Warning: quite a long post, but please read it if you can - Tan and I need your input!Hi, as some of you may remember, I posted about my handmade cat toys a few weeks back. I was originally thinking of just donating some to rescues, but some people suggested I sell them and donate the money instead. Anyway, the original thread is here:
http://www.chaptanservices.com/purrs/index.php?topic=3357.0.
As you probably know, Purrs will be getting its very own shop shortly, selling goods with all profits going to cat rescue, and Tan and I have talked about selling the toys in the shop. But the thing is, handmade-in-the-UK things are more expensive to produce than things that are mass produced in countries with cheap labour. And although I won't be taking any of the profits myself, I still have to be a bit realistic about the time spent making the toys. I have been using approximate minimum wage as a guideline to try to work out the lowest reasonable prices - because if we would raise much less than that, my time would actually be better spent doing "normal work", and donating money from my wage! If you follow me... (It wouldn't make sense for me to spend an hour making something that would raise £1, now would it?)
Anyway, below are pics of a few different toys that I could make. For each, I have modified the design to make them as quick as possible to make (my OH swears there are sparks flying sometimes when I work...), and then timed how long it takes to make them to work out how to price them.
Firstly, we have my sewn fabric mice & knitted alien, both stuffed with catnip. These both take roughly an hour to make (the fabric mice, for instance, are made from 7 individual pieces!), so we were thinking about £5.
Then there's the knitted mice, which I can make either stuffed with catnip or with a "rattle" inside for those who like noisy toys... They take about 45 mins to make, so maybe £3.50 for those.
And then there's my Kitty Bones (with catnip, of course), which are quite quick to make, so they could sell for maybe about £1. Poppy and Monkey love these, they're great for carrying around the house, and it looks so sweat when they carry them in their mouths... Why should only dogs get bones, I say!
Now, Tan and I thought we'd ask you people to have a think about whether those prices are unreasonable. (The prices above are actually less than what they cost to make, since materials and equipment haven't been taken into the equation... I'm providing those.) Because if nobody will be prepared to pay that amount, it's not really worthwhile making them to sell! Like I said earlier, then it would make more sense for me to do paid work instead and donate money! So whatcha think people? Don't forget that ALL THE MONEY would go to charity, since I am not taking any of the profit. So your furry babe could get a unique handmade toy (a designer toy, I suppose!) PLUS you'd be helping some of those cats who are less fortunate. Often all you get when you donate to charity is a little sticker to put on your lapel...
Also, there are some real benefits of getting handmade toys:
Personally, I like knowing that there is nothing toxic in my cats’ toys - I pre-wash the fabrics to remove manufacturer’s sizing or excess dye, and I only use organic catnip and non-toxic adhesive. Shop-bought cat toys are sometimes made from questionable materials (remember the story last year about cat toys being recalled from shops because of the possibility they might be made from real cat fur!), or fumigated with chemicals before import to the UK. And the catnip used could be full of pesticides. Not to mention that you can’t rule out poor working conditions or even child labour.
Of course I’m NOT saying that all commercially available cat toys are poisonous, made from fur by children in horrible cramped factories…
But the thing is, you don’t know. Manufacturers of pet toys, as far as I know, don't really have to specify how their products are made, or what they're made from.
Anyway... Tan and I need your input. Should we have my little toys in the Purrs shop? Or is it just too expensive to produce handmade cat toys?
I have rambled on for too long now... I can't even remember what I've written so far... Hopefully you have enough info, though. Tan's boys are currently trying out some of my toys, so we'll have to wait and see what their verdict is.
Love,
Alexandra, Poppy & Monkey
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