Hi all. I've recently ordered a bunch of small vials and been making necklaces like this for my friends, and, at their requests, for their relatives and significant others. The vials are, from the knob at the top to the very bottom, about 3 cm in length. I write on the rice, then place them in the vials, fill them with coloured magnifying oil (I mix the colours myself, so any colour is possible) and glue the lid on. I've been considering selling them online, probably just to mac students, but whether or not I do this depends on 2 things. Hoping for help with this.

1) Do you think people would be interested and willing to pay?

I can fit up to 10 letters, maybe even 12, on one grain of rice. I can write on the front and back, put multiple grains of rice in one vial, and add glitter of a number of colours. They seem to be quite popular amongst my friends, but keep in mind that my friends have, so far, gotten them for free. They don't take that long to make.

2) What do you think is a fair price that the average Mac student would also be willing to pay?

I would want to consider a base price with only the vial with rice, and prices with a silver chain or a black chord. Does +$2.50 for a silver chain and +$1.00 for a black chord seem reasonable?

Here are the two types of vials that I have: 1 2

Also, ideas on how to let people know about this would be nice. Other than posting on here, of course. Thanks!


TL;DR: College student trying to make moneh, wants advice.

EDIT: I can also draw stuff. Hearts, stars. Pandas. Etc. And make them into earrings.

I used to have one of those (not in necklace form, but just having my name on a grain of rice was amusing)!

I'd buy one. =/

You haven't even mentioned what you planned to charge for a base price yet though.

As a possible suggestion, you could embellish the vials with a sterling silver wire wrapping to justify a hefty price hike. Sterling wire is relatively cheap and easy to work with. Here's an example of what I'm talking about: link

As for a fair base price.. You should consider the price of the base materials and labour. Without knowing those I can really decide on a 'fair' price.

Originally Posted by JEFF_CHAN

I used to have one of those (not in necklace form, but just having my name on a grain of rice was amusing)!

I'd buy one. =/

You haven't even mentioned what you planned to charge for a base price yet though.

Dude, I'm asking what people think a fair base price would be, and if the two additional prices for chains/chords seem fair. As shown here:

Originally Posted by Amaryll

2) What do you think is a fair price that the average Mac student would also be willing to pay?

Originally Posted by REPLEKIA/.

As a possible suggestion, you could embellish the vials with a sterling silver wire wrapping to justify a hefty price hike. Sterling wire is relatively cheap and easy to work with. Here's an example of what I'm talking about: link

Thanks for that. How much extra d'you think I should charge for an embellishment like that?

I wouldn't mind paying ~5$, sounds neat

Originally Posted by Amaryll

Thanks for that. How much extra d'you think I should charge for an embellishment like that?

Depends on how much wire (and what thickness of wire) you use and how long it takes you to make it. I wouldn't cut yourself short though.

Used to have one of these with my name and my ex's on it with hearts and stuff
he spent $10 one each one, so your price idea is definitely awesomee

I like those thingies, they're cuute. :3
Would get another one for the hell of it, I was amused for a long time (and so were others that saw it around my neck)

EDIT: $5 sounds reasonable, but depends on material/labour and all that

I would probably only pay about $3-$5 for them, but I can imagine people paying like $7-$9. I like the longer vial more, the other only looks like a lightbulb.

Originally Posted by Amaryll

Dude, I'm asking what people think a fair base price would be, and if the two additional prices for chains/chords seem fair. As shown here:

I just read the +$1 and +$2.50

You've met me twice now. It should be obvious that I have ADD.

And I dunno, given that I don't know the costs of the materials themselves / breakeven points / whatever. Personally, I don't see people paying more than $4 with the chain. Maybe $5+ if you went with Replekia's silver wire idea (well assuming the additional costs aren't too high)

Just found this site comparing places where you can buy this online. Scroll down for a chart with prices.

Minimum seems to be $9.50, + shipping and handling. Of course, the latter would not be necessary for mac students.

Too high? Before posting this, I was considering a base price of $7, but so far everyone seems to think $5ish. :/

Very cool! I'd buy it. As others have stated, $5 is reasonable, and your add-ons for the different chains sounds fair to me.

As a suggestion, perhaps you could set up a website for yourself where people could place orders. I don't know how you would make this secure and prevent abuse though...

Bah. Not worth it at $5. I'd be better off buying cheap jewelry in bulk when I'm in China and then selling that than offering this personalized stuff. Not that I'm going to, not worth the hassle unless I do it on a large scale. Seriously, the $10 necklaces at the student centre? They probably cost the sellers about $1-2.

Thanks anyways, everyone.