I've seen a few messages from customers in regards to our prices and this blog post is to give more information about our SF69 sticker brand and processes.
At launch, all of our stickers were priced between $6 – $6.69.
To come up with what to charge, businesses need to assess their total costs and build in a reasonable amount of profit so their operations can continue.
Costs of a Sticker Business
After sticker production costs, transaction fees, shipping (ranging from 75 cents for a stamped envelope to $3.80 for a small bubble mailer), post-office runs, a PO box, website monthly fees, customer acquisition costs / advertising, and my time to draw the designs – $6 is essentially the minimum viable price to run a successful business operation.
That’s just the reality as a businessman and knowing my costs to deliver a high-quality good.
If I were to sell stickers at $3/each, I would be giving them away for free or possibly at a loss. A gun manufacturer / accessory maker who sold you an $800 optic or $1,400 rifle can afford to toss in free stickers and swag. It's a different business model to have stickers, patches, and art as the product for sale.
Likewise, our model at Strikeforce69 isn't purely about volume but rather the production of small amounts of stickers in limited-run designs. Some of our designs for sale only have 10 stickers and once sold out, they won't be restocked.
Yet, these stickers have longevity. For the price of an overpriced Starbucks latte, you can have a sticker that will brave the elements for years and be resistant to fading.
Stickers are a Medium
Many artists have used stickers to help sell artwork at a low price (compared to more expensive prints). The stickers on my website are all hand-drawn by me. They are a collection of time and sweat placed into a craft that a drop shipper or reseller lacks.
After spending thousands of dollars on guns, gears, and ammo, I also acknowledge that a cheap patch or sticker purchase won’t break the bank. I even buy patches and stickers from my “competitors” to see their quality while supporting their small businesses.
Cheaper Alternatives Exist
If $6 is too much for a sticker, there are ample iterations of cheap, low-quality stickers for $3-4. There also exist 50-100 piece sticker packs which are bulk ordered from China and resold in the US market.
I humored myself and bought one of these large sticker sets on Amazon. The fifty stickers I received appeared to be printed on printer paper with an adhesive backing, were very small, definitely not waterproof, and printed to a substandard ink quality.
If you’re looking for bulk crap to place on a safe, there’s a ton of stuff from some nondescript reseller. You won't find that on our site.
If you enjoy a design and want to support a 2A business, please check out our Strikeforce69 stickers.
