# How much to charge for pint, quart jars of honey



## Rader Sidetrack

Welcome to Beesource, Tina!


Honey pricing varies by market, so there is no set price. In a general sense, the more honey a person has to sell, the lower the price that they are able to obtain. _Small_ sellers often report prices in a range of between $5 to $8 per pound, with smaller jars usually priced higher per ounce than larger containers. Honey in more urban, upscale areas often seems to get a higher price than in rural areas.

Honey is typically sold by weight, not volume. Note that when holding honey, a "pint" jar is not 16 oz as some might expect, with honey it would be about 24 oz. Similarly, a "quart" jar holds about 48 oz of honey. Honey is very close to 50% heavier than the same volume of water.


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## Harley Craig

Radar was spot on, and don't be suprised if you get no harvestable honey your first yr.....does it happen? yes, sometimes, but it's rare so don't expect it.


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## crofter

Everything that Rader says;

Since a pint mason jar is approximately 1 1/2 pounds (at my price of 6 dollars a pound) and the cost of the jar approaches a dollar, $10 is a nice round figure that people are happy with. Similarly half pints for $5 . A few people want quarts and I charge $18 for them. If you fancy up the jars and labels and sell to a yuppy market you can definitely get more. No sense in trying to match Sams Club or Walmart prices!


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## mathesonequip

bee culture magazine has a monthly price sheet. wholesale and retail averages and ranges are shown by region for the country. i am sure your market is very local but the price sheet is a good place to start. a long time beekeeper told me "get as much as you can." good advise.


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## cheryl1

Price it high enough that you don't run out until next year's harvest.


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## photobiker

Tina, welcome to the addiction. There is more knowledge and help here than you can imagine. 

All comments above are correct and Harley is correct about getting honey the first year. As you read through the post and information here you will see it recommended that you have at least 2 hive. It will give you a reference. If you only have one hive you don't know if it is doing well or not. You need that second hive for comparison. Might be a little late to get another but keep in in mind if the opportunity comes up. 

There is more knowledge and help here than you can imagine.


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## COAL REAPER

Start on the high end. Its easier to drop price than it is to raise it. I get $18 for a pint and $10 for a half in mason jars. Even that high i still sell out in a few months. When youre small time it is easy to package and move pints and quarts on your own. I have people every spring begging me to release my personal stash. Also worth noting, this is new jersey...


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## Scott Gough

COAL REAPER said:


> Start on the high end. Its easier to drop price than it is to raise it. I get $18 for a pint and $10 for a half in mason jars. Even that high i still sell out in a few months. When youre small time it is easy to package and move pints and quarts on your own. I have people every spring begging me to release my personal stash. Also worth noting, this is new jersey...


Wow, $18 a pint. That is probably the highest I have seen.


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## clyderoad

Scott Gough said:


> Wow, $18 a pint. That is probably the highest I have seen.


keep looking and you'll see it for sale higher than that. 
yes, it sells.


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## mathesonequip

Scott Gough said:


> Wow, $18 a pint. That is probably the highest I have seen.


 for some reason pint mason jars about always bring the highest price per pound. look at the bee-culture price sheet for the evidence. i put it all in pint jars.


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## Harley Craig

clyderoad said:


> keep looking and you'll see it for sale higher than that.
> yes, it sells.


yup, I offered a guy last yr $20/lb for every lb of a honey where the bees got into some anise he had, it was the best i've ever had.


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## GaryG74

Welcome to BeeSource! Good advice by all. With the way this year is going, you may get some honey. Best year in a few, so far.


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## TinaBee

Thank you Rader Sidetrack this info helps a lot.


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## AmericasBeekeeper

Welcome Tina!


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## Brader

TinaBee said:


> Thank you Rader Sidetrack this info helps a lot.


Thank you Rader sidetrack! That was helpful.
I am a Rader too! My name is Brian Rader.
I live in western NC. I’m getting ready to sell my honey. Looks like it may be a cross of clover and sourwood.


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## Oil Lady

Rader Sidetrack said:


> Welcome to Beesource, Tina!
> 
> 
> Honey pricing varies by market, so there is no set price. In a general sense, the more honey a person has to sell, the lower the price that they are able to obtain. _Small_ sellers often report prices in a range of between $5 to $8 per pound, with smaller jars usually priced higher per ounce than larger containers. Honey in more urban, upscale areas often seems to get a higher price than in rural areas.
> 
> Honey is typically sold by weight, not volume. Note that when holding honey, a "pint" jar is not 16 oz as some might expect, with honey it would be about 24 oz. Similarly, a "quart" jar holds about 48 oz of honey. Honey is very close to 50% heavier than the same volume of water.


$5 to $8 a pound is reasonable but people now-a-days feel they are selling 'gold'. And if everyone would refuse to pay such outlandish prices such as $20 or more a pound for it perhaps they would again sell it at a decent price!



TinaBee said:


> Good afternoon fellow bee keepers. I am new to the bee world. I installed my first hive a few days ago. I already have standing orders for honey. So how much to charge for pint and quart jars.


$5 to $8 a pound is reasonable but people now-a-days feel they are selling 'gold'. And if everyone would refuse to pay such outlandish prices such as $20 or more a pound for it perhaps they would again sell it at a decent price!


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## Oil Lady

$5 to $8 a pound is reasonable but people now-a-days feel they are selling 'gold'. And if everyone would refuse to pay such outlandish prices such as $20 or more a pound for it perhaps they would again sell it at a decent price!


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## AHudd

Oil Lady said:


> $5 to $8 a pound is reasonable but people now-a-days feel they are selling 'gold'. And if everyone would refuse to pay such outlandish prices such as $20 or more a pound for it perhaps they would again sell it at a decent price!


Rarely does anyone complain about my pricing at $9.00 per pint, which is 22 oz.
A few years ago someone told me they could get it cheaper at Walmart. I told them that was fine, but I couldn't promise them they would be getting honey. If that ever happens again I think I will tell them, better yet, get a beehive and make your own honey, it's easy.  They will then understand why $8.00 lb., Pure, !00% percent honey is a bargain. 

Alex


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## G3farms

I had a fella email me just that same thing last year, he said he could get quarts for $10 at the grocery store down the road, then told me the name of the seller. I quickly emailed him back with the class action law suit that had been going on for several years against this "packer" of sugar water. Never heard back.


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## ursa_minor

Oil Lady said:


> $5 to $8 a pound is reasonable but people now-a-days feel they are selling 'gold'. And if everyone would refuse to pay such outlandish prices such as $20 or more a pound for it perhaps they would again sell it at a decent price!


Not to nit pick but that $20 would depend on the beekeepers situation. We farm cattle and believe me farmers and beekeepers alike are going to have phenomenal increases in production costs this season just from fuel costs alone.

I am not saying that this is what you are promoting with the comment but for us, working like a dog so someone else can have cheap food while you struggle to pay bills is not a happy lifestyle, working like a dog for a decent living is.


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## fishpaulr

TinaBee said:


> Good afternoon fellow bee keepers. I am new to the bee world. I installed my first hive a few days ago. I already have standing orders for honey. So how much to charge for pint and quart jars.


I am in Western Maryland; we charge $ 5.00 a pound. This is really an inexpensive amount considering the cost of bottles, labels, and safety seals plus the pain and expense of keeping bees. Also consider the cost of medications. As we beekeepers really know the actual cost of honey should be around $ 35.00 a bottle, but that would never fly. lol


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## JustBees

35$ an Oz. for the blood sweat and tears loss of sleep


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## COAL REAPER

fishpaulr said:


> I am in Western Maryland; we charge $ 5.00 a pound. This is really an inexpensive amount considering the cost of bottles, labels, and safety seals plus the pain and expense of keeping bees. Also consider the cost of medications. As we beekeepers really know the actual cost of honey should be around $ 35.00 a bottle, but that would never fly. lol


how the H E double hockey sticks are you making any money selling $5 pounds? i have nearly half of that for jars and labels. i just went up to $12 pounds from $10. no complaints, no change in rate of sales.


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## crofter

I hate to up the price per bottle so this coming season I am going to keep the price the same but make the bottle smaller!


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## G3farms

There is a fella close by that sells honey in reject 1/5 moonshine jars (25.4 fluid ounces compared to 32 fluid ounces) and calls them quarts. Better than a half pound short!


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## LarryBud

I'm at $15 plus bottle costs and using Muth's at $1.50, well that's $16.50. slightly more per pound on 1/2 lbs. but that's the bottling costs. I just did 4 quarts of various honeys for a high-end restaurant in a quart ball jar for $12.50. It sells here.

I think we should form a cartel and set minimums. (By now you should know not to listen to me)


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## fieldsofnaturalhoney

Oil Lady said:


> And if everyone would refuse to pay such outlandish prices such as $20 or more a pound for it perhaps they would again sell it at a decent price!


Is it outlandish? There is A Lot of work behind a pound of honey.. Don't let Dr. Leo Sharashkin hear you say that.,85 a pound😁


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## COAL REAPER

this sparks another discussion for those of us who sell only in one or two offerings: increase price or shift to a slightly smaller container in order to maintain same price per jar?


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## Gray Goose

I just moved to $10 a pint $20 a quart.
I can find the jars on sale for < 12 bucks so a buck a jar or less for the glass and lid.

Ps and Qs can be used to can as well, so the jars have an after life.

Agree with URSA, the cost are going to go up.
I would get the jars you need early, first inflation, then availability, may bite.

just seen one of the local chicken growers are going in at 9.75 a pound this year, so 6 pound bird 58 Bucks.....

going to be a trying year IMO.

GG


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## plantman

1lb 8$
1.5lb 12$ 10.50 refill.
Qt 20$.
12 oz plastic bears 6$


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## COAL REAPER

plantman said:


> 1lb 8$
> 1.5lb 12$ 10.50 refill.
> Qt 20$.
> 12 oz plastic bears 6$


location?


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## plantman

North Country NY


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## A Novice

A lot of variability.

Farmers market pricing (Waukesha, WI) was $9/pound last year. Expect it to be $10/pound this year.

A large local commercial beekeeper sells honey for $3.50 per pound (bring your own container).

This has enticed some local "beekeepers" into the "carry trade". Buying honey in bulk for $3.50 per pound, bottling it in jars, and selling it for $9/pound as "local honey".

When you buy honey, it is a good idea to know the beekeeper.


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## COAL REAPER

A Novice said:


> A lot of variability.
> 
> Farmers market pricing (Waukesha, WI) was $9/pound last year. Expect it to be $10/pound this year.
> 
> A large local commercial beekeeper sells honey for $3.50 per pound (bring your own container).
> 
> This has enticed some local "beekeepers" into the "carry trade". Buying honey in bulk for $3.50 per pound, bottling it in jars, and selling it for $9/pound as "local honey".
> 
> When you buy honey, it is a good idea to know the beekeeper.


i think i have some family in Waukesha


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## LarryBud

Since we're on the subject, what's the going price for cut comb? I'm thinking of doing a few boxes of thin foundation or foundationless and see what happens IF we get a good enough flow.


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## AHudd

A Novice said:


> A lot of variability.
> 
> Farmers market pricing (Waukesha, WI) was $9/pound last year. Expect it to be $10/pound this year.
> 
> A large local commercial beekeeper sells honey for $3.50 per pound (bring your own container).
> 
> This has enticed some local "beekeepers" into the "carry trade". Buying honey in bulk for $3.50 per pound, bottling it in jars, and selling it for $9/pound as "local honey".
> 
> When you buy honey, it is a good idea to know the beekeeper.


We have a lot of that problem around here.

Alex


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## thill

Here in VA, I'm selling for $10/lb in my jar, $9/lb in their container, and $30 for a 2 lb jar with honeycomb.
Spent all day selling honey and fielding calls and messages. Crazy! I think I need to raise my prices a little. I think it will sell just as fast for $12/lb

I would buy for $3.50/lb and sell for $10 IF the bees were local, and if their honey was really good. But I would feel the need to be transparent, and let customers know it came from a local co-op, not from my personal hives.


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## drummerboy

We've been selling and getting $10.00 a pint ($20/quart) for at least ten years, maybe longer. Although most of our honey is 'gifted' to friends and family. 

Comb honey is sold by 'special order' only.

We also trade/barter...Example; One quart of honey for 2 quarts of Maple Syrup.

Grocers charge by the jar size not the weight, so we just follow suit. Selling by the pound is something more suitable to commercial outfits imo.


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## JustBees

crofter said:


> I hate to up the price per bottle so this coming season I am going to keep the price the same but make the bottle smaller!


The guy making bottles likes your strategy!


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## Plannerwgp

ursa_minor said:


> Not to nit pick but that $20 would depend on the beekeepers situation. We farm cattle and believe me farmers and beekeepers alike are going to have phenomenal increases in production costs this season just from fuel costs alone.
> 
> I am not saying that this is what you are promoting with the comment but for us, working like a dog so someone else can have cheap food while you struggle to pay bills is not a happy lifestyle, working like a dog for a decent living is.


I sell at $10.25/ 9 0unce glass jar.


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