Pricing Mentality

[jagnightwalker.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone,

I'm having some problems getting into the right mindset as far as pricing my product goes. For years I've sold my pysanky (Ukrainian eggs) at local craft fairs and festivals, and have always priced them at what I thought was affordable while still giving me a profit. I live in one of the lowest income areas of Wisconsin, so I think I am "broken" in ways by living in this mentality for so long.

Now that I'm ready to take it to a true professional level, I am bombarded by people telling me my low prices are disgusting. I know in my mind that if I continue charging what I have charged in the past, I'm going to be very busy, not very wealthy in the end and potentially burnt out when all is said and done. I have people who don't even know the laborious process tell me I need to charge more. Even non profit organizations (who you would think would eat them up) tell me they are true art pieces and that they would hope I'm charging more at shows.

I'm prepared to go national through certain circuits, and hopefully in the end I'll be mainly web based, art show based and not deal with the rinky dink shows I have in the past (wherein I won't have to worry about regional pricing). So my question to you: how do I raise my esteem and pride in my work to charge what I'm worth, and how do I even KNOW what to charge? There are comparable artists charging three times what I do, and then there are those pretty much giving them away. And that's another thing, with others "undercutting", how do you stand a chance?