Pricing Stained Glass

by Ann Sirles
(Birmingham, AL USA)

Pricing my pieces has always been a guessing game. Is there a formula that can be used? I don't usually keep track of the time I spend on a piece as I'm not in the glass business for a living and don't really count my hours. My work is usually sold on consignment rather than being commissioned if that makes a difference.

Answer

Here's an article about pricing that is very good. You can simplify it to suit your needs. It is pretty much the method we have used for years. Pricing Glass

On the other end of the scale, here is a very simple way to charge if you don't run a busines, but want to make enough money to make it worth your while.

Use a per square foot price. That price pretty much depends on what other people in the area charge. If people know you as an artist and like your work, they will be willing to pay more than they would pay a neighbor that does an occasional piece as a hobby. You could be charging anywhere from $40 to $125 a square foot.
Multiply the number of square feet in the panel by your pre-determined square foot price. That gives you your base price.

The next step is to add a per piece price. That could be anywhere from $1.50 to $5 depending on the complexity of the pieces, and if you use bevels. Bevels would be at the high end of the price scale.

Count you pieces and multiply by the per piece price, then add that to the base price you came up with in the first step, which was square foot price x square feet in the panel. You now have the price you will charge your customer.

If the panel was 1 1/2 sq ft and your sq ft price was $50, the base price for the panel would be $75. If there are 20 simple pieces in the panel, the per piece price would be 20 x $1.50 = $30.00. The total price for the panel would be $105.00.