: I must sell a Mill Creek 13 that I built a year ago to finance my next kayak
: building project. How do you set a price for a hand made boat? Given first
: class construction and craftsmanship and no defects, is it reasonable to
: expect to recover at least the costs of the materials? What about a small
: profit for labor? I have never sold anything like this and really don't
: know where to start. Any advise will be appreciated.

: Thanks....Mark

Hey Mark

Let me first say that Labor is NOT a part of profit. Labor is a cost. Nobody works for free these days and you shouldn't sell yourself short. Whatever your hours you worked on it, you should get no less than $5.00 and hour. If you feel that you did a very good quality job, then expect to be paid for it. Then take the price of material and add them up. If then you are not sure that anyone would pay that, then ask for 75% of your total. I like Dale's idea of putting it on Ebay, with a picture and make sure you get a good flattering shot of it. Put your 75% figure as the lowest you'll accept and let'er rip. This may be a bit sexist, but, if you really want to sell it, have an attractive young lady sit or kneel behind it and smile. It's not fair, but, it works. That's business. Too many people I know sell themselves short because they don't think their work will bring such a good price. But, there are others out there who haven't a clue how to build one or don't have the time and will pay a good price to get what you have. Give it a shot.

When I built something I wasn't sure how the market would react, I'd double my material costs and add 10% and go for it. Never failed. Then judging by everyone's reactions, I would raise or lower the next one.

Rehd