Saber Forum

So I've been looking at this costume and I love it, but don't want to pay to much.
The costume maker has asked me what I would pay for this.
But I don't know....What would you pay?
Give in mind the belt being real lether.

(http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/sdevore1138/Jedi/SANY1219.jpg)

(http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/sdevore1138/Jedi/549219_10150790432266605_251623226604_12220117_276466717_n.jpg)

(http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/sdevore1138/Jedi/SANY1145.jpg)

The belt is real leather - what is the rest of the costume made of?

sor the clothing potion it simply states ((Each tunic, tabbard, and obi is made out of high-quality, nicely textured fabric.))

If you've seen mine, I paid $140 plus shipping. But I don't have a leather belt.

I would probably pay $200 at most. That includes shipping, if applicable.

Beware! Ask them what they want for it. Unless you are bidding on an ebay item, this "how much ya got" salesmanship is something to be avoided.

 I have the origanle price for it, but the owner is willing to work a price. Just not sure I can give a fare price. Wich is why im asking. ;)

Take 15% off the original price. Start to haggle.

Interestin...

Nicely evasive...  without knowing what the materials are, difficult to estimate a proper cost.

I can say that a belt like that will run about $60-75 in raw materials, not counting time for labor.

Yes I noticed this too. So I simply asked what kind of fabris they were useing. No response yet, but there should be one by tomorrow I hope.

The largest part of the price for clothing in this kind of market is going to be labor. Fabric is cheap and even the materials for the belt are not that expensive.  Sorry ed_ification, in my experience those materials might come in around $20 to $30. Where are you buying your leather working supplies that it would be so expensive? $60-$75 is what I'd expect someone to charge for the finished belt.

Tandy Leather, at least for the supplies when I bought them - one long thin strip, one wide one, 2 packs of rivets, buckle...  but then, I'm a larger fellow.


Back on topic:

On the belt - it doesn't look as though the grain on the edge of the interior belt was burnished, more like it was left raw, which I find odd.  Burnishing seals the cells within the leather, and strengthens the edge of the belt.  Not doing it seems strange, since it would look better and leave the belt less vulnerable to wear.

Personally I wouldn't buy a jedi costume just because I like the challenge of making my own, however that being said if I were to buy this I would be looking at spending between $150.00 and $200.00 I would bump that up higher if it also included an outer robe/cape, pants, and boots.

For the workmanship I see in it, I would say around 130-160 depending on the materials used. It looks good, but with the evasive description I don't know. everyone else's suggestions are good though. Just remember, you have the power in the purchase, you don't have to purchase, so don't feel obligated or under pressure to decide something that you don't have to. after you know how much they want for it, and what you are comfortable paying for it, if you don't reach an agreement you can walk away. Remember that people who sell things, would rather make a sale than lose one. I need to mention though, that they did put time and effort into the product so don't think "what is the lowest possible price I can get away with?" that wouldn't seem fair if the tables were turned and it was you who had put the time into it and wanted to sell.

there is an old economic principle: speed, economy, quality, pick any two. you see, if you want something of high quality to be fabricated in a short amount of time, you are going to have to pay a lot of: $$$ for it but if time is no problem then you can probably do it for cheaper. If you don't care about high quality then you can get it quickly and inexpensively. The problem is trying to get all three. It just doesn't work. you can't expect someone to stop everything else they are doing to make the most amazing thing ever and then be ok with only getting paid what Wal-Mart sells the cheap plastic version for.

Now since this looks like it's already made, it is now a bit different. You see, for them, if they don't care how fast they sell it, and believe they have a high quality product, they will be less willing to negotiate price, as they will simply wait for someone to pay their desired price. But if they feel the need to sell quickly, they cannot demand a certain price and expect someone to pay it in their desired time frame. They will probably also be more flexible if the quality is not really that good, but want to get it off their hands. They asked you what you would pay for it, which makes me think that they are interested in a quick sale. That gives you a little more power in the negotiation.

Anyway, I don't mean to make things confusing, my apologies if I did, I just wanted to point that out so you can be better equipped when dealing with the custom product market. Remember to get as much information as you can, do plenty of research and deal with everyone fairly. If you feel someone is not dealing with you fairly, don't deal with them. If they are, do.

dude killer costume.  id even buy this.  the most i would pay is around 180 tops.

Thank you all for your advice and opinions. It has help me come to my destitution.
One Question though. Would you all like to know How much for the costume?

Nope. Not at all. No way. Not interested. These aren't the people you are looking for.... /sarcasm

YES PLEASE! ;)

I got one vote, do I see two.

Sure I vote yes lol

OK ((drum roll)) The price for this outfit is.... $350 w/shiping on Etsy or $301w/shiping on the Rebl Legion forums.

wow, what is it made out of? If the fabric was some really nice, i mean REALLY nice stuff i could see that but I don't think I would EVER need a costume that was made of something that nice. I want to play and fight and DO things in my costumes. Not for me, that is for sure.

$9.95!!!! sorry I been watching a lot of infomercials lately.  ;D BUT WAIT THERE IS MORE!!!

Yeah, I have to agree. That price is a little too steep for me. Mine was custom made for me and only half that price.

Ya my point exactly... but they are willing to work the price. :-\

$300 is a decent price if you got it.

Figure $100 for the belt with materials and labor.

$80-100 in cloth.

That leaves $100-$120 or so to cover labor and shipping.

I couldn't do it for less unless I got the fabric on the bargain shelf and the leather recycled from another source...but repeated costs...$275-300 shipped is reasonable for a quality outfit...if it is made to Halloween one night standards than no, $100 at best...but we know the leather belt has that value wrapped up in it already.

So if I were making it for myself buying retail materials...I would think $125-$150 minimum...then a handful of hours...6 hours or so at $20, $120 for labor estimate.

$20 for shipping.

$300 is a decent price.

If you offered $275 that would not be insulting but any less would be IMO.

Much was my problem befor posting this. The price seems resonable :D... but in this age and time, I'll never be able to buy it for that price.  :(

I would send these pictures to Cosplaysky.com and see what they say.  I got the episode I Obi Wan in different colors off their site and spent about half your price with shipping.  Be aware there are certain people on etsy that buy from overseas wholesalers and mark them way up claiming they made the outfit themselves. 

Ya thats why I checked there Etsy acount, sad thing is I can't tell bettween there costume and Cosplaysky's

(http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/sdevore1138/Jedi/SANY1219.jpg)

can any one see a diferance bettween that ^ photo and this one?

(http://cosplaysky.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/S/t/Star-Wars-Mace-Windu-Tunic-Costume-1.JPG)

This page is my dream costume. http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=7544.0 (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=7544.0)

Like the difference between an apple and an apple pie.

I do not think they are the same at all.

PS
How much did you offer?

You know they said the same thing... Any ways I haven't yet offered a price, because they haven't answered back my question.

The differences are huge. The material in the top photo is much thicker than the material in the bottom. Of course, the belts are different, but it seems to me that the belt in the top photo is much more sturdy, along with the physical differences, and the cuffs to the sleeves are embroidered or hemmed in the top photo, as opposed to the bottom. If you choose either, go with the top.

I've bought a costume from cosplay and they are nice, for the price. If you need a decent costumed shipped for under $150 they are the place to go. The material is better then a halloween costume but its not nearly as nice as the first one you showed. I'm happy with mine for now but I will definetly upgrade when I have the cash.

Yeah, the first costume looks a lot better- overall its proportions are better, and the belt looks better made.

$300 or so for two full tunics, sash, tabards, and real leather belt isn't too bad at all- I paid a leatherworker about $60 for the wider part of the belt alone, before I learned to craft. (I already had a thinner belt for the inner part with the buckle)

i would pay the most $250.00 not a bad outfit at all. damn good as a matter of fact

Costume Designers make about $20-$25 an hour. Being a costume designer myself let me give you my take on everything.

It looks like to me...

The tunic is made from either a cotton twill or polyester. So about $5-$9 a yard and that tunic pattern uses about 3.5 yards so about - $31

The dickey. That's the dark brown looks to be made out of polyester of some sort. So between $7-$13 a yard and that dickey takes about a half a yard so looking at about - $7

The shoulder armor. Looks like its made from a microsuede. And you would need about 1 yard maybe two since it is lined. Microsuede runs about $12-$16 a yard. - $30

The obi (the white that's under the leather belt) takes a half a yard. And its made from the same fabric as the tunic. So about - $4-5

The belt is a bit tricky. The metal work should be around $10-$15 The leather $30-$50

Considering the images are high quality and they have a nice dressmakers dummy, an experienced costume maker would take between 3-5 hours to make something like that. The belt maybe two.

So your looking at about $130 in materials. And time using $23 an hour $160. For a total of $290 brand new on commission.

If its "like- new" take about a 10% - %15 value cut. At 15% it would be about $245 - $250

Yes I know this is a lot higher than most of the people posting, but keep in mind that I come from a costuming background. And I know the cost of the materials. And the costume markers time. And its not easy to make these things.

So just remember when you offer just be fair to the maker they need to make a profit. And if you offer them only the cost of the materials and maybe $20 for their time, they more than likely wont take it.

Also keep in mind this is just the top of the costume. You don't get pants, boots, or robe. And robes are VERY costly in just the amount of fabric. Its not unusual for a full Jedi costume to run between $500 - $800.

Welcome to the forum!

My bid was close to yours, great minds and all :D

By the the by, I like the one on your Devi-page

(http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/231/f/1/f114f1a4ddba94a76f6276b6961a1b02-d5bqmlz.jpg)

Do I spy a purple duct tape manni there?  Did you tape yourself and cut it off?  Lol...I have done the same at the theater and opera house a dozen times...so much quicker when working on multiple costumes at the same time.

Good stuff!

Yes, I stole one of my dad's old shirts (since right now I'm living at home part time) and put it on. Then while watching a movie had my mom duck tape me into it. It was kinda a bitch to cut of; my mom ended up poking me with the SHARP sewing shears. But I made that about two years ago. And its a cheep way to get a dressmakers dummy, and so far all the costumes I have made on it have turned out pretty good and have needed very little tailoring.

If you want to talk about my costume. Lets relocate to http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=8593.0 (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=8593.0) the thread for that costume. So we aren't hijacking this one. :P

Anyway rezeb360 I hope you will take the advice of the costume makers/designers and the professions here. No offense meant to anyone else, but people who don't make costumes sometimes have a hard time understanding the cost and time that goes into a costume like the one you are wanting to buy. 

On a side note. If you have the contact for that costume maker, I would like to see if they would be willing to make me and maybe 1 friend one of the leather belts.

Thank you all. I'll be saving for a wiel at this rate lol ;D

Honestly I would offer $190-$230 and see if they take it. Because if its been sitting around for a while they might just want to get it out of their storage.

Just to add a benchmark, my Luke RotJ full robes including belt, pouch cost £600.

I recently spent about $300 AUD on a full outfit including boots and coat. But they way this has been stitched seems to be much better quality than what I ordered. so without pants, boots, and cape. probably $150-$200 AUD