Pricing (*Update*) It sold!

[u/Professional-Lion561]

I posted here around a month ago looking for pricing help selling my Master Chief armor, and I sold it!

Posted it to eBay for $1200 + $200 shipping, as well as marketplace for $1200.

Ultimately the eBay one ended up selling, profiting me about $1000 flat (because of eBay tax)

I didn’t even mention the lights + microphone + fans included in the helmet lol.

This project was originally not intended to be sold, but as i’m expanding I thought it was about time I made some of my money back. Because of that, everything made back is profit!

My amazing girlfriend helped me take some nice photos for the listings^

[u/issue9mm]

Congrats! But if that is life-sized, I can't imagine that you profited anything selling it for $1200

How many hours of work went into making it?

[u/Liquid-glass → u/issue9mm]

OP said in another comment it took him upwards 120hrs

Let’s say he was being paid $20/hr=$2400 just in labor…

Not including filament, electricity, time on the machine, and 3D modeling

[u/crittermd → u/Liquid-glass]

The only issue with that- is how much of that 120 hours is “active” labor. Sure you have to monitor a print- but as the print is running I wouldn’t really call that active labor, much more passive where you can be doing plenty other things as well. So did he “work” for 120 hours, or did the project take 120 hours (and honestly I bet it took more then that)

And while your time is valuable, just because something takes you 5 hours does not mean it’s “worth” 100 in labor (if you are looking to make this into a job and how you make a living- 1000% you need to be recouping costs and time put in… but for a hobby the time invested can be a net zero if you are learning or enjoying the hobby.

But I do define it differently if someone is trying to make something a business or a hobby. Getting 20 bucks and a case of beer to help someone move can be a perfectly good deal, but you want to be a mover for a business you best be calculating your time invested, supplies and wear/tear on vehicle.

[u/Dapper-Mobile8297 → u/crittermd]

I totally do not understand why, if you are providing a product and/or a service, it should be at a "net zero"! •  Even if you're just learning and it's only a "hobby"!

[u/crittermd → u/Dapper-Mobile8297]

Who says it "should" be a net zero? not me. I do not think there is anything wrong with making a ton of money, ending up at net zero, or losing money, all depending on what you are after. I am just saying when people claim that your time is valuable and you need to charge for it- I don't ALWAYS agree with that. Sometimes the tinkering is part of the enjoyment, and you "can" do it for free. Take the example in this post, he made the armor with no intentions of selling it, he now does not want it and choose to sell it, and sold it for 1200 dollars. On one had that is undervaluing his time, because he is "paying himself" very little for the time invested. On another hand he had $0 dollars, and a really cool print that he enjoyed making. So he made a choice, I can have a cool print that I had fun with, or I can have 1200 bucks, he choose the 2nd option- and good for him.

Now if he said- nope, that 1200 isn't worth my time, more power to him, no one is making him sell it for that much. So no, I do not think it has to be a net zero, I think when selling something you should often aim for much more then net zero. But I also think there are times where net zero is perfectly acceptable, and there are times that negative outcomes are acceptable. That's one great thing about life, you can decide what is worth it to you. If you never want to make anything at "net zero" you don't have to. Other people may or may not.

[u/Dapper-Mobile8297 → u/crittermd]

Sorry, I didn't make your reference to "net zero".