“Good question! My rates are an addition of :
– a know-how over the years
– regular training
– a lot of manufacturing equipment
– supplies of materials that are constantly changing
– stock of wood and other components of all kinds
– a rent + charges
– development research
– monitoring of innovations and counterfeits
– the study on 3D CAD software
– a lot of prototyping (tests – experiments)
– subcontracting management
– quotes (often unnecessary) in quantity
– photo communication video advertising (25% of the time)
– of export guaranteed good condition
– stands in trade shows – festival
– customer care
– French taxes (20% on each sale)
– a cost of living in France (see link below)
– a currency that is always more expensive than the US dollar,
4.5 times more expensive than the Saudi Riyal,
8.5 times more expensive than the Turkish Lira,
19 times more expensive than the Egyptian Pound …
– a will to move towards ecology
– …
And you get my rates!
However, I regularly read : “It’s too expensive … “.
You probably know it, yet do you understand where I live ?
France is in 2021 the 15th most expensive country in the world.
world according to this website which compares the cost of living in 138 countries. Source
https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings_by_country.jsp
According to this study, in France the cost of living is similar
in Hong Kong, more expensive than in the USA, more expensive than in the
United Arab Emirates, almost twice as expensive as in Saudi Arabia,
2.5 times more expensive than in Turkey and Egypt …
In comparison, a guitar made by a professional luthier in France
is worth a minimum of 2000 euros (about 2400$) or even more for
a particular instrument. Check for yourself here
https://www.vintageandrare.com/aplg/per_page/24/sold_per_page/12
So, are my instruments, handmade in France, expensive?
My detailed prices are here:
https://sbd-projets.com/en/sbd-music-instruments-show-room/
Thank you for your reading.”
Sylvain BD
