What to charge for a scrapbook?

I have had a lady contact me through my local moms group and ask that I make a scrapbook of her son's high school years to give as a graduation gift. I have never charged for a scrapbook. Mostly I make them for friends pregnancies or baby's arrival as gifts. Can someone please tell me what a good price is? Do I charge for materials? I don't want to tell her a price and be too much or too little but I really have no idea.

Thanks!

hmmm...you would definitely have to charge for materials. i am making a scrapbook for a friend and while i have not come up with a cost yet this is how i was going to come up with the cost.

price of cs and pp
price for letters or cs to make letters for title
average cost of embellies
something for my time. it usually takes me 2 hours to complete a layout, what is your time worth?

this would be added up to give a per page price. then you could figure out how many pages she wants you to do.

if she is interested you might also ask her to go scrap shopping with you. she buys all the supplies (paper, album, protectors, embellies) then you just charge for what you feel your time is worth.

i hope that helps you some.

I've seen people that make scrapbooks ask for you to provide you own embellishments and pictures then they charge a set price per page. I think it would be fun to have the lady go shopping with you so she gets an idea of how much embellishments actually cost.

I have been wrestling with this same question... I'd like to get into making paid albums and since I have no idea where to start as far as price, I asked someone who does paid albums. She charges a flat price for the whole album. Not sure if I'd want to do that for my first time; I think it would be better to charge for supplies and add a dollar amount for time. Of course, it could be a real eye-opener for someone who has no clue what scrapbooking costs!

I have a potential client that is interested in me making a 100+ page album for them. I listed my price as $7 a page + the cost of supplies. It is a lot of money, but our time is worth something and these supplies aren't cheap.

I charge $5 a page plus the cost of the album. A friend of mine owns the lss and she charges $3 a page plus cost of album but she using the products from her store and she doesn't use alot of embellisments. I think if use normally use alot of embellies you would have to charge a little more. I also think the area you live in affects how much you could charge- I'm from a small town and I'm pretty sure people in my area would not pay $15 a page like I have seen on peoples internet sites.

I was asked to possibly do a scrapbook yesterday and was just trying to figure this out in my head! Thanks for posting the question and the good info! This is helping my brain tick!

Thanks for the responses. After emailing several times to get an idea of how many pics she has we have decided on a 20 page scrapbook, highlighting the most important high school events (prom, homecoming, class trips, fav teachers, awards, friends, band) for $10 per page. Since it's for a boy I won't use alot of embellishments, mostly cuts from the cricut. I did suggest a letter from mom and dad to place towards the end of the album I think it will be a great sentiment to let their son know how proud they are of him. She will pay for the album and I will pay for the products used. The way I see it is I am going to be scrap booking anyway and have alot of the products I already need. She does have a few things she said she wanted to give me to use like Disney stuff she intended to use for his Disney class trip, so that will help. She said if there is anything that is going to cost alot just to let her know. I don't think I will ever start a business but it's nice to know that if someone wanted to pay me I feel comfortable with $10 per page.
I think just a case by case is the way to go. It definitely helps that she has an idea of how much this stuff costs.

I've made some scrapbooks for some local pageant moms and I charge $10/page for simple layouts with less embellies. If they prefer pages with more embellies then it's $15/page.
That seems to be the going rate when I researched professional designers online that do scrapbooks for hire.

That's the prize that I was thinking too. I also had the experience of people wanting me to create scrapbook LO's for them and I think 10$ or 15$ for page (depending of the supplies you use) its good price.

I'm just chuckling thinking that because I'm so darned slow, at $10 a page, I'd be raking in a whopping 20 cents or so an hour....

I "charge" ~$100 for an album of about 30 pages (15 page protectors). This has been for 12x12" baby's 1st year books and for an 8x8" wedding album. However, I almost never touch pictures -- these are all premades. I don't add pictures, and typically don't add memorabilia (although the wedding album I included an engagement pic and the wedding invite/save a date). What I do instead is include photo mats and write on them how large of a picture to put there, or use a pencil to outline where a pic should go, etc.

As a side note: that $100 does cover the supplies, shipping and still give me a little extra to play with. Plus, I start by using stuff from my stash that I don't have a use for anymore, or have had forever, or whatever. AND...I've only been selling to family/friends.

No kidding! This is something many of us have thought about.

If I wnat to do it as a favor I will ask them to purchase the consumable materials, all of them, including adhesive.

If I want to make money on it, it will be expensive just because scrapbooking is expensive. Think about it, a single piece of CS is $0.60 or more (yes you can purchase it in bulk). A glitter 12X12 die cut cardstock is $1.09 or more. Adheseive, Glimmer mist, Stickles, ink, flowers, brads, staples, buttons,letters and ribbon add up quickly. Bling alone could cost you $5.00 for a large flourish. If I just use my silhouette, scissors, and trimmer I have to calculate wear and tear on my blades. I personally don't think a page costs any less than $3.00 at a minimum and if I double the expenses for my time the least I'd charge is $6.00.

A page could easily cost $6 to $10 in supplies, granted they don't have to. Then there is your time and artistic talent to factor in. 100 pages x $10 = $1,000. Wow! Now add in my time and talent.

Many folks would bulk at that price but really it is not unreasonable at all.

I don't bother considering my time. Mostly because I'm slow and also face constant interruptions like a small child and a full time job and running.
I created a database in excel for supplies I use the most and posted a charge. $3.80 starts the page with paper and glue. Use my Cricut? 50 cents. Use sewing machine? 25 cents. Embellishments? $1. Punches? Cuttlebug? There's a little charge for everything.
According to excel, my pages average between 6 and 12 dollars. When I'm done, add $50 to the total. I recently did a 9x9 chipboard album with 12 pages and charged $150. I felt good about that price. It definitely covered my materials and gave me money to play with

Wow!!!! I never thought about chargin per Album!
That's a great idea, also giving the client/customer the opportunity of placing their own pictures.

That's a very business-like approach for an artist, accolades to you!

I have done several 8x8 books for people, all premade, they added pics when I finished. I have mostly done baby books, and have charged anywhere from $40 to $60. I live in a rural area, and people have a hard time paying more than that for it. This has only covered my cost, though, and I made nothing extra. The most recent order I told the buyer I charge cost of supplies (including album, etc) plus 20%. She has purchased 2 from me in the past, and we'll see with the new pricing if she returns for future orders. I also use an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of cost and supplies used. If I use scrap paper I don't charge, but charge when I cut a new sheet. I didn't really think about charging for each time I use my Cricut, though. That's a fantastic idea, as those mats aren't cheap. (Of course, if you get them with a HL 40% off coupon it makes it a whole lot easier, lol)
While my method isn't the best for making money, I live in a rural area where it's difficult to find someone who wants to pay very much. I'm afraid by charging more I might cut my nose off to spite my face.

Alot! I just completed a book for my Neice's wedding. While I wouldn't think of charging her, it was a gift and she loved it. I know she has no idea what it took to create.

This is a pricing formula I found years ago. It does wholesale prices, but has a bit at the end about adding on for retail prices. I hope it's helpful.



Pricing Formulas

Here are 7 different formulas on how to reach a wholesale price, to cover different situations.


FORMULA 1: doesn't allow for overheads, inflation, or profits.
· Materials + labour = $____ divided by number of units = $____: wholesale selling price/unit

FORMULA 2: does not include profit factor
· Materials + indirect costs + production time x hourly wage = $____ divided by number of units = $___: wholesale price

FORMULA 3: easy to calculate, but a slim profit margin unless production time is very efficient and materials inexpensive
· Materials x 3 = $____ divided by number of units = $____: wholesale price

FORMULA 4: Percentage Mark-up Basis
· Calculated by dividing the original cost into the amount of mark-up and then multiplying the result times 100.

FORMULA 5: figured on materials and labour. depends on establishing a percentage that will cover overhead plus profit.
· Materials + labour + (50% of materials and labour) = $____ divided by number of units = $____: wholesale price

FORMULA 6: you decide what wage you want and how much time you spend earning it.
· Materials + indirect costs + desired weekly wage + profit = $____ divided by number of units = $____: wholesale price

FORMULA 7: very accurate because it contains all the actual costs and provides a 20% profit allowance.
· Labour + materials + overhead = $____ (subtotal here) + profit (take 20% of the subtotal to arrive at the profit figure) = $____: wholesale price.


Then comes Retail Pricing.
First, establish your wholesale price then there are two basic ways to price for retail.

· Keystone method: doubles the wholesale price to get the retail price.

· Dollar Mark-up Method: determine the mark-up in dollars needed to cover your operating expenses and provide your business with a profit. Wholesale price + dollar mark-up = retail price.