How much do you guys charge for eggs?

[alicefelldown]

Instead of checking with us - check what is in your area! Egg selling is a very LOCAL business.

Take a look at your grocery / specialty food stores (trader joes / whole foods / lassens / etc). Get an idea of what comparable eggs go for. This is what your customers are used to paying.

Check out what is available at your local farmer's markets as well.

Now take a look at your local Craigslist. Search for eggs / egg and get an idea of what people in your area charge.

Then price your eggs somewhere in that range. Think about what makes your eggs a better buy than your competition. Are your girls grass ranged? Does anyone else sell eggs in your colors? Do you have stories and pictures of your hens? You can usually price your eggs at a premium if you can 'convince' your customers of their higher value.

Good luck!


example:

My local grocery sells comparable brown and white eggs (not the cheap caged ones, the omega "free range" ones) in the 4 - 5$ range and frequently has sales.
My local natural food stores sell brown and white eggs for around 4$, but these are still not actual free range like mine. (My girls have 4 acres to enjoy)
My local farmers market sells only white eggs at 3.50$. The guy has 4,000 hens that range at a local college. He has little to no overhead and can sell his at a low price. Most of his birds are rescues.
My local craigslist was selling at 4$ until a new seller undercut everyone at 2.50$. I'm a little frustrated with them right now because they are racing to the bottom and making everyone else lower their prices.

Currently I sell my eggs via signs at the local feed stores and my office building. I sell for 5$ a dozen. How can I do this? My customers are willing to pay for the option of coming to the ranch and seeing the birds. They are willing to pay more for extremely fresh eggs that have dates written on them. They are willing to pay more because I've taken the time to educate them on the value of eggs from grass-ranged birds. My advertisements and fliers mention the health benefits with links to the many studies out there. They mention freshness and how every day we collect and date eggs. They are willing to pay more for deep golden yolks and rich taste. At this point my customers actually bring me more customers by word of mouth.

There are some people who will always pay 1-2$ for a dozen eggs. They aren't concerned with the quality of life for the bird or the age of the egg. On the other hand, there are people who will quite happily pay a higher price to know that they are buying good product from hobbyist farmers who care about the poultry they raise. You just need to find and market to them.

PM me if you want more details.

 

[Double-0 Chicken]

I have tan and green eggs and I sell for $3 a dozen. I will take .50 off the dozen if the customer brings my egg carton back

We are on the coast of Maine and free range and buy local is HUGE here

. I could probably charge $4 and get away with it but $3 is doable for everyone.

 

[KlaHaYa Gardens]

Fred's Hens :

What the local market bears. In a poorer, rural area, with lots of competition? Not much. An upscale urban area and the west coast seem to fetch the higher prices.

Some people might consider where I live to be upscale, and there are upscale neighborhoods. The biggest issue is the cost of living, gas, feed, etc. is expensive here. Thus people are thrilled to get eggs for $4 per dozen. Some are thrilled to get them for $5. I know people in Seattle who pay $8!! (Duck eggs in one neighborhood in Seattle went from $5 to $10/doze in one year!)


For me, if I agree to sell my eggs (and I prefer not to) it's a drop in the bucket towards feed.


Having a variety of sizes, and colors makes a difference, too. A boring dozen of large brown eggs doesn't fetch as much as a dozen with Xlarge Welsummer eggs, Marans, blue and green Ameraucana, small white and large white, light brown and pink (from red silkies) -- all those colors bedazzle the buyer!

 

[sweeterdeeter42]

Haha, well, we dont have any natural or health food stores around here. I just went to the grocery store and checked out the eggs, and they only had different brands that were all only white commercial eggs and they were about $1.97 for the store brand. I believe it is against the health code in our county to sell fresh eggs at a farmers market. We also cant sell baked goods.

The only eggs I could find for sale on Craigslist were all about an hour away and $2 a dozen but none of them give details about color/breeds/size, etc. So that is why I came here with my question.

 

[alicefelldown]

Then I suppose you are in luck - you get to set your own price.

You mentioned you only saw the commercial $1.97 eggs. You don't have Eggland's Best or other 'Omega 3' eggs? Typically these are in the 4$ range which is what I suggest you start with. You can always start high and lower your price as you find out what the market will bear.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
Agreed, choose a price that you would like to get for your eggs and decide what your eggs are worth. Hopefully, the price you would like to get is more and gives you some wiggle room. If you don't sell any eggs, your prices are too high. If you sell them too fast, your prices are too low.

 

[Snegurochka]

I haven't sold many eggs, but I did the math and it costs me $3.50 per carton to produce the eggs. That's factoring in the 0 eggs I get in the winter, aging hens with low output, and a freeloader. Where I live I've seen eggs for $2, but that wouldn't be possible for me since I never butcher my hens. If you're in a similar situation you could always point it out to the customers--maybe you could call it cruelty-free eggs and promise that the bird will live a long and happy life? (Not to say that my neighbors are cruel--I don't know how they can sell them so cheaply.)

 

[azygous]

I get $3/dozen, but I deliver.

I live 15 miles outside of town, and I cultivated customers on the way to town. I drop off the eggs once a week like the milkman used to do. They enjoy the convenience and the mixed carton of bright colored super fresh eggs. There are the stingy few who prefer the cheap, stale eggs from Wal-Mart, though and think $3 is exorbitant.

 

[Autumnchicken]

I'm in McHenry County Il. and I get 2.50 a doz.

 

[karlamaria]

I have been buying eggs from people around my erea for years, was 1.00 a dozen, now up to 2.25 I love them but wanted to finally get my own! I just bought 9 more dozen this week from a family I have been buying from for almost a year, I give them to mom and we use several dozen a month also. I will be dehydrating my eggs of I get to many, I just found out how to and it will save me lots of money and food for future use ( food storage )