How much are my costumes worth?

[Folders]

"PLEASE NOTE I AM NOT TRYING TO SELL ANYTHING"

Hello my fellow RPF:ers!!
I was sitting in my living room the other day working on a new project, when i suddenly got curious about if anything i make actually has any value.
So if i may, and dont get me wrong, i would never think of selling anything of my stuff, i was wondering what you guys think
Since i am still pretty new to this i think many of you have a better idea of what these things are worth than me!

"All credit to the unfolders and makers of the pepakura files wich are mentioned in my other threads"

So here goes:

First out is my stormtrooper. This one was my first and really a crappy build.
It was made using my home-made vacuum-former, using Polystyrene sheets.
I made the molds out of cardboard and thats why it has no smooth edges.

Time spent: About 150 hours
Money spent: About 120 US dollars

Pictures:

Second out is my Iron Man build, and this time i did not freehand it, but instead i used jfcustom's foam files for an Iron Man mark 6 costume.
This one got way better and i have recieved quite alot compliments for it. It is made out of EVA-foam.

Time Spent: About 120 hours
Money Spent: About 80 US dollars

Pictures:

Next up is my Deathstoke Helmet, made this one also using jfcustom's foam files.
It is made out of EVA-foam.

Time Spent: About 10 hours
Money Spent: About 20 US dollars

Pictures:

Up next is my Skyrim Nightingale Armor. Made this one for my girlfriend, got cape, mask, boots and all
I would say this one is my favorite! It is made out of EVA-foam.

Time Spent: About 70 hours.
Money Spent: About 50 US dollars.

Pictures:

Last is my newly made Shadowtrooper Helmet. Got the files from the pepakura library on facebook!
It is made out of EVA-foam.

Time Spent: About 10 hours.
Money Spent: About 30 US dollars.

Pictures:

 

[Folders]

Please guys, this thread took me 1 hour to make ^^

 

[Utri]

Ow!!! Your seams!!!
I'd say that is the biggest issue with your foam work. One thing I always did to help with seams, on top of cutting my foam at the right angle to eliminate seams, was to fill it in with hot glue, smooth it with the stem of my hotknife, then go over the entire piece with a liquid rubber. I used FlexSeal since I got it free from my shop, but PlastiDip usually looks a lot smoother. It should take care of your seams, and in doing so, vastly improve the overall look and quality of your builds.


To answer your question, foam suits are generally worth very little unless they're completely finished (filled, primed, painted, the whole sh'bang). Just my two cents!

 

[laxman09]

basically:

amount spent on materials+(time spend on project in hours multiplied by a set hourly wage)= total cost of project

-OR-

cost of materials + whatever amount you feel comfortable with receiving from selling your product

as an artist creating original work, you can assign literally any value you want to it, but take into consideration that people may not purchase it at the price you are offering, simply because they do not value it as such. i'd check out other similar costumes for sale made in the similar manner on ebay or etsy and set your price by comparing the quality of yours to the quality of theirs. lets be honest, this isnt professional grade work. that doesnt mean it has no value, but people will not buy this at the same price as some of the ones on the market right now. for example, i looked up a stormtrooper costume on google and found a low end one from cheap materials (fabric and flexible foam inserts) for about $75. for a highly accurate version made from strong plastic, you'd pay 700-1000 dollars. i understand that yours is polystyrene, im not sure how thick it is but if its durable enough, i could see you easily getting $200-300. however the suit is a specific size, it was built to fit you. so it wont fit a majority of customers. its hard selling one-off costumes because of that, but its definitely not impossible.

so just look around on google, find similar products and compare yours to it and set your price according to that, like said previously. be honest about your quality and sell accordingly, which you seem to know already so you're in good shape!

i agree with utri too, unfinished products wont go for much so if you want to sell those for more, finish them up and make them look badass!

hope this helps!

 

[Folders]

A big thanks to you guys, love the feedback i am getting from this site. It is what helps me getting better and better. Currently working on a batman-suit. I've heard people saying that you should buy the bat cowl since it is pretty hard to make in foam, but i think i did ok!

Another question though, is there a market for EVA-foam costumes on the internet like on ebay and such? Or is it only fiberglass and plastic costumes that gets sold?

Thanks!

 

[laxman09]

A big thanks to you guys, love the feedback i am getting from this site. It is what helps me getting better and better. Currently working on a batman-suit. I've heard people saying that you should buy the bat cowl since it is pretty hard to make in foam, but i think i did ok!

Another question though, is there a market for EVA-foam costumes on the internet like on ebay and such? Or is it only fiberglass and plastic costumes that gets sold?

Thanks!

well people have ads up selling eva costumes, personally i'd prefer to buy in fiberglass or reinforced plastic, since they're more permanent but thats just my opinion, other people will say differently like how eva is easier to move/sit in.

 

[Folders]

Got it, thanks buddy!

 

[Funky]

To answer your question, foam suits are generally worth very little unless they're completely finished (filled, primed, painted, the whole sh'bang). Just my two cents!

There's your answer right there.

 

[Folders]

My suits are sealed with PVA-glue, painted and primed. The seams are not filles though. Havent really figured out how that works and what stuff to use!

 

[Apollo]

"I'd buy that for a dollar!"

 

[Cephus]

Like everything else, they are worth exactly what someone is willing to pay you for them. No more. No less.

 

[Folders]

Hehe, love the reference m8

- - - Updated - - -

Cephus, figured as much. just thought if there was like a normal price range for this kind of work