Custom Baits - Forum
Soft Plastic Bait Making => Soft Plastic and Plastic Baits - How To??? => Topic started by: grady edwards on 04/13/15 04:20 UTC
-
This question is for the guys who sell there baits. How do you decide how many baits you are going to put in a package?
-
Depends on what baits crappie it has to be 12-20 bass baits you can get away with less. The key is what is it worth to you... No one I've ever met has gotten rich making basement baits so what's your time worth ? If I pick up a airbrush it's 12 bucks if I have to do a detailed job it starts at 20 but it's quality and if you don't like the price then buy from someone else that their times worth less. You will learn that given your talent away is worth nothing for you but everyone will take advantage of you. I know it didn't answer your question but it's food for thought
-
All of my crappie and panfish baits are done in zip-locks of ten baits. Walleye sized baits are done in 8 packs.
I refuse to give these baits away. If people want on-line and/or package store pricing/quantities I tell them to go get their stuff at those sources. Everything I make is hand made. I make colors that store hooks never see. If people want my tackle they pay what I ask or they can start making their own and feel free to copy my recipes and work, I openly share it all here.
Something you will want to consider is eyes. Eyes will put you in the poor house. My personal baits do not get eyes except on frogs/toads. The only baits I put eyes on are those which I show here, then they go in my tackle buckets. When the baits with eyes are gone all I make to replace them is baits without eyes. People fishing with me are free to use whatever they can find in my bait pails that trips their triggers and most will figure out in a hurry that my baits without eyes are doing better than theirs with. But if you are putting eyes on baits for sale, you need to charge extra to allow for the extra cost of the eyes and the clear dip plus all the time you'll invest farting around with them. On a package of ten crappie plastic with eyes I charge an additional $2.00.
Its one thing to give a buddy or two a break on some decent tackle but if you're going to sell this to any degree you need to factor every aspect of it into what's in the bag and how much the bag is going to cost. I don't care how plain jane colors and whatnot are, if its made in a home/shop/garage/basement using cnc molds and a hand injector, its custom made. Be proud of it and make sure your pricing/package quantities reflects that pride.
Some of what I have posted in the last month I have sold for $6.00/package of ten with eyes. If people want them, they'll be more than willing to pay.
-
Custom work is custom work. You're not going to be able to compete with the major companies like Zoom, SK, etc so don't price your product in such a way because you'll be doing yourself a disservice. Time is money, especially for us as hobbyists who work full time jobs, have families among a myriad of other responsibilities.
-
I have never sold baits but I have sold rods I built. Like ctom said don't let them try and sucker you into a store price. Your time and money is worth more than that, and I am positive your baits are better. There is a specific market for custom tackle and there is a reason they are better. I have found that on small repair jobs it is easier to do a lot of work at time than just one.
-
In my line of work i sell alarm systems and security equipment. With the internet today you can buy the stuff at the same price as I do. It's no longer true if I buy in quantity I'll get a better price. What I have to do to survive is sell you the product at cost or even sometimes below cost and then sell you my service. That's what makes me valuable not the product but the service. Same here with you guys selling your baits. Anybody can buy a bait here on the internet for less then you can make it. So your going to loose if you try to beat that. What you can do is give your customer your service. Make them a bait how ever they want for them. Then and only then can you can call your price. Because very few others will do that for them and they know that. Here's a thought. Give a customer a bait that only they know they have and they made it up and believe in it and what will they pay for it ? You can put one in a bag and if it's that bait they will buy it. What you got to do is be that guy that makes that bait and finds that customer. No one says it was easy.
-
I'm just going add this little something to everything else that's been mentioned.
Have faith in what you make. Take it out and fish it to death. Know the ins and outs of the baits you make so when questions arise around them you can answer straight up. People shopping for something that's not "everyday" can see thru a smoke screen sales job like owls can see thru the dark. Don't try a snow job on anyone or it can come back and bite you squarely in the kiester. I make a whole pile of baits in the crappie/sunfish sizes and there isn't one of them that I haven't fished to death and know every nuance that each bait has about it.
-
I sell my baits to friends for $5 a bag and all bags are a 8 count. I made baits because I like it and it's a great stress release for me. But I also only sell them to break even or get a little ahead on my plastic. I do it for fun and I'm not selling them to make money. I call my sales to my friends "donations" to keep me in plastic