What to do? It looks like my entire crop of honey is gone!

[Jen]

Here in upper California I pay $12 per two pounds.

[blueblood]

blueblood:  really? only 18 pounds for your family?  We go through 100 Lbs in a year (much of it in baking)

Yeap, just 18.  I could probably up that a bit since I like using it in my chili recipe.

I charge $7.50/1lb squeeze bottle all day long.  If the bottles don't get any cheaper, I will raise it to $8 for next year and stay there for a while.

[riverbee]

"got everyone to thinking about that last night at the bee club meeting.  I also only bottled in 1/2 and 1 lb bottles so there would be more bottles.
My prices were:
1 lb Muth-$13.00
1/2 lb Muth-$7.00
1 lb Classic Glass-$11.00
1/2 lb Classic Glass-$6.00

Did I charge too little?  I really didn't have anyone balk at the prices."

good on you for getting your asking price for your honey bc, if someone balks, hand them an empty jar and point to your hives and tell them to go get it.....or better yet ask them what they do for a living and how much they make an hour.....

okay, just kidding!!!  don't undersell yourself, and i am an advocate on this, you sell it for what you and your bees worked hard for, someone will appreciate and pay your asking price and never balk.  also, never sell honey for less just to 'get rid of it'. i don't go with what is regional, and i don't price with the 'competition'.  i am just a small beekeeper, usually not more than 10 hives.  maybe you will sit on your honey, doubt it, but in the long run, you will make a little more extra money than those who are underselling themselves, and once you make a 'name' for yourself or have folks that want your honey they pay what you ask for.  never be 'ashamed' or shy to sell it for what you desire.   

[kebee]

One thing I have always wonder, is honey sold by the pound or can it be sold by volume also for I sell mind at $5:00 for a 12 oz bottle do not know what the weight is.

Ken

[iddee]

Your 12 oz. bottle only holds 8 oz.     

Honey weighs "approx" 1.5 times the weight of water. A liquid oz. of water weighs 1 oz. A liquid oz. of honey weighs 1.5 oz. The honey containers you buy go by weight, not volume.
1 pint water = 16 oz.  1 pint honey = 24 oz.

[efmesch]

Your 12 oz. bottle only holds 8 oz.     

Honey weighs "approx" 1.5 times the weight of water. A liquid oz. of water weighs 1 oz. A liquid oz. of honey weighs 1.5 oz. The honey containers you buy go by weight, not volume.
1 pint water = 16 oz.  1 pint honey = 24 oz.

Did you slip and "reverse" your calculations?  Following your (corrrect) explanation, it works out that a 12 oz bottle filled with honey weighs 18 oz.   

[iddee]

No, the 12 oz. honey bottles hold 12 oz. of honey. One cup, or 8 fluid oz.
Honey container makers use weight, not volume.

[kebee]

 Thanks Iddee for the answer.

Ken

[Beeracuda]

Things could be worse??

Where are you selling?

Prices sounds about right for what I have heard reported (gossip really) from the Waco Farmer's Market.  I have also heard the Waco Farmer's Market is especially active??  Your price is a good bit higher than what I charge here and I did raise my price just a bit this year.  If I ever get to the placing my stuff in stores I will likely need to raise the price again.  This year is about as different from the last several years as one could image.  I have still not pulled all my honey and I likely will run out of 5 gallon pails before I do.

We sold it where we work and to our friends.  The Waco Farmer's Market is very active.  I don't know about selling at the farmer's markets.  If you read the Texas laws, you are now supposed to have a food manufacturer's license to sell at a farmer's market, in a retail store or wholesale.

Round Rock Honey is at the Waco market every week selling their honey.  I think they get $8.00/lb there.  Walker Honey Farm in Rogers was charging $6.00 for their wildflower honey.

[lazy shooter]

We have a roadside vendor in our small town of De Leon, Texas.  He keeps a trailer parked in front of house and just off of Hwy 6 right of way.  He sells fresh vegetables throughout the year.  Everything is priced, you pick what you want and leave the money in a box, as many times the trailer is unattended as he is a single man and can't stay with the trailer and farm at the same time.  I know him pretty well, and he told me that he makes more money from the vegetables and about five acres of garden than he used to make farming 400 acres.  He's a social security age guy and makes about 40 grand a year with his enlarged garden.  I don't think he has a license of any kind.  It looks like one could sell honey using the same method.

[brooksbeefarm]

I done the same thing for years Lazy (never made 40 grand a year though ). To my knowledge i never lost a dime?, if they didn't have the right change they would leave a note saying, keep the change or leave a (i owe you note) . They would see me out in the field honk and wave, my thoughts were if someone stole a tomato or ect. they needed it worse than i did. Jack