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That's HOW many gold pieces?! 
A thread on the cost of handmade dice (note: average prices in USD, some of the materials mentioned are optional and costs can vary by location/quality)
A thread on the cost of handmade dice (note: average prices in USD, some of the materials mentioned are optional and costs can vary by location/quality)
Materials Cost:
Outside of a dedicated workspace, most dice artisans will have master dice, silicone, resin, inclusions, PPE, pressure pot, misc. tools for mold making, mixing, clipping, sanding, and painting. All of this can easily cost $700 total. Some costs are recurring.
Outside of a dedicated workspace, most dice artisans will have master dice, silicone, resin, inclusions, PPE, pressure pot, misc. tools for mold making, mixing, clipping, sanding, and painting. All of this can easily cost $700 total. Some costs are recurring.
Labor Cost:
YMMV but a set of dice takes ~4-5 hours to make (design, prep, pouring, finishing) Current federal minimum wage in the USA is $7.25/hr, but to charge closer to a living wage you'd have to at LEAST double that to around $15/hr. For labor time alone, that's $75/set.
YMMV but a set of dice takes ~4-5 hours to make (design, prep, pouring, finishing) Current federal minimum wage in the USA is $7.25/hr, but to charge closer to a living wage you'd have to at LEAST double that to around $15/hr. For labor time alone, that's $75/set.
Time Cost:
Marketing oneself via social media, photographing stock, writing item descriptions, packaging/shipping orders, e-mail correspondence with customers. It's hard to estimate a set time for all of this, but let's tack it onto labor cost at another ~3hr/week.
Marketing oneself via social media, photographing stock, writing item descriptions, packaging/shipping orders, e-mail correspondence with customers. It's hard to estimate a set time for all of this, but let's tack it onto labor cost at another ~3hr/week.
Business Cost:
To establish a legal business there are fees required for licenses, taxes, etc. If you want your own website/storefront you'll have to pay for a domain and a platform to design your site. Most of these costs are annual at about $400-500/yr.
To establish a legal business there are fees required for licenses, taxes, etc. If you want your own website/storefront you'll have to pay for a domain and a platform to design your site. Most of these costs are annual at about $400-500/yr.
None of these estimates include the time spent on research and development, designing elements for one's brand, or the moments things go wrong and work has to be completely scrapped. All in all, I'm of the opinion that many dice makers should be charging a lot more.
While I understand this prices handcrafted dice out of many budgets, art is a luxury good. So, if you see a set of "handmade" dice for $30 chances are it's either produced in a factory setting or made by someone severely undercharging and underpaying themselves.
