I’m trying to do a little bit of “market research”. Would you purchase a bonnet at a horse show from a vendor booth? If yes, in what price range and what sort of colour combinations/styles? If no, why not?
Any comments would be greatly appreciated!
If it was pretty… That is a bit of a “see and want it” kind of purchase for me. If it grabs me that day, and isn’t too expensive I would buy it. I personally am pulled to various shades of blue and some greens.
I had never used them but this is a horrible gnat year for us so I decided to try. I just ordered a custom one from Smartpak in our eventing colors so yes, if there was a booth, I would be there. Some standard ones like black with a nice white rope trim, a white one with red and blue trim, gray with black trim, ect.
I would buy one if it were less than $30 or so. Mint green is a very popular color this year for bonnets, saddle pads, and polo wraps. I’ve been struggling to find mint stuff on Dover/Smartpak and it is all backordered!
I think it would be a good idea to have a few classic colored ones (navy, black, gray) and then some fun ones (mint, pink, turquoise, lavender) to appeal to several different riders.
Yes,
if it was black and red and under 20.00. I can buy them on ebay for about 8, but only in solid single colors
I purchased on at Devon a few years ago. Navy and Devon blue with the Devon logo on it. I think it was $25? I probably wouldn’t pay over $30.
As far as colors go, I too am on the hunt for black with red. I like conservative color with bright trim. I usually jazz up my solid colored ones with contrasting yarn.
I guess I see if it has stretchy ears and doesn’t require the dorky looking string. Bling is nice too. Classic colours like black, white and navy with coloured contrasting cord and or edging and some sparkles for under $50 would fly off the shelves IMNSHO.
I think your fly bonnets are lovely and are priced on par with other custom bonnets that I’ve seen. I would guess that for off the shelf, standard colors, you might need to price a bit lower.
I think that having a booth stocked with some standard color combinations and a few with bling would sell and also, if people could see the quality, would encourage custom orders.
Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and input!
While it would be great to be able to sell my bonnets in the $30-50 price point I would unfortunately be losing rather than making money! Regardless I have decided to do a trial run at a horse show and see how they sell 
Possibly because I like pretty basic and understated fly hats (can’t call them bonnets for my gelding!), I am not willing to spend more than $30 on one, and it has to be pretty special for that. Considering I can pick up decent looking ones in the $10-15 range, and even less if something strikes my fancy at work, I just don’t see the point in spending very much.
OP, yours are lovely, though!
I agree, OP your bonnets look VERY nice, but I wouldn’t be willing to pay that much. Doesn’t mean that there are others out there that would be willing to do so.
As for colors, personally I like grays, light blues etc.
I would expect them to be $100+, like other custom bonnets. They’re lovely! :yes:
I would not personally buy a blingy bonnet, nor pay more than $30 for any bonnet. But I am a cheapskate, so def not your target market.
De La Couer ones which are the bonnet makers to the stars up here in the Great White North routinely sell for over $100 CDN! Custom with bling are often closer to $200. They often have a booth at the bigger shows.
I’d probably buy one if I could pay less then 80-90 in custom colors w/cording etc. I personally just find the 150 for a fly bonnet ridiculous, because with a little bit of practice I could probably make one myself.
My purchase would be based on price and quality. I also prefer the spandex or spandex blend ears. Most of the cotton-eared bonnets seem fairly stiff. For my own personal budget concerns, my max price is about $75. I’ve been buying bonnets from an etsy seller in Canada and I love them. My 3rd one is on the way right now.
The Clothes Horse makes the nicest custom ones. Great if you have a large (or small) eared equine! You can make it exactly as you like it. www.theclotheshorse.com
I’d pay up to $50 but I’m not one of those people that gotta have fancy stuff. I’m perfectly happy with my $24 ones.
I agree regarding the cotton ears - I have an Eskadron ear bonnet (and no, I am not that fancy, picked it new at a charity tack sale for $2 
- now if I could only figure out which barn that custom logo on it is from!)
It has a mesh type woven material - a bit stretchy, very breathable. If I was in the market for a higher end ear bonnet, I would want it to be made with the same material.
OP you have a PM
