Price for Custom Scrapbook

I need help, last May I made a scrapbook album for my neice's new baby boy and gave it to her at the baby shower. I made this 12x12 baby boy book making the pages personalized with his name and so on. She has shown it to several of her friends and they are asking how much I would charge.... I didn't keep up with embellies or amy prices, this was done out of love. I know it had 20 pages. Any suggestions!!! Ideas's So far I have been asked to do two graduation albums, 1 baby girl and a baby book for twin boys (combined book)

HELP
Lisa aka twinmom3g

I don't know much about this, but my friend started a jewelry business and accounts for cost of items plus time. You would really have to keep track of items in case they want to see receipts. If you look at the album you already made, just ballpark guess how much you spent for the entire thing. Then decide on an hourly rate that will make it worth your while, but not so much that your friends would be turned off by the cost.

Hi, I'm in the same position! I've done a couple of mini albums as presents and have shown friends my own 12x12 albums and it's lead to a few questions about how much would I charge. I think it depends how to intend to go with it. If it was a 'business' you could charge a lot more than you could charge a friend so you would need to operate in a businesslike way because if you start off charging a price that's lower (for a friend) it might be difficult to suddenly increase it if that album leads to a referal from someone you don't know! What would you be prepared to pay is the answer I suppose!?

A friend of mine makes custom albums and she told me that she charges between $10-$35 per page. It depends if the customer is a friend or a stranger and if you work on a 7x7 or a 12x12 album. I was amazed to hear that a lot of people paid her up to $1000 per album. Crazy, I wouldn't pay that much. If I was to purchase one I wouldn't pay more than $200 for it.

There is a few threads on this issue, try doing a search.

I think the consensus is around $5-$15 per page depending on the intricacy and embellies. Like someone else mentioned don't forget to factor in the time spent both in consulting with the person, shopping for supplies and actually doing the page, or else you'll end up working for $2/hour!!!

Hi Lisa and Cas,

I'm just starting S4O as a business here in Australia. It's taken a little while to do up all the documents but I'm just about finished. All I need do now is have it checked by my solicitor (lawyer).

I joined an online S4O group and found lots of info. Even though it's an American group, a lot of the info is useable anywhere, and they are all happy to share. I found lots of helpful pricing info there.

Or you could goggle S4O and see what sites come up. You may get some ideas from them.

HTH a bit

If it were me, I would charge what I thought my time was worth. It takes a long time to create pages, not to mention the supplies you will use. I wouldn't go any less than $15-$20 per page (maybe more depending on the supplies you use.) If they can't live with that, too bad. Your time is worth it!

Here a nice 20 page album with generous embellies would cost between $500 to $1000 to be made. That is about $25-30 per page.

Can you tell me what S40 is please? I googled it but just got Volvos!! Thanks.

lol same here, I am curious now as well!

scrapping 4 others

One thing I do, is charge a $25 consummable fee right off the bat - b/c even if I don't use ALL the ink, glue, paper, brads, eyelets, tools I own in every layout or every customer...these things whittle down over time & need to be replaced, sharpened, etc.

Once I've done that, I figure out how many pictures they want scrapped...If they've got less than 20 pictures, I go ahead & reccomend something smaler than 8.5x11 or 12x12...and give them examples on smaller books. Their first charge is $75. That includes the consummable fee & $50 so I can buy supplies. I keep a list of everything I buy, and when I go to the store for something, even if I am buying stuff for myself, I put THEIR stuff on its own receipt (I make the cashier ring them up seperately...I only had a problem once, but I just told her to put the second purchase back if it was going to be a problem, and came back through the line again. )

I keep track of how long I have to work...including photo editing/printing time...and add up the reciepts for things I purchased.

So my first math equation is:
$25 consummable fee
$50 'down payment'
$X add'l costs for product purchased (if any)
= $75X
Then I tally up my hours worked, and I actually just use a standard $9/hr b/c I am comfortable with that.
HOURS WORKED times $9 = Y (Hours worked can be time spent putting it together, shopping, driving, consulting, etc...add in as little or as much work as you think need be.)

So then I do $75X + $9Y = $FEE.

I also have a 5 hour minimum, so no matter what, I am getting at least $45 for my LABOR for that project...so if it was very short (maybe barely any shopping or it was a mini book) then I will not lose out.

I do make [empty] minibooks for people, and I still customize them to their specific tastes...and depending on the amount of paper & chipboard I use, I will charge between $5-$10. I have found some very inexpensive ways to make minibooks. I don't put pictures in them, generally people want them to give as gifts.

So far...I would not say that I have made so much money that I am paying rent or electric or anything...BUT, it has offset costs for my own hobby, and contributed to my daughter's birthday & Christmas...so it IS starting to add up!!

Check some local papers...I can list an ad for free if I don't include any prices (which would be impossible anyway...since I don't know until I have a project.)

I've just been asked to make a book and I am meeting with the person tomorrow. If you have any more ideas to costs I would love to hear them.

Wow, I need to think seriously about doing this for hire! I had no idea people would pay so much

I personally wouldn't pay more than $10-$15 per page. I know some people use more than that in embellishments but I can't imagine spending over $200 for an album.

Hi, just wondering why you get most of your requests from? Also how do you describe or rather, what do you call your work. I'm in the UK and here the word scrapbook doesn't conjure up the right image at all. I've played around with wording but still feel I'm looking for the perfect phrase to tell people what it is. Memory book sounds as though it's for someone who's died, photo album doesn't say enough and even custom photo album is a bit vague. What do you think?

Really - $500 - $1000, that's amazing. I guess you just have to aim at the right market then!

There are people who would pay that. If they don't want to pay that, then they should consider taking up the hobby themselves or forget about it. I did a book about the remodel of my parents' house and supplies only were over $200. I mena, thatis if you use good quality stuff, not just Walmar and Dollar tree supplies. Once you add it up that way, you will see that you are just ripping off yourself if you charge less.

Thanks, This is giving me food for thought, I appreciate all help and suggestions I've been receiving, KEEP THEM COMING!

Lisa

I made an album for a friend of my mother, I think I ended up doing around 15 pages and I had her give me $50 up front to get supplies, I kept track of how much time I put in and decided before I started that I wouldn't feel comfortable charging her more than $15 per page. The pages with less embellishments I charged less. I ended up getting paid around $300.00.

I love when these threads get started cause it gives me good ideas!!

I'm gonna start another thread

Thanks. I think I am going to try to charge $15/page.

There is someone in my area that charges $1500 for a 20 page 12x12 album. They are gorgeous with lots of emb.'s and beautiful paper.

It's obviously a fairly well established idea in the US - I haven't come across anyone else doing it here in the UK yet. I'm sure there are a few but it's not well known yet - so I'll be among the 'pioneers' I think I will have guide prices for a completed 20 page 12x12, 10 page 8x8, mini book etc (yet to be decided!!) I'll charge a deposit, and then the final fee will depend on perhaps their chosen style and therefore time/expenses incurred. I'd thought of offering 3 basic styles (perhaps contemporary (clean and simple lines) distressed/heritage or decorative (lots more ribbon, flowers etc.) I think that will help to give me a guide to the style they would like (assuming the photos suit that, of course!)plus allow me to approximate the final cost more accurately. How does that sound ?? Comments appreciated

well.. start to break it down...


start with how much does the album itself cost. how much the page protectors cost- and then go by page...

they all have carstock and paper.... no?


do you load up the pages? or are you a minmlest?


here, people will pay aroung 700-1000 shkels (around 250$) for a wedding or Bar-Mitzve album. and the thing is- is that it's not a scrapbook... it's an album. some peper i think... maybe cheap ribbon...