2025 Updated Pricing Structure
Hello, all!
As many of you already know or could guess, there are many ups and downs to running a small business. Creators are under immense pressure to create against deadlines, suffer burnout in various ways, and are at the mercy of the economy, inflation, supply chain issues, and even our own health. Néant is no stranger to these problems and in the past couple of years has felt the immense burden of post-Covid economy shifts and supplier disruptions.
Néant started in early 2019, but I took the big step forward of launching a full-scale brand and website in May, 2020. At that time, I priced my items with only two variables in mind: the cost of materials and what I felt was a fair wage to myself for the labor hours put in. At this same time, the first batches of floral items were being created and tested. Since 2022, I have felt a hard downward shift in my income from the work, and in 2023 I hit very difficult financial hurdles for the brand and myself personally.
It's a bit shameful to admit, but I can be honest and say that when I started the brand I had vision, determination, and a strong work ethic, but I lacked quite a bit of business sense and the full accountability needed to operate and grow as a brand. Every day, week, month, and year has been an opportunity to learn more, and it took me until 2024 to feel comfortable with my knowledge and skillset regarding running a business.
In late 2023, I had to take on a second full-time job or else I was going to lose the business. I had fallen into debt not only from issues I faced in my personal life, but also my immaturity around business operations and how to handle the setbacks. This downside has been a blessing in disguise that the flexibility, knowledge, and experience I gained shaped me into a stronger leader and more responsible brand owner. I spent all of 2024 re-evaluating my business processes, saving my personal cash to fund projects to advance Néant, and start contracts with dedicated suppliers to help remove the hurdles that come with a completely unstable materials market. Néant gained so much legitimacy as a brand in that one-year time frame! The majority of behind-the-scenes work in 2024 was learning and growing not as an artist, but as a responsible and accountable business representative.
Adjusted for inflation, the original Floral Rosary price of $85 has increased to over $105 in January, 2025. As my sales volume has only increased over the years, the value of my labor plummeted because of my lack of sense to consider more than just materials costs in my pricing, which I did not feel confident enough in my skills to adjust prices to match as the costs rose. Material costs have all risen significantly, especially for items that require gemstone chains or solid silver casted elements, but the plus side is that my skills as an artisan have also greatly improved, as have my processes, resulting in reduced and less strenuous labor for myself. I can make larger batches in less time, and I finally feel that my quality and skills as an artist justify the prices I request beyond just materials and time.
The following is the new price list for Néant items in 2025:
Plain Coffin Rings: $18
($2 increase)
Plain Coffin Earrings: $35
($3 increase)
Floral rings: $35
(No change)
Plain Coffin Rosary: $70
($5 increase)
Floral Coffin Rosary: $100
($15 increase)
Floral Bat Coffin Necklace: $100
($15 increase)
Plain Bat Coffin Necklace: $75
($10 increase)
Floral Coffin Brooch: $65
($5 increase)
Floral Coffin Rose Corsage/Headdress: $100
(New item - to be previewed in mid-March, 2025)
Bolo Tie: $65
($5 increase)
Claudia Chokers (both coffin and blood drop designs): $155
($20 increase)
Note: some specific items may cost more than is listed above. This change will only occur if a much higher grade of material is used and the price must compensate the material cost better. An example of this is the "Premium" line of necklaces that I tested in 2024, using AA-grade, harder-to-find stones.
A big win for Néant in 2024 was securing contracts for the gemstone chains. I am no longer at the mercy of what each supplier has available at any given time, and no longer have to fight the end-user market for the supplies with constantly changing pricing. Another win was finding a factory to work with (in the US!) specifically for Néant-exclusive custom hardware, which also stabilized the availability and costs. Even though inflation calls for a higher price than I am asking for some items, the reduced labor and stable costs still allow me to keep it slightly lower. Unfortunately, for items that require these special materials, prices must increase a larger amount to cover the updated costs and amount of material used for each piece. My new supplier contracts have also resulted in higher-quality materials. Combined with my six years of constant, daily practice, I feel that these new materials and my skills come together to create an item that I am immensely proud of and is worth the asking price.
Thank you for reading through all of this! It took a lot of introspection to decide which prices I felt would be fair, and I know that my huge amount of repeat customers would attest to it all being worth the price. Many people reached out to me with the kindest words of support for these changes as I considered them, and encouraged me to ask more for what is so important to me. I cannot thank everyone enough for the kindness, encouragement, and support I was shown as I grappled with my imposter syndrome (and still will in the future!) over what I feel is truly fair for everyone.
I hope everyone has a wonderful 2025! As I am moving to my new house and setting up my workshop, I will be quiet online for a bit, but I promise many great things are coming. The next online launch will be for an all-new product (mentioned above) that I know so many people will be thrilled to see! ETA for the previews is in about two to three weeks!
Thank you all again,
Kei