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furry arts discussion => fursuits, plushies, and costuming => Topic started by: The Rockin Hyena on July 22, 2014, 01:38:12 am
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ask him if $15-20K is a crazy cost for a suit, EOD suit to be specific (i like armor too muzh)
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Why do fursuits cost so much?
An answer: http://forums.furtopia.org/kobuk%27s-fursuit-guides/fursuit-prices/
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Anyway, I guess you have to be a fur to understand.
I'm a furry, and I don't understand it XD
I can't imagine spending that much money on something that would get little use. My car I use daily to do important things such as get food for myself and my pet. A fursuit for me would barely get used. I can't get my head into the mindset where it is so important that people would spend that much money on something non-essential. But then I'm in a very bad situation financially, and have very little money that I can spend on things that aren't vital.
Suits are waaay too expensive for me. So I will probably never own one. However, if you have the money to splash out on one, then good for you :)
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dont some fursuit makers sometimes make a living of building fursuits for people? in those cases i can see why they are expensive
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dont some fursuit makers sometimes make a living of building fursuits for people? in those cases i can see why they are expensive
Yes, there are makers who can make suits for a living. People like Beetlecat, Latinvixen, and numerous others. But those are the people who put out really good quality stuff and have been in business a long time. ;)
The cost is really all about supply and demand.
Not always, but it is a part. Read the link I gave further above for more reasons why fursuits cost so much.
Anyway, I guess you have to be a fur to understand.
I'm a furry, and I don't understand it XD
I can't imagine spending that much money on something that would get little use. My car I use daily to do important things such as get food for myself and my pet. A fursuit for me would barely get used. I can't get my head into the mindset where it is so important that people would spend that much money on something non-essential. But then I'm in a very bad situation financially, and have very little money that I can spend on things that aren't vital.
Suits are waaay too expensive for me. So I will probably never own one. However, if you have the money to splash out on one, then good for you :)
Why do people buy expensive things? The reasons are as varied as the furs in our fandom. For me, I say, life's too short. If you're going to live, then live life to it's fullest. Have fun and do things that you enjoy. :) I didn't have to spend my tax refund on a fursuit long, long ago. I could have saved the money for more important things. But.......I wanted to do something fun in my life. I wanted to go to a convention and entertain people. And for a brief period in my life, I did exactly that. And it made me happy. :) And I want a second fursuit too and I know it'll be probably double the cost of what my first one was. Will it be worth it? I think so.
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dont some fursuit makers sometimes make a living of building fursuits for people? in those cases i can see why they are expensive
Yes, some makers are making a living off of building suits for people. Some artists are capable of pulling this off as well. Granted, I'm doubtful that any of them are making so much money that they're able to live lavishly or anything like that.
As for why they cost so much? They're a very major undertaking to build. Raw materials aren't cheap. The types of industrial-grade sewing machines they use aren't cheap, and they require continuous maintenance. The pattern to use varies suit-by-suit (these are completely custom made to fit the buyer). And there's a lot of labor involved. Some of the most experienced makers still take at least a couple weeks on a single suit from start to finish.
But supply and demand is also a bit of a factor. When shopping for suitmakers, I pretty much acknowledged from the start that I was ready to plunk down around $3000 to get a suit from a maker that I liked. I also had to acknoledge that no matter where I went, it was going to be a significant wait for it as well. But that's just what you have to deal with when you're looking at some of the most in-demand makers out there. Mixedcandy is quite possibly one of the premier makers in the fandom right now. She's been at it for a while, the suits are all top-notch, and she even can do a very wide range of styles. She just opened up for commissions not long ago, and based on her twitter comments, she received a LOT of inquiries in just a couple days. Then, she gets the pleasure of having to sort through all those toselect the 4-6 that will actually get slots.
And it's not just Mixedcandy that gets forced to pare down projects like that. Made Fur You does it. Phoenixwolf does it. Sunny Valley Creations does it. JillCostumes does it. AutumnFallings seems to have learned the hard way that they need to do it, as they're booked solid through next year already. It's a pretty common occurrence with many makers, where they have to turn down quite a few potential customers every time they open for commissions. It actually makes the process as a potential commissioner a bit intimidating to go through. And they're seeing all this demand at that $2-3k range. Quite frankly, I bet some of these makers could up their prices by another $1k and still be in high demand.
However, I think the comparison to the cost of a daily car is a little unfair. Like Loc said, cars see daily use and are to the point where they're almost necessary in many places for daily life. But in a comparison to other hobbies, the price of a suit doesn't seem all that extravagant. It's pretty easy to get to $3k+ invested in video games or various sports, for example. A valid comparison in the automotive world would be somebody with a project car that's mostly just for fun/show. These people spend tens of thousands restoring/customizing vehicles.
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However, I think the comparison to the cost of a daily car is a little unfair. Like Loc said, cars see daily use and are to the point where they're almost necessary in many places for daily life. But in a comparison to other hobbies, the price of a suit doesn't seem all that extravagant. It's pretty easy to get to $3k+ invested in video games or various sports, for example. A valid comparison in the automotive world would be somebody with a project car that's mostly just for fun/show. These people spend tens of thousands restoring/customizing vehicles.
If I wanted another suit, I could probably get one now. I have the money. But........I just don't have a design selected yet. :-[ But honestly, in the last 6 months, I've probably spent close to $1k on model kits and accessories. I could've used that money too for a fursuit, but didn't.
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Suits are waaay too expensive for me. So I will probably never own one. However, if you have the money to splash out on one, then good for you :)
Agreed!
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Thibg is, get too much lower in cost and you start to be pay the artist way less than they deserve for skilled labor. They're expensive, but they cost as much as they do for materials plus what the artist needs to live. Remember in addition to makin your suit (a rather large undertaking in itself). they have to manage ordering and keeping track of materials, giving out quotes, shipping out suits, maning their website, etc.
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Thibg is, get too much lower in cost and you start to be pay the artist way less than they deserve for skilled labor. They're expensive, but they cost as much as they do for materials plus what the artist needs to live. Remember in addition to makin your suit (a rather large undertakin in itself). they have to manage ordering and keeping track of materials, giving out quotes, shipping out suits, maning their website, etc.
This is true as well.
I think you have to take into consideration a lot of factors in a fursuit aside from cost:
-Artist time/quality
-Suit maintenance
-Suit use (are you going to parties, cons, etc. regularly or nah?)
-Are you comfy in suit?
...etc.
It is a lot to plunk down on such a piece, but it is a piece of art, and artwork should be respected, both cost-wise and time-wise.
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As Kobuk and some other furs around said, there are a few reasons. You know I recently had my 8th grade prom (yay! :P) and my mother really wanted me to dress very formally, but as a matter of fact i hate formal clothes, so I really didn't have any in my wardrobe, but for such a special occasion we ended up spending in one weekend before the prom almost 500 euros. Those are clothes I doubt truly I will ever wear again. Best case scenario I'll wear them again when new year comes and then I'll probably outgrow them. Nobody told me to dress up that expensively. I could've found some cheap suit for only 200 euros probably which would have served just as well. But I said if I'm going to dress up formal once in my life, at least I'm going to be the best looking out there :D. And you know what? I had fun in that suit, even though i hate formal clothes. Sometimes you may want to put more life in your days than put more days in your life (referring to the fact that those money you could save for maybe when you get older and have (hopefully not, but we can't know the future) to treat some diseases and so. Just as Kobuk said. Also, you see these gamers let's say, i mean the really hardcore ones that have shelfs full of games. That is expensive, very expensive. And what do games give me more different than a fursuit? Really nothing. They are just some things to make us happy, they have no real use like a car or something. But you see those people all around, heck, I am going to soon get a 700 euro gaming & software editing computer. Everybody spends loads of money in their particular hobbies, they just don't realize because it's a lot more common see hardcore gamers, or sports people. And you may say: you can get money from sports, you can get money from particular games if you're very good. Eeeh, who says you can't make money with some fursuits. Look at the youtube channel difFURently. Unfortunately they use copywrighted music and they probably do it for fun mostly, but i can direct some furry short movies, post them on youtube and i can get money from that if I want to. Now... this is all just a perspective of how you want to look at it :)
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While my income isn't at a level to permit itemized deductions at tax time, I think one could deduct fursuit expenses if the fursuiter performs public service or helps a non-profit organization.
This Summer I appeared in several parades on behalf of a friend who was running for public office. I could have asked for gas money, but my meals were covered. Plus I got more use out of my red fox partial than at all the cons I've attended. So it's possible to recoup some of the cost of the fursuit.
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It takes me around 6 months to build a suit, (done 3 so far) even with help from friends. I usually end up wanting to burn them during the process, the friends helping, and the suits themselves. ;) I end up jabbing needles in my fingers all the time. I have a joke that the suits need some blood to come alive. Then there is the mistakes that ruin fur, of just look bad.
If I had the thousands of $$$$ to buy a suit, I'd be tempted, as I feel it's worth every penny. But I do love building, so it works out fine. (:
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I'm about to get a little ranty here, but none of it is meant with a harsh tone at all, so forgive me, this is coming from a FULL TIME builder.
Alrighty, so let's break down first of all, my monthly costs. (My mate and I live in a house, not an apartment, and are independent.He drives regional semi trucks)
Mortgage each month- $1200
Electric,water, etc- $120
Food- $70
misc costs- $80
Gas (we live rural)- $80-$120
So here we have $1520 per month (and that's on the low side, add $120 each month when we had our husky due to her vet costs, food, etc). NOW let's break down the cost of ONE fursuit, let me find one ahhhh HERE: http://scuddlebuttcreatures.deviantart.com/art/Beck-2014-477392311 With some details: http://scuddlebuttcreatures.deviantart.com/art/Beck-mask-details-2014-477391128 . I made this suit for a customer back in February. Now let's break this down:
Total cost of suit: $1200 (by my pricing nowdays)
cost of fur: $350
cost of foam for the head: $26
cost of misc materials (paint, eye blanks, screen, apoxie sculpt, polyfill etc)- $50
So there alone just to MAKE the costume you have $426. Now on average it takes me 1 month to make a suit, and that's with 2 others being worked on at the same time. I work 10-14 hours per day, Monday-Friday. There are an average of 50-100 hours per suit depending on the markings. Some, like this wild dog, have to be entirely hand-sewn in since they're too small for a machine to handle. If you do the math correctly you find that per full $1200 fursuit I make $774 before extra costs. Let's break those down :D
Shipping (2-day or 1 day usually with insurance and tracking)- $40-120 (depending on the destination, I ship internationally as well)
packing materials (I don't just shove suits in boxes and go "here!" I package them with care and include a care guide packet, thank-you card, badge, and business cards)- $25
So to get a suit from concept to creation with the price tag of $1200, I'm spending $839 on just creating the suit and getting it to your door. That leaves $361 that immediately go to bills/the mortgage. Now just for fun (I'm really doing this without any negativity, just running numbers!) let's add up some of the costs of equipment/housework (we've been getting ready to sell this house and I purchased my van from my parents recently, and that needs work)
Juki DDL-5550 (industrial sewing machine)- $742
Juki MO-816 (industrial serger)- $400
Andis clippers- $120
Chevy 1500 van- $500
Transmission for said van- $400
Misc. housework for market preparation- $300
SO, here there's $2,342 just in equipment that I need to do my job as efficiently and as well as I can.Everything was bought after saving up lots and lots. The transmission has not been bought yet for the van. I ran these numbers in hopes of painting a picture of the actual costs behind each fursuit, and the cost of living. I have to make 3-4 costumes per month in order to make a living.
Whenever I hear "Fursuits are too expensive!" I think one thing: You get what you pay for. Fursuits are a luxury item and when it comes to the market of them there is a scale of quality when it comes to pricing. Those of us who make these full time put a ton of time into them and rely on it for our income. One fursuit hardly covers any of our costs per month.
...and THIS is why they are expensive :) (Whew! that was fun! :D)