fursuit renting?

[ZaraRa]

I need advice on fursuit renting because I'm thinking of making fursuits to rent out all over Somerset. I'm still an amateur at fursuiting so I'd probably price the newer ones at a cheaper price and if I get better, I'd raise the price. I'm not thinking of doing this in the near future, but is it a good side route to take if I don't get to become a vet? Or maybe something to do alongside being a vet?

[Gatorade]

I need advice on fursuit renting because I'm thinking of making fursuits to rent out all over Somerset. I'm still an amateur at fursuiting so I'd probably price the newer ones at a cheaper price and if I get better, I'd raise the price. I'm not thinking of doing this in the near future, but is it a good side route to take if I don't get to become a vet? Or maybe something to do alongside being a vet?

I think you might find only those brand new to the furry culture will be interested -- mostly because not everyone fursuits just to fursuit. I'm assuming you would have a cache of pre-made fursuits you would rent out to people for a certain amount of time, then get back. There'd be no customization in it.

To a lot of people they painstakingly save and scrimp and carefully pick the perfect artist to hand-craft them their very own character in the form of a fursuit. Not every wolf furry wants to wear the same wolf fursuit.



Besides the artistic side of it, I'm guessing due to your age that you don't know much about starting and maintaining a business. You'd need to be old enough to sign a contract with someone, otherwise there's no 100% guarantee that you'll get your suit back, or that it will be kept in good condition. I've seen too many furs come back from a convention with patches of fur missing (-winces-), one eye falling off (-gasp!-) or worse, a whole arm or leg ripped off (-shrieks!-). These are good things to think about when you rent out, instead of sell.



What makes you think you wouldn't be able to make it as a vet? So long as you get early experience pet sitting or taking volunteer work at a local pet shop or vet's office, I see no reason you wouldn't be able to make it work.

That being said, give it a try. Perhaps start with friends you know you can trust. If you're new to making fursuits--offer a lower price. As you get better, raise it. Remember to charge based on how much TIME you spend on making it + the cost of the materials! Too many artists under-charge because they refused or didn't think their work was worth FAR more than minimum wage! Remember, you're creating a piece of art, and even starting out--you should be charging at LEAST 15$ an hour. So if a suit takes 40 hours to make (which is on the safe side)--you'll be making 600$ on it (if you're selling). And that's only twice minimum wage out by where I am...when you make the effort to turn a 2D drawing on a piece of paper into a 3D piece of wearable, quality art--you should be making your time and effort's worth. (Not to mention, don't underestimate shipping costs...even if you're renting out to a local-ish area, even a person an hour away will probably ask you to ship it to them and that's hella expensive.)

[ZaraRa]

I think my target audience would be people who need a cat or dog to dress for a mascot costume or a birthday party.

why don't I rent myself out to go to children's birthday parties?

also don't judge on age. My school is a B+E school and I got my enterprise colours before we even got taught. Also I'm top of the class. I know a lot about maintaining a business

it costs £13 for me to make a partial fursuit and clothes can be thrown in, I can take requests to wear a certain type of clothes (e.g fairy princess, soldier, etc.)
If I rent out at £10 which isn't an offputting price, then with two rentals I'll be making profits. Also if I do make better and raise the price I can still be affordable and on adverts (easy to put up for FREE) I can write 'prices starting at £10'

also would I do it per hour? £10 per hour?

[Gatorade]

also don't judge on age. My school is a B+E school and I got my enterprise colours before we even got taught. Also I'm top of the class. I know a lot about maintaining a business

I wasn't trying to judge. I have no idea what B+E means, but unless you've started a business, taken a college/university-level business math class, or have taken a college/university-level business admin-type class...it's a lot more work than you know. The only reason I myself know is because my Dad is an entrepreneur who started 6 companies of his own--and has helped me start up 2 of my own.

it costs £13 for me to make a partial fursuit and clothes can be thrown in, I can take requests to wear a certain type of clothes (e.g fairy princess, soldier, etc.)
If I rent out at £10 which isn't an offputting price, then with two rentals I'll be making profits. Also if I do make better and raise the price I can still be affordable and on adverts (easy to put up for FREE) I can write 'prices starting at £10'

also would I do it per hour? £10 per hour?

If it costs you £13 to make a partial, and a partial is all you're selling, you need to keep track of how many hours it took you to make -- divide it by about 3 and make that your per-hour price. Otherwise, you're going to run yourself into the ground with work and never make your money back. Ever. Any business class will show you this.

I would say never just arbitrarily give things away for free -- it might be a good way to get new customers for the first few days of business, but all you're going to end up doing is setting your business up for failure. While 2 hours may pay back your RESOURCES, if it took you just 20 hours to make the suit, then that's still at least £200 that you HAVEN'T made back. You may find it a silly thing to need to charge for, but you'll find out veeeeery quickly that you need to charge for your time.

I would take a long hard look at what the point of this venture is.

If it's just to give making fursuits a good practice, at £10 you may as well be giving them away.

If the goal is to make money on it, you need to be charging a LOT more.

If the point is to practice owning your own business, I'd look up some guides for owning a real business. Just the process of fixing a suit that's been worn through is going to double or triple what you're charging to use is. What happens when the person refuses to give it back? What happens when two people want the same suit at once?



If all you want to do is make a fursuit and have people pay for you to entertain at birthday parties, then I'd charge £15-£25 per hour. Now you need to both make your time and money back from the construction of the suit, AND you need to be paid for the long hot hours in a heavy suit while you spend the effort entertaining people.



These are just my thoughts and opinions. In the end--if you disregard what I've suggested and do it your way anyway, if anyone at all is interested (which if your economy is suffering anything like ours is, there will be very very little interest) this idea won't last very long.

[ZaraRa]

B+E means business and enterprise. I know how to hold up a business.
also if it's expensive then I'm limiting my target audience. it's not about getting the money, it's about your strategy. More people are going to go for cheaper birthday rentals so instead of one or two people maying £20 I could get 5-6 people paying £10. you see, I'd make more money having it cheaper.
More people will go for cheaper entertainment in this world today.
besides it'll be something I'll enjoy doing. If I get money, that's a plus!

[Gatorade]

B+E means business and enterprise. I know how to hold up a business.

Ahhah! Dually noted.

also if it's expensive then I'm limiting my target audience. it's not about getting the money, it's about your strategy. More people are going to go for cheaper birthday rentals so instead of one or two people maying £20 I could get 5-6 people paying £10. you see, I'd make more money having it cheaper.
More people will go for cheaper entertainment in this world today.
besides it'll be something I'll enjoy doing. If I get money, that's a plus!

Before you've started, this all sounds great -- and in theory, this is a good strategy. The problem is: Will you have any buyers at all?

Personally, out of the 3 birthday parties I've ever had (never liked making a big deal of them): I only ever had one performer come to the house. The party itself was themed, so we asked a parrot trainer to come and do a show with my tropically-themed birthday. This was back when our economy was much stronger, and when my parents' didn't have as nice a jobs as they do now.

So what I'm asking is, would anyone-anywhere be willing to pay for their entertainment?

[ZaraRa]

at the O'bridge there is brewster bear, we didn't care who he was we just cared that it was a big bear. Little kids don't CARE who it is as long as they get hugs from a fluffy characters.
People can't afford a brewster bear party? Oh well! Look at this cat! It's 3 times cheaper and my kid likes cats, not bears!
I'm certain that people in my area will pay money to have someone dressed up as a cat or dog to come to their party. Kids like cats and dogs. Also kids like birthday performers. how can this go wrong?
also if I do put posters up I can say 'your kids will love this birthday surprise!' or something along those lines.
I did persuasive writing for a while at school.

Oh have I said that I have a GCSE in B+E already? We do our business exams a year earlier.

[Gatorade]

Oh have I said that I have a GCSE in B+E already? We do our business exams a year earlier.

I have no idea what that means. x.x I didn't go to school in the UK, hun. I'm a USA-boy. Sorreh.

Maybe just make a dog and a cat -- and see what happens. Don't turn your house into Noah's Arc (which, by the by, even a partial takes up space--do you have a storage locker or extra room? The apartment I stayed in while out in the UK was tiny) until you know you have room, and can make the money back.

[ZaraRa]

A GCSE is something that is ... let me make this simple. You put it on your CV when applying to college or for a job and it lets people see what you exel in and what you lack in. There are different grades, A*, A, B, C and D I think. C and above means you've got the GCSE.

I'm not thinking of doing it any time soon ^-^ I only barely have the room for Vanellopuppy because I live in a family of 6.

[Gatorade]

A GCSE is something that is ... let me make this simple. You put it on your CV when applying to college or for a job and it lets people see what you exel in and what you lack in. There are different grades, A*, A, B, C and D I think. C and above means you've got the GCSE.

I'm not thinking of doing it any time soon ^-^ I only barely have the room for Vanellopuppy because I live in a family of 6.

So wait, you're 13 -- by you're already about to graduate high school? I think ours are the SAT and ACT, but you only test through them when you're 18-19 and graduating high school.

6 people?!? Holy shaiza, you'd have no room for any others at all. X.X

[ZaraRa]

nonono  it appears I have explained this wrong, I still have two years to go before I get the rest of my GCSE's
I was just saying that I got my B+E GCSE grade much earlier. I'll be 15 when I finish school.
I'm actually 13 right now but come on it's 6 days until my birthday. I age just before a new school year starts so I'm only days off of being in the year below ... anyway, getting off-topic here.
the worst thing about having a house with 6 people is that my sister moved to the play room so I'm the one who gets loaded with snotty brats when my little brother has his female friends round >.< none of my stuff is safe ...

but my big brother will be moving out in the next few years probably so there will be a spare room