DSF

i have now been looking at buying a number of items to use as samples so have been going through all the supplier i have found listed on here and im starting to wonder i phone cases and mugs are now the only thing that really has an acceptably priced resale value. When i started sublimation with my epson s22 last year im sure i dont remember the prices for sublimation items other than phone cases and mugs being as high as they seem to be. I had planned to do more photo related stuff like the chromaluxe panels and sublicrylic but these seem to have dwindled on a few sites and the sublicrylic has disappeared from a number too. Has anybody else found this to be the case? for example I was looking on one site at the keepsake boxes and just for the blank it is over 10 quid this would mean I would need to resell once printed at 15 or more which i dont think anybody would pay for or am I wrong?

Hi soulclaimed,

Have a look at things you can do yourself. I do all my test prints on 100% polyester bed sheet. A pair of single sheets and a pillowcase costs me $9, say 5 quid in UK. You can do a LOT of test prints for that. But, you can also do other things.

How about making a nice print on a piece of 100% polyester fabric and covering a cheap wooden keepsake box! If you have a thicker white polyester, you could use it, but if you don't, the bed sheet is ok. Use some spray adhesive and stick a backing material to the print so it has a nicer feel.
Attach the sublimated print to the top, add a bit of beading around the edge as a frame.

You have to factor in the time it takes, the cost of a cheap keepsake box, and whether it is worth it. For us, you can get a box from the 'dollar shop' for about the cost of a mug. The piece of bed sheet is maybe 50 cents. Some cheap wood for the frame.

just for the blank it is over 10 quid this would mean I would need to resell once printed at 15 or more which i don't think anybody would pay for or am I wrong?

If you are selling retail and in a tourist area, and if you are taking decent photos and using your own, not commercial stuff - you can get away with it, because nobody else has what you are selling.

Best thing is to make 2. If they sell - make a few more. If they don't, give them to people you like instead of buying a gift. When you are decorating as a business or as a hobby - there is very little that you produce that is wasted. Even if you can't sell it, giving it away saves the money you would have spent on a present - so you don;t lose anything at all

Change your mindset. You are a professional. Be a professional. Get away from selling cheap mentality.
Look at "Not on the High Street" for price ideas. Aim for the stars, hit the moon. Aim for the bargain basement and you'll fail.

Think professional, be professional, charge professional prices.

Janners

to be honest i want to charge professional prices and i have a professional attitude towards the quality of items I have done for people so far such as the items attached but when it comes to the gift side of things I was worrying that people wont pay the prices i'd need to charge but i took some time looking through ebay at the prices people have been charging for things such as keepsake boxes and people are paying £20 at times and giving good feedback so I guess its just me being a worrier due to the money ive spent.[ATTACH=CONFIG]2135[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]2136[/ATTACH]