completed cross stitch

For the most part, you will never recoup the cost of your time when you sell handmade crafts. Most of the time you’ll be lucky to recover the cost of materials. Having a love of the craft is really important and will make up for the time you put into it. Most people, I’ve found, unless they are crafters themselves, don’t truly appreciate what goes into a piece. It is really gratifying though, when you do find someone that appreciates your work. That’s why I like giving pieces as gifts instead of selling them. I don’t mind the time I put into a piece as a gift.
To be honest, I probably wouldn’t pay anything for a cross stitched photo. I really don’t like how they look.
If you want to make money doing cross stitch, probably the easiest way to do it would be by designing patterns and selling them, and even then you’re not making all that much. However, it’s much easier to duplicate a design you’ve made for sale than it is to cross stitch duplicate pieces.
Another suggestion I would have is to make small items like Christmas ornaments or fingertip towels and sell them at craft fairs or wherever. Since the designs are small, your time and material investment is smaller as well, and you can sell them at what people would deem a reasonable price.

i don’t think there is a fair price. considering the amount of time you’d have to put in for each one, no one would be willing to pay you adequately, when you think of it as an hourly wage. for example, i’d pay maybe up to $40, depending on the size and if it came w/ mat and frame. but you would make about $5/hour for all that work. there have to be better ways to make a buck.