For me, it depends; a vendor got me (and three friends!) for custom bonnets by doing just this at an A show when we went roaming around. One of my friends bought one off the rack and the rest of us custom ordered them. They were north of the $100 range and are lovely. If I’m buying one for horse showing then I’m willing to spend that, but it’s also one of those “once every four years” kinds of purchases. I think if you are charging $100+ in line with the other high end custom bonnet makers your target market is definitely the A/AA circuit riders. That said I personally would prefer not to spend more than about $125.
[QUOTE=akhunterrider;7620062]
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. :)[/QUOTE]
Can you share the seller? I’m in Canada too.
If you were able to embroider on-site I would probably buy on with my initials on it!
[QUOTE=VirginiaBred;7621783]
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[/QUOTE]
I think it’s a little rude to pedal your own business’ fly bonnets on someone’s post asking about how they would like to sell their bonnets. But then again you often don’t seem to care to actually READ people’s post, so maybe you just had no idea what this thread was actually about. Though I imagine you just didn’t care. Instead of aiding your business, in my mind, you turn people off of it.
[QUOTE=ElisLove;7622710]
I think it’s a little rude to pedal your own business’ fly bonnets on someone’s post asking about how they would like to sell their bonnets. But then again you often don’t seem to care to actually READ people’s post, so maybe you just had no idea what this thread was actually about. Though I imagine you just didn’t care. Instead of aiding your business, in my mind, you turn people off of it.[/QUOTE]
Thanks again everyone for your continued input! And thanks ElisLove… I wasn’t going to say it, but thank you for doing so
[QUOTE=ElisLove;7622710]
I think it’s a little rude to pedal your own business’ fly bonnets on someone’s post asking about how they would like to sell their bonnets. But then again you often don’t seem to care to actually READ people’s post, so maybe you just had no idea what this thread was actually about. Though I imagine you just didn’t care. Instead of aiding your business, in my mind, you turn people off of it.[/QUOTE]
Wow, I could not have said this better myself!
:mad: Poor form to advertise your own product on someone elses research thread.
Where’s the thumbs down symbol when you need it?
[QUOTE=VirginiaBred;7621783]
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[/QUOTE]
The USG ones are so nice and so well-priced and come in so many colors-- with stretch ears. They’re my go-to. So… to get my purchase you’d have to offer something different that I see as value. Namely some type of custom option-- custom colors, monogram, other embroidery etc. Probably max I’d spend would be $50-60 but then again I don’t show in the jumpers so it would only be for schooling for me. I feel like the market is a little glutter with options at the moment-- so really you’d have to do something DIFFERENT to stand out.
I also feel like this is the cottage industry that everyone horsey who is crafty is currently doing (this and moms who make show bows). I can literally name 4 people I talk to online who just started this “business” and I am sure there are zillions more. I think it’s very unlikely to be profitable on a large scale because there are too many people who are doing it and the products are too much the same. Your bonnets look nice-- but they look like 10 other bonnets I can buy without any research. Do something to sets yours apart-- that would be my advice.
[QUOTE=vxf111;7624461]
I also feel like this is the cottage industry that everyone horsey who is crafty is currently doing (this and moms who make show bows). I can literally name 4 people I talk to online who just started this “business” and I am sure there are zillions more. I think it’s very unlikely to be profitable on a large scale because there are too many people who are doing it and the products are too much the same. Your bonnets look nice-- but they look like 10 other bonnets I can buy without any research. Do something to sets yours apart-- that would be my advice.[/QUOTE]
Fortunately, since 2011 when I first started my “business” as you put it, it has been a very successful side venture for me. It is profitable enough to fund my horse showing habit, which was my goal when I started Despite the proliferation of hobby businesses, I would very much encourage anyone thinking of starting one to go ahead and do it. It had been very enjoyable and rewarding. What I was looking to find out was whether or not people would purchase them at shows. As I expected, it sounds like some people will, and some people won’t.
Thanks again to everyone who took time to give me their thoughts!
I am an old fart so totally missed this trend. I think eventers would like matching fly bonnets but the prices people are quoting make me feel faint. Maybe for $20 max.
I just purchased a fly bonnet at a show today! It must have stretchy ears (not cotton) and be under $50. The one I bought today was $25 and black with grey and white piping.
I’m just saying… on etsy there are over 200 hits for “horse fly bonnet.” Many look really nice. Not saying all the show bows moms make aren’t NICE. But if you really want to stand out (and command higher prices) it helps to find a way to make your product unique/different. Other than an impulse buy because you’re THERE… what would make someone buy THIS brand of fly bonnet over 20 other similar looking, similar quality, similarly priced bonnets? Not saying it’s not a nice product… but if you really want it to take off-- it helps to have a specific draw that makes you different. I don’t think I said your business wouldn’t be enjoyable or satisfying? My comment simply was… if you want to take things to the next level-- find some way to stand out.
And I was answering your question “would you buy a bonnet at a horse show, why or why not?” My answer is (1) probably not because I really like the USG bonnets at a crazy good price point; and (2) not unless there was something really grabby/unique that make me think it was worth more. Like a monogram or custom embroidery. I was answering the question you asked, OP?!
What I think a lot of people don’t realize is how much work and time goes into making a custom bonnet. I have a friend that sells them And she says it takes her about 6 hours total to make a nice bonnet. For 75-100 dollars that’s not a lot if money per hour. $12-$16 an hour and that’s not including the costs of buying the yarn, rhinestones, trim, and fabric.
[QUOTE=ElisLove;7625250]
What I think a lot of people don’t realize is how much work and time goes into making a custom bonnet. I have a friend that sells them And she says it takes her about 6 hours total to make a nice bonnet. For 75-100 dollars that’s not a lot if money per hour. $12-$16 an hour and that’s not including the costs of buying the yarn, rhinestones, trim, and fabric.[/QUOTE]
Not dissing your friend… but $12/$16 hour ‘salary’ for someone working a crafty type job is an astoundingly good ‘pay rate.’ Much more than minimum wage. To make a bonnet you need to know how to crochet and sew. Neither is a particularly amazingly highly skilled ability (I can’t crochet at all-- but it’s not like you need an advanced degree to do either-- it’s not super hard to learn to knit and sew).
Here are some people on a knitting forum talking about what they make ‘per hour’ on their crafty goods. Pennies compared to what your friend is making…
https://www.etsy.com/teams/7718/questions/discuss/13561140/
None of this is to say that bonnets aren’t worth $100 to someone or that your friend is off the mark. Just saying… if your friend can earn more than minimum wage doing crafty stuff-- she’s making a killing–compared to an average pay rate for that skill.
It’s not really a job that people make a living at. It’s really more of a side hobby for all but the very unusually successful few.
I am sure it does take lots of time and skill. I am sure her bonnets are beautiful. I have seen some lovely ones. The problem is… a machine in India can make these perfectly nice ones for probably $10 per (assuming markup of double wholesale)… https://www.smartpakequine.com/usg-ear-bonnet-10319p and so handcrafting people are always in competition with much cheaper mass produced comparators. The key is offering something different that makes the customer want to have the handmade item over the cheaper item.
Yep, yep, yep … and no. I wouldn’t purchase one at a show, but probably would order one online, http://www.faibelfarms.ca/ are very beautiful, I’m trying to make one for a friend in variegated purple thread (size 10 so it’s very lightweight for Florida weather) and it’s somewhat trying for my non-expert skill, and I would expect to pay over $100 for a hand-made piece.
vxf is so right … unless you have a very wealthy clientele, it’s not realistic to make a living at crafting yourself. I know one enterprising woman who planned to contract to an American Indian co-op for production of a sewn item. Her idea was to get a team of producers at a rate lower than the average U.S.
I’ve looked at the fly bonnets on etsy and I think it’s hard to find a really nice looking one for under $70.
As a crafter I agree that it’s almost impossible to earn a reasonable $$ for your efforts. That’s why I only make things for friends and never try to sell them. It would be too discouraging! When I crochet items I use very high end yarn and even when I can find it at a discount, I know that the sunk costs of a project are already high. I use crochet as a meditation or diversion so the process is an end in itself.
I do think that there’s a market for $100+ fly bonnets. It’s the same people who are buying $5K saddles and $400+ bridles. There is a group of people who like custom things and appreciate the quality and time that goes into them, you just have to tap into a market where custom made is a given.
Here’s how I chose who I was going to buy a bonnet from on etsy when the De la Coeur bonnet to the tune of $140.00 was just too far out of my price range. I only show once or twice a year at local shows, so I’d rather have two nice bonnets than one super fancy one.
First, I searched horse fly bonnet. I have a friend who has purchased several custom bonnets from an etsy seller that are lovely, but I’m too impatient and I didn’t want to wait 6 to 8 weeks for a custom bonnet. So I contacted another etsy seller to see what a bonnet like the DLC one I loved would cost.
After a very long conversation with the seller, lots of pictures exchanged and a decision on exactly what I wanted, I placed my order of not one, but two bonnets. They were exactly what I wanted and for a price slightly higher for two bonnets from this seller and just slightly higher than one from DLC. I had both bonnets within 3 weeks and couldn’t be happier.
A few things I appreciate about this seller in particular:
-excellent communications
-many customization options that were priced very fairly
-good turnaround time
-good value
-very good quality product
Since I am one to shop around a ton before buying anything and I know what I can get from this seller and others, I would have a hard time buying a bonnet at a show for a higher cost, unless I really just wanted it right then.
