. i've been told incessantly to raise them (i will) because i'm being overworked and underpaid. even my mom sat me down and told me that, and she was genuinely concerned. i told her that they're cheap because i want people to buy art and i'm only 13, so making a lot of money isn't exactly a goal right now. a lot of people have been telling me that my art it worth more than $0.75/75 for a flat bust, and i agree, but i still haven't taken action and raised the pricing. i think that's what i'll do right now, though

oops sorry for the long post

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ComBee-ki [2017-09-24 17:49:44 +0000 UTC]

tbh one time i said that something was pretty expensive to me in a comment and nobody read more than the "too expensive" and i got a lot of hate
i didn't know it was considered rude at the time so i was just very confused

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Cublx [2016-10-18 00:43:24 +0000 UTC]

lel i always end up putting my adopts for less than 25 pts cuz no one buys. its not even that no one is seeing them! legit i put them in 30+ groups and i have 100+ watchers. like bruh. the only thing that has worked well is my ych and I really under priced that at 100pts! its freaking animated! >~< i raised the price so so many people wouldn't buy it because i have so much stuff i have to do! the offers one my otas are reduculous and i just go lucky that i got someone to offer 100pts. thats amazing. like no one on my latest ota( lel not newest anymore but still one out of 2 open) has offered more than 15 pts. i dont even draw something to a selective fandom. I literally do dogs and cats. cute things and less cute things!

*sigh* sorry for the rant im just a bit ticked off sorry. :T
maybe my art is just not good enough. 

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Sarahostervig [2014-10-29 00:05:15 +0000 UTC]

can i copy this and make a journal myself????

praise this <3

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sararini In reply to Sarahostervig [2014-11-06 10:44:45 +0000 UTC]

yeah, sure ^^

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Sarahostervig In reply to sararini [2014-11-06 12:02:04 +0000 UTC]

Awsome thnx <3 ^w^

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sararini In reply to Sarahostervig [2014-11-07 20:19:21 +0000 UTC]

No problem

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Kaji-Tanii [2014-10-23 02:16:58 +0000 UTC]

THANKYOU. 
I can't stress this enough.

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dratini12 [2014-10-21 20:07:33 +0000 UTC]

hnn, i actually think that i underprize my adopts too much, but if i rise the prizes nobody will buy them ;-;

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lithiumlilac [2014-10-21 18:08:13 +0000 UTC]

Holy fuck, THANK YOU

;-; i work very hard on my shit and $5 isnt even that much dhsfjaf

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springl0cked [2014-10-21 13:15:26 +0000 UTC]

I recently sold an adoptable for 60 and 40, however those were only because of prior arrangements.
When I make an adoptable over 25, it never sells.

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Errosavia In reply to springl0cked [2014-10-22 22:45:27 +0000 UTC]

Usually that just means you need to make your way up. If people won't buy your adopts because they're too expensive, keep them the same price, but maybe try adding them into more groups. If you have ten watchers nobody is going to pay much for adopts, but the more watchers and the more people interested the better they'll sell. Also, keep in mind sometimes designs you like may not be what anybody else likes or want, it's sounds prudish but figure out what colors and designs etc other people like and look for.

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LotusLumino [2014-10-21 12:17:11 +0000 UTC]

Now this .. <333

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zDKAY [2014-10-21 05:14:29 +0000 UTC]

I would like to thank you for this as well. ;u;
I haven't been making pony adopts for long, but I've already been told numerous times that my adopts were too expensive.
But the most expensive ones (ones that I drew myself, no bases) were only 50 points.. But they were still "too much." U.U

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Tambelon [2014-10-21 04:17:24 +0000 UTC]

I would fav this 100 times over if I could!  

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sararini In reply to Tambelon [2014-10-21 04:18:36 +0000 UTC]

Thank you!  

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Tambelon In reply to sararini [2014-10-21 04:19:01 +0000 UTC]

And ironically I just put adopts up right now X'D

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sararini In reply to Tambelon [2014-10-21 04:21:32 +0000 UTC]

Ooh, I see! Pumpkin Patch is so adorable <3 I'd buy her but I don't have paypal. Good luck selling!

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Tambelon In reply to sararini [2014-10-21 04:26:22 +0000 UTC]

Haha, thank you!  I would've taken points if I didn't need the money under 2 weeks X'D  Dang DA and it's conversion stuffffffff.

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theWeaverofTales [2014-10-21 04:08:45 +0000 UTC]

Thank you for this... <3

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sararini In reply to theWeaverofTales [2014-10-21 04:17:09 +0000 UTC]

No problem

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