I need ideas/ info on getting started on selling eggs!!!

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Before you price your eggs, also look at your inputs. We've figured that it costs us $2.70/carton for eggs. That's an average over the year, as it costs FAR more for in the winter and less in the summer. It also includes the initial price of the birds, electricity, and the carton and label. We wholesale the eggs for $3, and I won't ever go lower. The most expensive eggs in stores around here are Egglands Best Cage Free, and they cost $3.65/dozen. We sell for $3.50 retail and could probably go higher, but we sell retail mostly to people we know and don't want to go higher right now. Instead, we found a local mill that has a good feed that costs less than Layena and cut costs that way instead of raising the price.

We aren't organic, firstly because organic feed is so expensive I'd have to charge almost double for the eggs, and secondly b/c organic certification is expensive and onerous, and thirdly because I want to be able to use Sevin dust on the garden if I must. Doesn't stop us from selling our eggs to some very environmentally minded folks, and to one vegan-for-animal-rights-reasons who will only eat our eggs b/c he's been to see our hens and knows they're treated well and have a great life. Sell the sizzle, not the steak. Sell the fact that it's local food from happy hens, not the egg itself. It's not an egg, it's being part of a larger good...may sound silly, but it moves the cartons.

Never, ever, ever sell eggs for less than they cost you to produce. No matter what the local market is. If the local market won't support your egg sales, don't sell eggs. Better to reduce your hen numbers to just what you and your neighbors and friends need. Why subsidize someone else's breakfast?

 

[stefan333]

I don't sell eggs, but I've certainly done my share of buying them. I understand feed costs and trying to at least break even, but as a customer if I can get eggs cheaper at the grocery store I will pass up the $4 a dozen egg yard sign. I do think it depends on where you live, though. Many parts of the country are more health conscious and some people would pay that much for eggs. If you get a good customer base willing to pay that much then by all means charge that. Just be aware that many people are not willing to pay that much for eggs. Customers aren't going to be thinking about your feed costs. They want to know how these eggs and the price of them can benefit them and if it's worth it. It's always so important when having ANY kind of retail business or selling anything to look at your geographic location, supply and demand of your area, income level of your area, etc. Look at the possible customers around you, and cater to their needs. A good seller is one who knows what customers want. I love the idea about giving eggs away for free to begin with, so people know you have a great product. You've got to build the customer base first.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I don't sell eggs, but I've certainly done my share of buying them. I understand feed costs and trying to at least break even, but as a customer if I can get eggs cheaper at the grocery store I will pass up the $4 a dozen egg yard sign. I do think it depends on where you live, though. Many parts of the country are more health conscious and some people would pay that much for eggs. If you get a good customer base willing to pay that much then by all means charge that. Just be aware that many people are not willing to pay that much for eggs. Customers aren't going to be thinking about your feed costs. They want to know how these eggs and the price of them can benefit them and if it's worth it. It's always so important when having ANY kind of retail business or selling anything to look at your geographic location, supply and demand of your area, income level of your area, etc. Look at the possible customers around you, and cater to their needs. A good seller is one who knows what customers want. I love the idea about giving eggs away for free to begin with, so people know you have a great product. You've got to build the customer base first.

This is very true--but to be honest, you aren't really a customer for these eggs. Anyone who looks at a carton of eggs from free-range humanely treated hens and says "meh, I can get eggs for 99 cents at the store" wouldn't buy them regardless of whether the price was $2 or $4 because price is more important than the final product. Yes, cater to the needs of your customers, but never, never, never price below what it costs you to produce them. Backyard eggs are a niche product and so has a certain niche of customers.

I once saw an interview with the owner/CEO of Red Bull. He was asked why he charges so much for a can of beverage that costs pennies to produce. His answer? "How will people know they're buying a premium product if they don't pay a premium price?" People value things based on what they pay for them. I know a guy that was making these awesome, highly detailed masks. He was charging $25 per mask, which was $5 more than the materials. None sold. He noticed that similar, but less well-made masks were being sold for $100. He raised his price to $95 and now he can't keep up with orders.

Don't gouge people, but don't pay them to take your eggs, either. That's what you're doing if you sell eggs for less than they cost to produce.

 

[ECBW]

I feel your pain, OP. Friends and relatives are happy to have the fresh eggs. Only one offers to pay. I even told the kids that they can sell the eggs and keep the money... nothing happens there.

 

[countryladyNH]

We have 6 buff orpington hens. We JUST sold our first doz. eggs! Hubby and I made and painted a sign together that we are pretty proud of. We put it out by the road with a table and an old covered iron pot. A small sign on the table says FRESH FREE RANGE EGGS, $5. DOZ. PUT MONEY IN POT. We have a cooler that looks like a basket. We put the eggs in containers we've saved, and tied jute string around each with a sprig of fresh herbs from our garden. Here are some photos!