Are we underselling our eggs?

[technodoll]

I don't understand what risk you are taking by raising your prices, what's the worse that can happen?

People tell you they're too expensive?

You don't sell as many eggs?

IMO your best customers will be the ones who appreciate what they are paying for and know the value of a farm-fresh local egg vs store-bought crap. People who are not willing to pay top dollar for my eggs don't get any and it only benefits the people who are waiting in line to buy my girl's eggs by the dozen!

GOOD LUCK!

 

[BarredBuff]

We are selling for 1.50 but as of April 1, 2010 they will be 2.00 a dozen. I figured it up we are breaking even at selling at a buck fifty.

 

[trilyn]

Quote:
OMG! lol We're going to do the same thing-I sell for 1.50 now, but everyone tells me that's too cheap. Well......after much deliberation, I am going to up the price by April 1st, and hopefully they will still sell. I will tell my regular customers ahead of time, and change the sign on the 1st. We'll see what happens!

 

[Over Easy in Adna]

We sell ours for $2 a dozen, but we have one customer that says we are not charging enough. She always pays $3 even as we are telling her she does not have to!

 

[greyhorsewoman]

In our little rural corner of the world, our local grocery sells eggs from two local 'home' producers ... for $1.99 a dozen (so I have no idea what he pays THEM for their eggs). These are equal to mine ... backyard, freerange eggs. So my price of $1.50 will go up to $1.75. I have cut my flock in half and will only be selling any excess eggs to a few select individuals at my husband's work, etc. I'm hoping to develop a few loyal folks willing to pay more for my duck eggs.

 

[Penturner]

I have read this thread a couple of times. And have had a few thoughts. First even my wife who knows nothing about chickens and will never care two. knows there are different types of eggs. She also knows there is a benefit to them although she is not really sure about the details. She mentioned free range, organic, and basic farm fresh. I understand that what goes into the chicken, goes into the egg and effects how nutritious and flavorful they are.
So here are some thought from a purely potential customer and what would be selling points for fresh eggs.
Don't tell me that farm eggs are more nutritious. this falls in the same file cabinet that Toyota saying they have the best cars goes in. Tell me why they are more nutritious, and don't be vague about it either with things like "I feed them nutritious food and that nutrition goes into the eggs". Tell me what is in your feed and what part of it goes into the egg. more protein. more calcium. more vitamins etc. In short if you are so well informed about what a good egg is, it should not be much of a challenge to inform me of details. demonstrate the health of your flock and point out that healthy flocks produce nutritious eggs. I know this may sound a bit overkill for eggs but let me replace the egg with some other product I do know a lot about. Writing pens. There are hundreds of pen makers out there that can throw together a pen from low cost materials (Cheap feed) and some low end parts and sell them for $25 ea and actually make some decent money for their time. Then there is the guy that caters to fountain pen users, knows the difference between a med or fine tip nib, can fine tune a nib and supply an ink that will actually flow. He also has gained the knowledge to recognize and spend the time to develop resources for some of the finest materials available. He can make a pen out of ivory that will write better than most people even know a pen can write. it will be well balance because he knows what a well balanced pen feels like. He has given much time and thought in to the weight of the finished product. and he ha a very good idea of what his customer will be looking for. He has selected a finish that is suitable to the material and he is confident enough in his work to guarantee it. His pen will also cost you $175 and that is if it is a cheap one. I have one pen that if I am able to find the materials to make one I have priced at $700. I have seen a pens that sold for $100,000 and another that is for sale for $250,000. You don't need to sell very many of those but you do need to know a whole lot about pens to make one.
Several people have commented on "Breaking Even" by selling their eggs at $1.50 per Doz. I am going to assume that this means you pay for your chicks and feed with the money you get from selling eggs. So what this really means is that you get eggs for the labor you put into your flock. I point that out simply to show that there is more to costs than feed. I know most of you would have chickens even if you didn't sell their eggs anyway. But with all the work involved, ask yoruself what are you really paying for eggs and the added benefit you personally get from keeping chickens. Also keep in mind that most people pay a lot of money for their entertainment but still my bet is you are paying a lot more than $1.50 a doz for your eggs. maybe not in cash out of your pocket but assign a dollar value for your time and do some math. even if you work real cheap, say $7.00 an hour. My bet is you are paying at least $2 to $3 a doz for your own eggs.
The purpose of my post is to hopefully jar you into some different trains of thought. If it is worth it to you to pay more for eggs. Isn't it reasonable to think that other people have their reasons to be willing to pay more? Now my reasons may be completely different than yours. you get enjoyment form caring for chickens, collecting eggs, and all the hooplah that goes with it. My reason is that I want a better tasting breakfast. I will add that for me and many others I know that have ever mentioned farm fresh eggs. is convenience. Eggs do not take a real high priority in our decisions. they are down there around the decisions like college rule or wide space notebook paper. they are an after thought even when grocery shopping. for the most part all those cartons of eggs are the same to us except for one thing, Price. so if all you do is witness our behavior it si easy to think that all we are concerned about is low price. But this is not at all true. we are concerned about taste and nutrition but we are not given convenient information to base our purchase on. Make your product accessible and inform your customer why it is a better product. Then demonstrate that you actually believe it yourself and raise your prices.

 

[3goodeggs]

Our stores sell cage free brown eggs for $3.00 a dozen. so I do too. With the above thought, I also tell my customers that my girls are not just cage free, they are hugged and loved. they are happy chicks. Somehow knowing that I pet my chickens and love them is a selling point.

 

[technodoll]

One thing I have done in the beginning was to GIVE a dozen eggs to potential customers, and I joke that "the first dozen is always free, wink wink" - yep, like drugs because they are THAT good! And guess what : it works. They come back for more and tell me they are getting a deal at $5 a dozen!

Of course they get shown photos and videos of the happy, healthy, free-ranging flock and get ample information at what the hens are eating to produce such tasty eggs (lots of flax for Omegas, fresh fruits and vegetables, a variety of quality grains, nutritious protein, etc) and the proof is in the egg, in the end.

And yes everyone knows every hen is a PET and has a name, and is a beloved part of the family!

 

[chicks4kids]

I think it all boils down to what you "feel" is fair and accurate...for you. People can tell you that you're not charging enough, and people can also tell you that you're charging too much but I think it just boils down to what you are trying to do...

If you're just selling the extras just trying to break even, then do what you feel is right and you'll be happy with it. If you want to make a little profit, then so be it, and you'll be happy with that decision as well.

If you're raising chickens for the sole purpose of selling eggs to make money, then I think you should raise your price because it's to be a business rather than a friendly gesture from a neighbor. As the old saying goes, "don't mix business with pleasure".

Personally, I don't make a habit out of doing what others feel is right or wrong--if I did, I would be blamed when they made the wrong decisions

I would love to make $$ from selling my eggs, but if I thought of it like that I'm afraid I would be all about

and I think that is how we go from homegrown to commercialized over time.

You know your neighborhood and area better than any of us here, and you know what your neighbors, friends, and co-workers will be able to afford. Go with your gut!

 

[CARS]

I have a few customers that will religiously stop in every week to buy eggs. And then I have the customers who stopped to get some, tried them, told me they liked them (commenting on the orange yolk, etc), but never come back. Then there is my dad. He makes waffles almost every day for breakfast and he complains about the inconsistency of my eggs size. He claims they screw up his recipe???

Anyway, I sell mine for $1.00 a dozen. Do I make ends meet? No. Do I care? Sure. I would love to make money but if I can't sell my eggs for a buck a dozen, nobody is going to give me 2 bucks for them. This region is tight. I know a few retired farmers that still have their First Communion money

I tried newspaper ads, had them at the local bar (which worked great until the hens go on strike and now I have lost those customers), and I sell them out of my body shop's fridge. I truly think that people find it easier to grab the $2.00 eggs while they push their cart through the dairy isle than to stop by my shop or farm. Is lazy too harsh of a word?