The price of Honey - My rant for the day.

[The Honey House]

I just got off the phone with a fellow who was interested in my honey.
He asked a bunch of questions, like where are the bees kept, do I "raise" them, is it heated, filtered, glass or plastic, kept out of the sun(?) and so on. I answered them and then we finally got down to bussiness - the price. I told him my price. He then said it was way too high and he could get it for 60 cents a pound, shipped in. I'd have to match or better that price. I told him the lowest I'd go would be $1.50 and he would have to buy 2 sixties. Sixty cents a pound was a ten year old price, He said he'd give me $72.

I hung up.

Not my nature to be so abrupt, he just must have caught me in a mood. 60 cents a pound!

[rainesridgefarm]

We need to hold our prices for American honey that is of high quality. You did the right thing. I just hope some chump does not give in and drop the price.

[Michael Bush]

I sure wouldn't consider selling for $0.60 a pound.

[gljohnson]

What is a "fair" price for us newbeeies?

[Michael Bush]

Seems like I sold the last of last year's crop early this summer, wholesale for $1.30 a pound.

[Terri]

Out here, retail is $3.50 to $5 a pound. It is going for that in Farmers Markets, also.

[honeyman46408]

I just bought 5-60s for 1.65 and that is the lowest price I could find and that was from another club member that is willing to help the club have honey to sell at the County Fair so don`t give it away and there will always bee sombody around trying to DO yu out of it for a cheap price but you can bet that he will get full retail out of it when sells it.

my 2 cents

Ed

[The Honey House]

What I think really got me upset was the arrogance of the caller.
He was very polite, sounded informed and appeared to be looking for a high quality product.
I don’t haggle on the price. I research what the other locals are selling for and I’m right there with them – price wise. It’s a very labor intensive hobby! I want to be compensated for the heavy work.
BTW: He called me the next day, left a message on the answering machine, asking the price for one gallon. I called him back and left him a message, I told him it would $36.00. He hasn't returned my call. http://www.beesource.com/ubb/smile.gif

[Barry Digman]

You all have probably seen a sign like the one my father had in his barn.

"If you want nice, clean, fresh oats you'll have to pay a fair price. If all you want is cheap oats, I can let you have some that have already been through the horse..."

Not exactly relevant, but you get the point.

[John Russell]

I get the same hassle from these old timers that freak when they cant get honey at 15 dollars a gallon. Theres this couple I'm very nice to by selling them a pail for 20 bucks. Since I've never had a problem selling out before may, and honey don't spoil, you pay my price or you can go to the store to pay 2 dollars more for boiled crap.

J.R.

[Tia]

I guess I'm fortunate. I sell my honey in 1-lb jars to a community market in the area at a cost of $4.50 a jar (the going rate as indicated in ABJ). They telephoned me in June, begging for a delivery (their customers kept asking for it!)so I did a small spring harvest (about 50 lbs)just to "call off the dogs." I've got thirteen more supers waiting for me to get up the energy to hand crank my one-frame extractor!

[Keith Benson]

I have never seen one frame extractor - usually there are two to balance it off. Where did you get such a beast?

Keith "thrilled to have his 9 frame (one super per load) radial, even if it is hand cranked, and is perhaps way more than he actually needs for his meager apiary" Benson

[This message has been edited by kgbenson (edited July 31, 2004).]

[Tia]

It's an old extractor--I would say from about the 1940's--that I bought on eBay for $40. It works really well, but requires a lot of sweat equity. It'll have to do until I can afford a bigger/better one!

[Gary Grose]

It is so sad that most people don`t use the minds that god gave us all. We live in a society now that feeds on cheap food and supplys most don`t break a sweat earn thier money {takes all of us though}. We supply the world with cheap food and produce. As bee people we supply humans though the hard work of the bees with the necessitys of day to day living FOOD. It grinds me that most of the dummys that want you to cut them a break on the price of you honey usually drive off in a high dollar auto, paid for with someone elses sweat and hardwork. Wake up America the walmart mentaility will only last as long as you have your stock market and someone else to grow your food for you. Gary Mgr for Tipton Valley Honey Co llc

[Derek A Mills]

Hello, just found this forum and joined.

After reading about prices I feel extremely lucky! We are selling our 6 ounce jelly jars of honey for $4. That works out to about $10 a pound.

We are in a tourist area and sell our honey to our cabin guests and at the local farmers market so I am sure that helps.

[tony williams]

i thank you are lucky that you are selling 6oz for 4.00. cause that would help other that sell honey by what ever means to raise there price. but are you sure that you are selling 6oz.if you are selling 6oz. how are you measureing it. tony williams

------------------
tony

[Beemaninsa]

"He then said it was way too high and he could get it for 60 cents a pound, shipped in."
If this person calls back could you please find out where he can get 60 cent honey shipping included? I would be intrested in some. http://www.beesource.com/ubb/smile.gif

[tony williams]

yall me to

------------------
tony

[Hillbillynursery]

Are those 1/2 pint jars? That would make them 8fl oz jars. And yet still be a great price you are getting per jar. Local honey here is brings $4 a pint canning jar.

[Derek A Mills]

Yes, my mistake. The jars we sale are 8 oz, not 6 oz.

There are two other people who sell honey at the farmers market we occasionally sell our honey at and their prices are way under ours. But we sell all we take.

The display makes a big difference.

I tried to tell one of the guys that sells down there, and that we are friends with, that he is selling for way too low but his reply was that he is not in it to make money! My reply was that we are not going to get rich but why sale for $3.00 if you can get $4.00? And we do not have a problem trying to make some extra money <g>.

Plus we sell every jar we put in our cabins and have even starting putting multiple jars in them.

By the way, we went to the Honey Festival in Parkersburg, West Virginia last week and it was one of the best festivals of any type that Lisa and I have ever gone to.

Everyone there was selling the 8 oz jelly jars for at least $4.20 a jar and if the honey was light colored it was going for $4.75 an 8 oz jar.


Derek

[Got Honey?]

You guys need to sell your honey in the bay area. Honey goes from 6-7 dollars a pound at the farmers market, and around 8 dollars at whole foods. I sell mine for six dollars and people ask why it's so inexpensive. but I just sell by word of mouth sold about 12 gallons in a few months.
(none of these prices are not bulk, if that is what you guys are meaning, it's all in one pound jars)

but "health food" is really big here and printing words like "organic" gives you about two bucks.

but it also costs a alot to just live here, 2 dollars a gallon for gas, regular... so you guys are probably getting the better dollar.

Joseph

[This message has been edited by Got Honey? (edited September 19, 2004).]

[This message has been edited by Got Honey? (edited September 19, 2004).]