Call me frugal, call me cheep

[matt.mackinnon]

I don't understand why the Sporrans they sell around here are so darned expensive. Like a simple leather one that is even made here in Canada, that reasonable should cost $45-60 with a decent profit margin, are selling for $145. If you put any form of decoration onto the front, then that bumps it up over $175. It's simple leather stitched together. When shoes cost less that actually have some degree of difficulty to make you know there must be something wrong.

I bought a belt. It's a long piece of leather with some holes cut in one end, and 1 strap for adjustment + 3 rivets and some bend metal at the other end. This didn't even include the buckle front... $60. There is at most $3-4 worth of material inside it, and should sell for $15-20. Ouch.

What am I missing?

Matt

[RockyR]

I think you're a bit off in your cost analysis of material. Quality leather is considerably more than that per foot. How much leather is used in a belt or sporran (in square feet)? Remember you have to allow for wastage as not every tiny bit is used.

Now remember to add up how many hours it takes to make one. What is the cost of a living wage in Canada?

Now add in the cost of the machinery... the clicker press, the tools, the dies to cut the leather, the industrial sewing machines to sew it, etc.

Now add on top of that the cost of rent, insurance, electric, water, sewer, heat, etc.

Now on top of that, add PROFIT for a company to make (the whole reason companies do what they do).

Buying quality goods made in countries with a higher standard / cost of living will cost you a bit more. If you want a lower cost sporran, there are others out there for $25 made in countries with lower costs of living and from lessor quality materials. Also, depending on which sporran company you buy from, the costs DO range from very low to very high with plenty of decent quality sporrans inbetween your two price points listed. It's up to you to decide which you'd like.

The alternative is to make your own, but be aware of how much time / effort / expense you put into it.

[sydnie7]

Same discussion has been held regarding cost of kilts, cost of shoes, cost of. . . you name it.

I'd heard this aphorism before, applied to the printing industry, but Riverkilt among others has used it here as well: you can choose any two of the following: price, quality, speed of delivery.

The frugal ones here (and I count myself among them!) wait for sales, watch for private sales, trade what we can do or have for things we can't do or don't have, learn to do it ourselves. . . the opportunities to save on Highland dress are endless.

And *** to Rocky's comments, posted as I typed!

[Thomas H]

I have found that the best thing to do is make your own , Then divide it by the time you spent doing it Plus materials and it would be alot cheaper .
dont buy into the cheaper stuff , due to it is cheaper stuff and materials .

Just make your own -that way it is what you want , and it will be a One of a kind

I made this one for around $ 40.00 for everything
http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...sporran-75136/

[Tobus]

It's a mistake to compare the price of a sporran with the price of a pair of shoes. The sporran is likely hand-made where the shoes are made by the millions in a factory with lots of machinery. Even from a company that makes a lot of sporrans, they're still a small-scale operation compared to a shoe manufacturer. A lot of the work is done by hand, by people who aren't working in sweat shops.

My wife does leather work for a living, and once you've spent any time around someone who builds things with their own hands, you quickly come to appreciate why they cost so much. Even the price of a 'simple' belt that's done by hand is going to cost much more than a mass-produced one. And I've never known a leather worker (even the master saddle builder she learned from) who lived comfortably on that. It's not a business you get into to get rich. It's a labour of love.

[creagdhubh]

And I've never known a leather worker (even the master saddle builder she learned from) who lived comfortably on that. It's not a business you get into to get rich. It's a labour of love.

Ain't that the truth!

[KenB]

Ditto *** on Tobus.

Years ago I thought it too expensive to have my living room floor refinished. I did it myself. The overall cost was less but It sure kicked the hell out of me. I wouldn't do that work for any hourly wage. It's tough and grueling. I discovered that the skilled folks really do deserve what they charge.

I would advise you not to look for cheap but get as high a quality as you can afford. Oh, yeah, save , save, save your bucks. Then pull the trigger for the sporran and belt you really want.

[Braw Cathairneach]

Ain't that the truth!

Some of my young nieces are quite adept at sewing fur products in their Yupik-Eskimo tradition. It was early in their cottage industry business ventures that I discovered they were making less than minimum wage. I advised them to restructure their pricing by beginning with what they thought a fair wage is for any other work they might do then factor in a value-added increase for their unique artistry. I further advised them to include a mark-up for the cost of any furs that they purchase. Finally include any other business costs they might incur, shipping, utilities, delivery costs, etc. Going the way they were was sure to frustrate them with so little return on their effort and investment.

The result is that they began to enjoy what they were doing. They weren’t getting rich off their fur-sewing, but it removed the frustration of doing it for less than minimum wage. After implementing my price restructuring advice their spare time commission work provided more satisfaction and was equally fair to their clientele.

Never commissioned them to build a sporran for me yet, but may ask one of my granddaughter’s to do so as she develops her Yupik-Eskimo fur-sewing skills.

~ My two cents worth…

Proud Uncle & Grandfather

[Pleater]

If you buy cheap, you buy often - so you can get a good pair of boots for 50 notes, and have dry feet for ten years at least or you spend 10 notes every year for a pair of cheap boots, so spending twice as much - and probably getting wet feet into the bargain. (That is Sam Vimes philosophising on wealth and footwear - Ank-Morpork City Watch, in the Disc world novels by Terry Pratchet)

Remember that when the money is paid over for a product, then the government expects a goodly slice of it - there is nothing more certain than taxes.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[matt.mackinnon]

My comments were made not about buying a quality made item. I have no problem with that. I am not looking for cheep, but value for the money that is spent.

Years ago I thought it too expensive to have my living room floor refinished. I did it myself. The overall cost was less but It sure kicked the hell out of me. I wouldn't do that work for any hourly wage. It's tough and grueling. I discovered that the skilled folks really do deserve what they charge.

Ken, I know what you mean by gruelling work. I installed rustic walnut flooring in my stitting room and office this year. 350sq.feet of it. It took me 3 weeks from start to finish. I probably saved around $4000 doing the work myself. After it was done, I did get some help from a flooring installer for applying the monocoat finish to the floor. The installer was very impressed at the work that I had done and made a point of saying that this floor looks better than most installs that even he does. I took the time to match grains of wood from one section to another. Strategically placed all the character burly and knotty bits to give the most impact for the room. Hand coped around the wooden central heating ducts. Yes, it took me 2 times the man hours that a pro would have taken, but ended up with a better finished product. But this was a project that I knew I could do.

But that is completely irrelevant to my complaint. A $700 hand made kilt has a whole lot of work and pride that has gone into it. It's expensive yes, but I see value in the product given compared to the price. A flat piece of leather with no decorations and a machine sew around the outside is not worth 1/4 of the value of a hand made kilt. A strip of leather with 3 rivets that could be made in less than 3 minutes hardly seems worth 1/10 of the value to a hand made kilt. But that is the price that you pay. Maybe the kilt should be worth far more than you are currently paying to make it proportional in value compared to the rest of your items in your kit, because face it, why would your buy a sporran, kilt belt, sgian dubh or hose unless you had that kilt to ware them with.

Matt.