I am sure many of you have noticed the trend of baby girls being dressed in tutus and gigantic hair bows. Personally, I kind of like the big bows. I have a couple for Arya. (Three of which are thanks to Grandpa Brian!) While I do like the bows, I won't be putting Arya in a tutu anytime soon.
What I find interesting though are the prices. Most bows and tutus are made in home businesses by Stay-at-home-moms (SAHM). When looking for bows I looked into a couple different SAHMs businesses. I have found bows for $7-8. I buy some, then find out the ones Grandpa got for Arya are $3 for small $4 for big. Hey, if I can get two for the price of one of the others that's were I am getting my bows!
The outrageous thing is tutu prices! I am not a crafty person...not at all!! I was looking at some pictures of a little girl in a tutu and easily could see how you make one. Then, I see that the person who had these pictures sells tutus for $50!!!! (You do get a free matching bow.) Okay, it would cost probably between $3-$5 MAX to make one of these. I scurry over to one of the bow sites- she charges $12 for tutus. Much more reasonable (In my opinion), I understand mark up because it IS a business. Then I was on babycenter. I find a women who sells them for $22. And there was a woman talking about how she made her own after watching a how-to video on YouTube. Okay, so how can someone charge $50 for something so cheap to make, so easy to make (since I the non-crafty figured it out) and that there are free how-to videos? Just seems insane to me.
I make tutus, I don't however sell them. I make them for family and friends, and most importantly my dancing princess.
ReplyDeleteThe mark-up is because of the time that it takes to create one. It maybe be simple and cost almost nothing, but it takes time to make them. For a super simple no sew tutu it can take around an hour depending on the size. For the detailed embellished ones it can take several hours.
I don't know about you, but I LOVE to spend time with my kids. So If I am gonna do something that takes time away from my kids I had better make a decent profit from it.
The bows.....well I am in a bow buying time out! LOL I love the look of daughter long hair sporting a beautiful bow that matches and completes her outfit. She has one in just about ever color and we have to buy new ones at the start of every season, to match the new clothes! She even has a Chiefs and Packers bow!
I love the big bow look on little girls, and Arya looks adorable in this picture. I've made things similar to these bows and tutus, and Ashlee is right, there is a lot of time involved. But, like I said--ADORABLE!!!
ReplyDeleteOf course, I love to spend time with Arya! It's just that in my opinion- $50 is outrageous. If people like buying them I recommend going with the $12 I have found. Also, these were not embellished ones.
ReplyDeleteMama, people are wierd... For instance, when we price a necklace for $15 and have the same exact one priced for $50 you would be amazed how often the higher priced one sells. Not everyone is that way but thats how it is. A Ralph Lauren Polo is $5 before you put the polo emblem on it... After its marked it is $50...
ReplyDeleteUggg I'm going to point it out myself Jana... Weird*
ReplyDeleteCapitalism is a great thing. Why should somebody give things away?
ReplyDeletePrices are determined by the demand. Just like with computers, you get what you pay for. I once put my daughter in a $12 Tutu, and it looked retarded.
She loves her $50 Tutu that was hand made and it is so much better looking because there is simply more material in it. I don't know the first thing about making Tutus, but I know what looks cute, and what does not. A $12 tutu is just hanging there, where she swims in her $50 tutu and it looks like a tutu is supposed to look.
1) You can not make a nice full and fluffy tutu for $3-$5. I know this because I make them and sell them. I also purchase my tulle wholesale. I use 6inch rolls but I also use about 100yds for a tutu for sizes 2-3yrs that means once you cut your off the bolt 54" wide tulle to the appropriate width strips 3-5 yards just isn't going to cut it. I do sell some tutus that aren't embellished for $15 I do not make much profit off of these. I do however sell many of my tutus anywhere from $30-$75. Just because I work from home does not mean I do not deserve to be paid well for my time.
ReplyDelete2) When it comes to hair bows you get what you paid for. All of my bows are hand sewn and a lot of time goes into making sure my bows are safe for young children to wear. There are a lot of bowmakers out there who only glue their bows together, those bows are not going to last you years and years like mine do. My bows are even machine washable. Again until you make a "big" bow and realize how much time goes into making them don't judge someone for wanting to be paid accordingly.
3) Yes you can find videos on how to make these items and I think that's great but until YOU have actually made one you can't be the judge on whether or not they are over priced.
4) Plus some of these women might not buy their supplies wholesale, they may choose to buy their supplies from a local store and pay more. So just because they are helping out another business they should have to take a loss? There are apparently people out there who are willing to pay more for quality than quantity. Why is that insane?
Having a blog is great but when you're bashing other stay home moms who need to supplement their income you're going to offend more people than you're going to help.
If you're blog is about helping people save money (like this appears to be) wouldn't it make more since to point them in the direction of quality items instead of cheaper items that are of less quality. You will end up having to replace these items over and over again instead of just buying once and it lasting.
Oaky, first of all, I was not meaning to "bash" anyone and this isn't a blog about saving money. The least expensive bows I have are the best made (and sewn). The more expensive ones are just glued together. If anyone is interested in any of the bows or tutus I am more than happy to give you these businesses contact info, but it seems you all make your own.
ReplyDeleteThis is my blog. In the "About Me," I say that I am outspoken and opinionated. I have a right to my opinion, as do all of you. That is why I am not deleting any of your comments. Now, let's stop commenting on this post!