# How much do you charge for your honey?



## blkcloud (May 25, 2005)

I have never sold any but I did notice it was $4.00 a pound a wal-mart..And it said it was all American honey..


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## Shapleigh's Bees (Mar 8, 2008)

If you price, package and sell like walmart, you compete with walmart.


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## blkcloud (May 25, 2005)

I guess I worded my question too difficult.. All I want to know is how much do you sell your honey for..


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## Robert166 (Mar 12, 2005)

I sell mine for 5.00 a pint, I seen in Sams Club "pure honey" from virginia 8.00 a quart.
It didnt look processed to me, it looked like raw honey. Maybe that is why mine isnt selling as well as I thought it should.


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## Shapleigh's Bees (Mar 8, 2008)

That question is too simple. Folks sell in a variety of market conditions, using a variety of marketing techniques, and sell a variety of honey. So wal-mart/Sams have set the low end of the market at $4/lb. according to these two posts, and similar here in Maine.

My brother sells for $8 to $10 a pound in Massachusetts, right around the corner from Wal-mart. I plan to start at $8 in Podunk Maine and go UP until it sells (we get tourists).

If you price anywhere near wal-mart, folks assume they are getting the same thing, so they might as well buy wal-mart. If you have a premium product, sell at a premium price, but don't advertise price, it isn't your best trait. Quality, local, and variety is what you want to sell.


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## CSbees (Aug 7, 2007)

You put your time and HARD WORK into production of honey. You would aslo like to offset the expenses of operating if not make a profit. Whenever I analyze my honey pricing I remember the 100 degree days in a full bee suit taking off honey for 5 hours. Essentially, do not sell yourself short. I sell my wildflower for $12 a quart $6.00 a pint. I also sell sourwood honey for $13 dollars a quart and $7.00 per pint.


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## Shapleigh's Bees (Mar 8, 2008)

That sounds like a deal for sourwood. Do you ship? How much to send it a quart to 04076?


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## Swobee (May 18, 2007)

I see a lot of bee keepers here sell their product short. Some, if not most sell for less than gorcery store retail. I'm not sure the philosophy of why one would think their pure raw honey needs to be at a lower cost than a chain retailer. When you factor in the operation costs, product container costs, hive losses, maintenance, etc. it's a wonder any one makes money at all! I don't sell wholesale, but will sell large containers such as 5 gallon if a customer wishes.


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## Matt Guyrd (Nov 28, 2007)

Shapleigh's Bees said:


> That question is too simple. Folks sell in a variety of market conditions, using a variety of marketing techniques, and sell a variety of honey. So wal-mart/Sams have set the low end of the market at $4/lb. according to these two posts, and similar here in Maine.
> 
> My brother sells for $8 to $10 a pound in Massachusetts, right around the corner from Wal-mart. I plan to start at $8 in Podunk Maine and go UP until it sells (we get tourists).
> 
> If you price anywhere near wal-mart, folks assume they are getting the same thing, so they might as well buy wal-mart. If you have a premium product, sell at a premium price, but don't advertise price, it isn't your best trait. Quality, local, and variety is what you want to sell.


Lots of good points made in this post. 

Other things to consider might be the components in major retailer honey and the lack of consumer knowledge when buying honey.

So Wal-Mart markets their honey as "American" honey, but what does that mean? Is it mixed with foreign honey? Was it heated and filtered?

And unfortunately, many consumers know little about honey and what to look for when buying. They have no idea that pasteurizing honey kills the good enzymes, or that their honey is from <_insert country_>. Many see it on the Big Box shelves and see a cheap price. In the shopping cart it goes, and they are never the wiser.

A couple of the bee mags post monthly honey reports for the different regions too, although I don't think it takes into account the varietal honeys.

Here in Northern VA, we have a beek that regularly sells his honey at $3, $5, and $9 for 8oz, 16oz, and 32oz, respectively.

Matt


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## BigDaddyDS (Aug 28, 2007)

It's all in how you market yourself. I sell my honey for substantially more than what Wal-Mart sells theirs at.

But, then again, I try to select unique bottles to package my honey in. And the majority of my customers are looking for local, raw, un-filtered, un-pasturized (un-heated) honey. And, if those reasons don't hook 'em, the flavor will! So, buy yourself a bottle of "Wal-Mart's 'finest'" and let your customers do a side by side comparision. The comments I received were that mine tasted like a "smoky caramel", while Wal-Mart's had the flavor of "corn-syrup and burnt rubber". 

Another interesting sidenote: Everyone I've ever sold a 2oz. sampler bottle to has come back and bought more. 

DS


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## Hanover Honey (Mar 26, 2008)

Selling honey at a low price is counter productive esp. to the new beek. Resist the temptation to short sell in order to get your product out there or to try and get rid of what seems like a lot of honey. As customers return, and they will, you'll be stuck selling at a low price or have to explain your huge price increase.
Someone I know sold his honey for $1 a pound at a yard sale his first summer and was very proud of how many jars he sold. He also felt like he was getting rid of the honey he couldn't eat himself. As you can guess, those people knocked on his door next summer and wanted the dollar honey. He thought those people would pay $6 but was very wrong. They felt like he has tring to rip them off. You see, he atracted the wrong consumer in the first place. They were not intersted in Local or Raw or any other niche he had. Just price.
You should be selling above chain store prices in you area and sell your product first then discuss price. I don't hide my price or skirt the issue if it's the first question out of the customers mouth, I just talk to them about bees or local honey and let the sale follow.
If your sales aren't as brisk as you would like, do yourself a favor and hang in there. Maybe your problem is marketing not price.


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## Swobee (May 18, 2007)

BigDaddyDS said:


> Another interesting sidenote: Everyone I've ever sold a 2oz. sampler bottle to has come back and bought more.
> 
> DS


Almost everyone I've sold (or given) a straw to has bought more. Selling "sampler" sizes, whether straw or small container is a great way to introduce your product. I give a straw to everyone in the room when I do a presentation to Kiwanis, Optimist, Soroptimist, and others. Many have never seen a honey straw, while those with small kids like to grab an extra one. Every optortunity I get is invested in promoting bee keeping, the need to respect and not kill bees and incresing awareness of a consumer on advantages of local vs. 'foreign' honey.

I can't have a sign at my yard, so I have to use other means to remind folks they can get local honey from a local person.


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## DChap (Oct 19, 2005)

I sell mine at $4.00 for 16 oz, $6.00 for 24 oz, $15.00 for 5 lbs, $30.00 for 12 lbs, my ross rounds sell for $6.00 and creamed honey $4.00 for 1/2 pint and I have run out every year.

Blessed Bee
Doug


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## riverrat (Jun 3, 2006)

I get 5.00 lb but looking at going to $6.00 before to long


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## BULLSEYE BILL (Oct 2, 2002)

I am moving up from $5 to $6 for lbs, from $9.50 to $11.00 for two lbs, $25. for five lbs, $50. for gallons, $150. for five gallon buckets.


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## jjgbee (Oct 12, 2006)

*It depends on how much you have to sell*

If you have 24,000 lb of honey to sell, it is better to sell it at $2.00 lb than to sell it to a packer for $.90 lb. Also if you drive 30 miles and sit all day at a farmers market, how much is your time and transportation worth? Selling a barrel or 2 a month from your front porch in 6 lb jugs is not a bad deal at $2.00 lb plus container cost.


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## tecumseh (Apr 26, 2005)

blkcld writes:
And it said it was all American honey..

tecumseh politely ask:
so that mean that most of what is in the bottle is from canada, mexico and argentina?

selling and price you will find to be quite local. I could for example, sell my entire crop just a bit to the west of me for 25% more than I sell it for here (given the area to the west is a larger population center I could also likely sell it quicker). 

the larger view is that when I started this little gig up I was determined to sell my product strickly local, so I looked at what various folks were getting for their honey at perhaps a half dozen location and based upon the prices of these, established a price target that I considered fair to both myself and the consumer.

as big daddy (I think???) suggested... giving a small bottle away (which I don't really do so regularly, but more like when it feels right) has generated some of my best and most loyal customers.

lastly when it comes to selling you are not only selling a product you are selling yourself. once you have established a reputation as selling a quality product and present yourself as a quality person the honey will appear to sell itself.


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## Shapleigh's Bees (Mar 8, 2008)

Swobee said:


> I can't have a sign at my yard, so I have to use other means to remind folks they can get local honey from a local person.


In college, there was an art store in a historical district. They couldn't have a sign bigger than two inches high, but house letters could be up to 14 inches high. The store was called:

123 Main Street (14" High)
Art Supply (2" High)

Maybe you can find a way around the signage. Maybe paint your mail box yellow with bees and stuff.


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## blkcloud (May 25, 2005)

present yourself as a quality person the honey will appear to sell itself.

You know I can remember some hippies who were selling honey at a crafts fair or something like that once..the honey looked fine but man these people didnt know what soap and shampoo were..I wouldnt have eaten any of their honey if they were the only people on earth who had any but then again..I cant look into the cooking area when I stroll into Mcdonalds either


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## CSbees (Aug 7, 2007)

Shapleigh,

It would simply cost whatever the shipping would run + the price of the honey. The sourwood that I harvested this year has virtually no impurities. The honey was white and the flavor pungent.


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## Dan Williamson (Apr 6, 2004)

jjgbee said:


> If you have 24,000 lb of honey to sell, it is better to sell it at $2.00 lb than to sell it to a packer for $.90 lb. Also if you drive 30 miles and sit all day at a farmers market, how much is your time and transportation worth? Selling a barrel or 2 a month from your front porch in 6 lb jugs is not a bad deal at $2.00 lb plus container cost.


Excellent points.

What one person can do who has 30 hives... another person with 500 hives can ill afford to do. 

I personally sit at a local corner on Saturdays. Last year I sat for eight Saturdays in a row. I averaged 6hrs/ day and made avg of $312.50/day.
At the same time... I sold to two different retail outlets at a 20% discount to my retail price for the first time. In one month they sold $900 (my share) of honey between them. In that same time.... (4 Saturdays) I made $1250. I made $350 more selling it myself. However I sat in hot sun /dusty conditions and some rain for 24hrs to get it. With the retail outlets I only had to deliver the honey.

Maybe I'm better off selling for slightly less to a retailer. Let others deal with the overhead expenses and time... and I could use that 24hrs for better management/ building equipment/ developing new products/ or just how bout some family time?

Everyone has to figure out what works in their own situations. I'm finding that the more hives I have in addition to the 50hrs/week of my regular job... time is precious. I have less time to sit on a corner for 6hrs on a Sat. when queens are being raised, hives need supered, honey needs pulled etc...

Whatever you charge.... look at the pros and cons of each and every aspect. Look at every penny if profitability is important to you. What you find might surprise you. Don't knock those who don't get $8/lb. When you are trying to move 1000's of lbs... you can't afford to try to sell it for high dollar. You have bills to pay and need to get your investment back out to pay them.

Now for those who will read too much into my comments. I'm not suggesting people shouldn't get top dollar. We have a premium product and should get a premium price. Just don't knock the guy who has large volumes to move because they move theirs at cheaper levels than others do.


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## JC (Jun 3, 2006)

*Price Takers*



Dan Williamson said:


> Excellent points.
> 
> What one person can do who has 30 hives... another person with 500 hives can ill afford to do.
> 
> ...


Commercial beekeepers are price takers; they do not set the price. I agree that the more honey that you have to sell, the less in control that you have over the price. The small beekeeper, like myself, can afford to sell to people who are looking for local, organic honey. My price is $8 per pound plus $1 for the bottle. I have customers waiting for this year's spring crop. I also have the privilege of selling my honey by appointment only. I take orders during the year and I call the customers after I extract my honey.


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## Dan Williamson (Apr 6, 2004)

JC said:


> Commercial beekeepers are price takers; they do not set the price. I agree that the more honey that you have to sell, the less in control that you have over the price. The small beekeeper, like myself, can afford to sell to people who are looking for local, organic honey. My price is $8 per pound plus $1 for the bottle. I have customers waiting for this year's spring crop. I also have the privilege of selling my honey by appointment only. I take orders during the year and I call the customers after I extract my honey.


How many pounds do you anticipate harvesting and selling at that price? That is particularly key to this discussion. While it might be easy to find buyers for 2-300lbs of honey at those levels I would never have been able to get that for my volume and I'm certainly not a commercial beekeeper. 

I do set my price and haven't ever sold bulk but I do see why some do. Time it takes to bottle, container cost, labels, plus time to market it. I would argue that many don't do the math and look at what their actual costs are. Of course... many here aren't interested in necessarily turning a profit. It is a hobby and they are happy to get a little money back on their investment. This difference in thought processes between business vs hobby account for alot of differences in decisions made.

I had someone the other day ask what I sell my honey for.... I told them and they said.... OH... I get alot more for my honey than you do. $X/lb....... and I said... Well that is great.... How much did you sell at that price? The response was.... well I harvested two supers last year and sold it ALL. Well good for you and all 60lbs you sold. I was genuinely happy for them... Yet it allowed me to take their comments with a grain (or 3) of salt. Again volume is extremely important to understanding the big picture.

Price is also extremely dependant on location. I harvested 2500lbs last year and would not have been able to move it all at $6/lb. This year I hope to harvest around 4000lbs. I hope to be able to retail it all but realistically given my time constraints, I may sell some smaller volumes to some other beekeepers.

If you can get $8/lb for your honey, then I think that is wonderful.... Keep it up. Your market can bear it. 

Now to put the price issue into perspective. How about everyone who lists there prices also put next to it the volume they sold last year!


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## CSbees (Aug 7, 2007)

Shapleigh, 

It would simply be the price of the honey + the price of the shipping. The sourwood that I made back in the summer was white in color and pungent in flavor (virtually no impurities from other nectars). I have sold out of this, but should have some more come August.


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## Black Creek (May 19, 2006)

*hey Dan...*

-"... I sold to two different retail outlets at a 20% discount to my retail price for the first time"

Is that typically what people discount? I'm hoping to try to sell some to a couple local farm stands this year and i can't figure out how much to discount it. I have no idea what the typical mark up % is when something is resold. I just keep several hives, but i dont expect i'll be sitting on the corner of some parking lot or setting up in my front yard, so i want to (hopefully) move the majority through a middle man.


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## tecumseh (Apr 26, 2005)

dan williamson writes:
This difference in thought processes between business vs hobby account for alot of differences in decisions made.

tecumseh replies:
most definitely and as you have also suggested in regards to marketing honey... how much you have for sell and the time you have to sell it.

just casually dan it appears our volume of honey sales are quite similar. I sell me and the girl's effort out of the back of my truck, at two location, selling on weekends. also like dan I don't try to abuse my customer by selling my product at $6 to $8 per pound when other are getting half of that amount. if you can get that, great. If the local market is significantly lower that this price (as it most definitely is here) then you are likely not assisting in building a customer base by pricing your product significantly higher than the local market has come to expect.


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## Dan Williamson (Apr 6, 2004)

newbeematt said:


> -"... I sold to two different retail outlets at a 20% discount to my retail price for the first time"
> 
> Is that typically what people discount? I'm hoping to try to sell some to a couple local farm stands this year and i can't figure out how much to discount it. I have no idea what the typical mark up % is when something is resold. I just keep several hives, but i dont expect i'll be sitting on the corner of some parking lot or setting up in my front yard, so i want to (hopefully) move the majority through a middle man.


Is that typical? I have no idea. That is just what I worked out with the retailers. They had some other products they were selling for others and they were getting 20% from them. 

The key is that I set the price. The retailers did not want to compete with me. They wanted the price in the store to be the same as what I was selling it for. I move a decent volume with them and there is minimal marketing effort on my part. They are paying the employees that stock, inventory, and ultimately ring up the product at sale time. Not to mention they have an established customer base, good location, and nice facilities. 20% has worked out well for me. You need to find a high traffic outlets (corner, farm market, or retailer) and position your honey (if possible) in the high traffic areas at those locations. I have found that locations right near the cash register work the absolute best for retail stores. 

At one store I had my honey right by the cash register one month. That month my share after the 20% discount was $571.00. The next month they needed to move it because of a seasonal product they had and trying to be helpful they put it right in front of the door. As people walk in they could see the honey before anything else. My sales dropped to $350ish that month and stayed lower while in that location. Why? Because while they saw it when they walked it.... they were there to buy something else (hardware store)... and forgot about it by the time they got to the register where it couldn't be seen.

The store decided to get new shelving units and needed to move my honey. It went to an obscure shelf where I sold $98 that month. I mentioned the minimal sales to the owner and within the past month he moved it by the cash register again. Needless to say my sales shot up again. I don't know how much has sold yet but he's had to call me a couple of times to bring more honey because it keeps selling out.

Honey for many folks is not a necessity like milk, eggs, or bread. For some it can be an impulse purchase. What is the saying? "Out of sight...Out of mind!" 

Location, Location, Location as they say is very important. This is true whether you are sitting on a corner off the back of your pickup truck, using a retailer... to even the location within the retail establishment. Try to find the optimal arrangement and you will notice the results. Don't give up too quickly however, sometimes it takes a while for people to get used to you being in the same place every weekend or seeing your honey in a store. Gotta build that customer base!


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## JC (Jun 3, 2006)

Dan Williamson said:


> How many pounds do you anticipate harvesting and selling at that price? That is particularly key to this discussion. While it might be easy to find buyers for 2-300lbs of honey at those levels I would never have been able to get that for my volume and I'm certainly not a commercial beekeeper.
> 
> I do set my price and haven't ever sold bulk but I do see why some do. Time it takes to bottle, container cost, labels, plus time to market it. I would argue that many don't do the math and look at what their actual costs are. Of course... many here aren't interested in necessarily turning a profit. It is a hobby and they are happy to get a little money back on their investment. This difference in thought processes between business vs hobby account for alot of differences in decisions made.
> 
> ...


If you producing a lot of honey, honey is a commodity and you are a price taker, just like every other farmer. You are competing with China and every other country in the world. That is fine for commercial beekeepers; most of these beekeepers are not salespeople and they would rather focus on producing honey, not selling it. 

However, commercial beekeepers are buying most of their equipment at retail and selling their honey at wholesale prices. They have to take a price that is around the world market price. They have no choice. That is the reason most farmers go bankrupt.

I would encourage hobby beekeepers to change the rules. Do not be a price taker. BE A PRICE SETTER. There is a market for local, organic honey. Your freshly extracted honey has a flavor that is unsurpassed. SELL THE FLAVOR AND GREAT TASTE OF YOUR HONEY! Price is secondary. Buy your equipment at retail prices and sell your honey for twice regular retail prices! I wish I had known all of this when I was a high school student trying to sell my honey. I would have made a lot more money.


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## Dan Williamson (Apr 6, 2004)

JC... You still have told us what you produced and were able to sell at $8 + $1 per container last year! I'd be interested in hearing!


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## Shapleigh's Bees (Mar 8, 2008)

CSbees said:


> Shapleigh,
> 
> It would simply be the price of the honey + the price of the shipping. The sourwood that I made back in the summer was white in color and pungent in flavor (virtually no impurities from other nectars). I have sold out of this, but should have some more come August.


PM'd you. Looking forward to August


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## Shapleigh's Bees (Mar 8, 2008)

Dan Williamson said:


> Now for those who will read too much into my comments. I'm not suggesting people shouldn't get top dollar. We have a premium product and should get a premium price. Just don't knock the guy who has large volumes to move because they move theirs at cheaper levels than others do.


That's why the initial question was way too simple. "How much do you sell your honey for?" It all depends on your situation.

Having said that, most folks posting such a question in Beekeeping 101 are likely not producing 2500 pounds annually. Hobbyist beeks trying to undercut Walmart at *retail prices* are doing a disservice to themselves and their neighbors.

I'm hoping my honey sales cover the cost of the hobby. If I wanted to give away honey, or even sell it at $3 a pound, I think I'd just save my time and donate it to the local food bank. (Probably will donate some anyway.)


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## BigDaddyDS (Aug 28, 2007)

I think it's also appropriate to pass on the comment that I took to heart some time ago:

I never discount my honey. If someone buys several bottles, they pay the same price as someone who buys one. But, I *may* include a couple small sample bottles as a gift if they buy several. In other words, I'm letting everyone know that my honey is worth full price, but it's also a gift. I think it means more than "Buy 2 and get 10% off". 

DS

Edit:
Of course, this doesn't apply to stores where profit margins come into play. 20% discount from retail (20% profit for the store) seems like a deal that's more than fair, to me.


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## Dan Williamson (Apr 6, 2004)

Shapleigh's Bees said:


> That's why the initial question was way too simple. "How much do you sell your honey for?" It all depends on your situation.


Yep... Just depends...



Shapleigh's Bees said:


> Having said that, most folks posting such a question in Beekeeping 101 are likely not producing 2500 pounds annually. Hobbyist beeks trying to undercut Walmart at *retail prices* are doing a disservice to themselves and their neighbors.


No most won't produce 2500lbs, but often blanket comments are made without any qualifying statements. I do XYZ with my hives... or sell at $x/lb. However, no one has a point of reference or any way to qualify that statement or put it into the context. We come from different locations, backgrounds, experience levels, quantity of hives, volumes of honey, goals, etc. These are the qualifiers....Qualifying our comments with some background info helps folks to put things into perspective and allows them to assess where they might fall in the stack.

Saying I get $3/lb of honey or $6/lb of honey or $10/lb of honey doesn't tell the whole story. A new or recently new person (Beekeeping 101) doesn't necessarily know how to evaluate the responses and sort them by the qualifiers. 

I listed my volume and other qualifiers so that folks could take my comments with a grain of salt. Basically, here is where I'm coming from so this is why I do it the way I do it. When you read my comments you immediately determined that my operation isn't similar to yours. Therefore you can discount it or at least understand where my comments originate. If I had not given the info you might not have known how to evaluate my opinion or perspective. I've never even stated what I receive $/lb because I realize that this person is likely at a different point than I am.

A different way might be much better especially given that we all have unique and different opportunities in our locations/markets. If you have a better way or a different way that is fine. But to make blanket statements without any background info does a disservice to the person asking the question. 

If they hear a range of $3-$10 without qualifiers they may be just as confused as when they started. That's all I'm trying to say... How did I get so long winded? 



Shapleigh's Bees said:


> I'm hoping my honey sales cover the cost of the hobby. If I wanted to give away honey, or even sell it at $3 a pound, I think I'd just save my time and donate it to the local food bank. (Probably will donate some anyway.)


See here you are listing some qualifiers... this is what helps the reader differentiate from my operation and yours to see where they fit in the mix... You aren't interested in making it a business. You are just looking to recoup your expenses on your hobby. A business person with bills to pay for their equipment would likely look at it differently. Now I can appreciate your perspective and understand where you are coming from.

For the record... I deal with folks around me that undercut Walmart prices. It frustrates me to no end. I've even called some on the phone and told them that they were doing themselves a disservice and the beekeeping community. I'm all for selling a quality product for a premium... but what might be a premium for me might be different for someone else.


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## JC (Jun 3, 2006)

Dan Williamson said:


> JC... You still have told us what you produced and were able to sell at $8 + $1 per container last year! I'd be interested in hearing!


I only have 10 colonies and I do not produce much honey. However, I have a tremendous amount of experience in sales, marketing and pricing merchandise. I started selling my honey in 1963 at wholesale prices. Boy, was that a mistake! By the way, I sold my honey last year for $7 a pound. I raised my price this year to $8 a pound. I may raise my prices again next year because of inflation.

Most beekeepers produce as much honey as they can, and then they dump their honey on the market at wholesale prices. I do not think that makes much sense. On the other hand, I take orders in advance and I only produce enough honey for my family and sales. I will double my colonies when I double my sales; however, I am more interested in working as a CPA than as a honey producer. 

I take the position that my honey is rare; I only produce and sell honey once a year. I refuse to sell honey all year long. I sell the flavor of my honey and I get top dollr for that flavor. If my customers want bland tasting honey, they can go to the grocery store! Additionally, the number of beekeepers is half of what it was in the 1940s. Honey is a byproduct for today's commercial beekeepers; they make more money on pollination.

I also take the position that you are not much of a salesperson if you have to sell your honey at a discount! Anybody can sell at a discount. It takes a real salesperson to sell his honey at a premium.


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## Dan Williamson (Apr 6, 2004)

*JC...Thanks*

I appreciate the info. It helps me to understand your perspective and your operation.


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## Shapleigh's Bees (Mar 8, 2008)

Shapleigh's Bees said:


> That question is too simple. Folks sell in a variety of market conditions, using a variety of marketing techniques, and sell a variety of honey.


This was the fifth post in the thread.


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## Dan Williamson (Apr 6, 2004)

Shapleigh's Bees said:


> This was the fifth post in the thread.


Not sure I'm following you.


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