Comments on: Make a Pricing Chart for Your Art

By: Jennie Rosenbaum

Jennie Rosenbaum — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 10:40:21 +0000

This was such a helpful newsletter and blog post for me, I tend to be a bit wishywashy on prices, twice I’ve let galleries alter my prices and I’ve always regretted it – well, no more! I’m going to make up my charts and stick to it! I usually price by size and small modifiers like time. larger works seem to defeat the size scale quite badly do you have any recommendations on how to set up a sliding scale to keep them more in line?

By: Barbara Kleinhans

Barbara Kleinhans — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 02:24:20 +0000

I’ve been keeping a price list for a few years and find it invaluable. I created a simple excel spreadsheet and have a formula built in to calculate the price based upon the dimensions of the work, then as needed, I tweak the price as I feel fit. And as Alyson suggested, I keep a printed copy right here tucked under my keyboard because I’m always using it! As for straying from the prices, I am consistent in the retail price of the art. For special events and direct sales I will give a courtesy discount. Older work that hasn’t been shown in a few years is a good candidate for donating to art-related fundraising events. Good friends are given the “family” discount (half of retail)if they buy directly from me, which I tell them about in advance and am clear that is for them only. Not saying that I haven’t learned my lesson through trial and error, but you can’t be all things to all people. An idea to extend the range of your prices is by making prints or cards from your originals or very small entry-level priced artwork in addition to your regular work.

By: Phil Taylor

Phil Taylor — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 18:49:13 +0000

As an art collector I would like to give my perspective on pricing. I have bought a number of paintings in the last few years from galleries or artists directly. In almost all cases I negotiated a lower selling price – usually 5 to 10%. This seems a natural way to do business. I have also bought art where the price was firm. I suppose if the artist prices his or her work fairly and wants to stay firm on the price, I would probably buy the piece if I really wanted it. But there are buyers(especially from some cultures) that expect to haggle and if you dont give them at least some break you could lose the sale. Pricing it fairly simply does’t work with some people. But I generally agree that artist should try to price the work properly and be fairly firm. I guess for me I am flexible enough to to buy on a firm price or haggle if it is warranted.

By: Janice Schoultz mudd

Janice Schoultz mudd — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 16:02:24 +0000

It was interesting to read the blog topic this week because I was faced with this same question at an art fair this past weekend. The show was very very slow and by the end of the day I had made only one sale, but it was a big one. The next day a woman approached my tent, loved the work and very nicely asked if my prices are at all negotiable. I very nicely told her no. I later came to find out that she was a friend of the previous day’s purchaser! I am certain she was not a plant but the thing is, you never know to whom you are speaking. Thankfully I have thought long and hard about this issue and decided long ago to do just what Alyson outlined here.I have read a lot of what many people have to say about it (including Alyson, of course)and have taken a lesson from previous business experience. In presenting design proposals to clients for additions to their homes, while working with a design/build firm, many clients would indicate that the price was too high, expecting a discount. Our response was simple; what can we remove from the project in order to meet your budget? That response was unexpected and surprised people but they almost always worked with it and we were very, very busy.

By: Shannon Sunderland

Shannon Sunderland — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 03:22:02 +0000

I recently gave a discount on my jewelry for a woman who said she wanted it for her husband in Iraq. (I make jewelry with baby names and she wanted one with her’s and her daughter’s name on it.) It hit me straight in the heart so I offered her a small discount and no shipping if she wanted to pick it up at my studio. So she placed the order, but I have been second-guessing myself. Would she have placed the order anyway if I didn’t offer a discount? I have been studying Alyson’s good advice for a long time now & normally I would not have offered to lower prices. But I found myself wondering about a gracious/firm/confident way to let the customer know WHY my prices are what they are, and WHY they are worth it. “I guess you can’t afford my work” as in the previous post seems feels so pretentious to me. If anyone has experience with “standing firm” I’d love to hear it. I’m remembering Bruce Baker at Alyson’s last October’s conference & how he explained you should say no to people who ask for a discount & then launch into some well-thought out phrases about all the beautiful qualities of your work and why it is so worth their money. I’ll have to dig out my notes!

By: Derek Andrews

Derek Andrews — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 00:11:56 +0000

When I give a discount, it usually of my own choosing. If someone purchases multiple items, is a frequent repeat customer, or refers their friends to me, then I like to say thank you to them in some tangible way. It costs a lot to find a new customer, so why not recognise that and pass on some of your savings? If on the other hand someone demands a discount for no particular reason then I will happily call their bluff.

By: Terri Garcia

Terri Garcia — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 21:11:06 +0000

I heard of a jeweler who had high but fair prices. When his customers would complain of the prices he would explain what went into his work. If they still complained he would say “I guess you just can’t afford my work”. If they left without making the purchase they almost always came back. His logic and self-esteem made his work more desirable. That simple statement turned owning his work into a status symbol. Since hearing that story I haven’t been afraid to price my jewelry at what it should be. If someone wants something bad enough they’ll pay the price and respect us for valuing our own time and work. If we lowered our prices what would that say about how we view and respect ourselves? Each piece we create is special to us, so it should be to our customers too.

By: Adriana Ippati-Torrens

Adriana Ippati-Torrens — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 20:06:47 +0000

Thank you for your comments about pricing. It is all about pricing. How do you behave when some people don’t buy from me because they say I am pricey and others buy from me and say, your art is not expensive. So far, this year, I have sold 20 paintings. I give 10% discount to returning collectors.

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 16:21:08 +0000

At a co-op gallery that I belong to, many members (but not all) feel that giving a 10% discount is almost standard when someone asks. While I don’t like the idea of lowering my prices, sometimes it seems the right thing to do: Recently a collector bought 3 of my paintings and asked for better price. Considering that he was buying 3, I really didn’t mind giving a discount. Maybe he would have paid the full price, but I think he went away happier that I gave him a break, and maybe he’ll be back again. Once I gave a substantial discount to a woman who loved a painting so much that I would have felt bad if she didn’t end up with that painting. Turns out that she’s a very active volunteer in land preservation, and since that sale, she’s given me a lot of great information on places to paint and where there are conservation easments that I can get to. And thanks to her, the next newsletter of the planning council, might just be featuring a local landscape painter (me). I do understand what your saying about being professional with pricing, but sometimes I think there is room for bargaining.

By: Marie Merritt

Marie Merritt — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 16:17:21 +0000

I’ve improved dramatically on this point, and feel good about it, thanks to Alyson’s e-classes and newsletters. The professionalism and confidence is conveyed to my customers. I recently entered my ‘Hour of Decision” painting in a juried competition and priced it at $4995. People looked at me strangely and even made comments that skirted the idea as to whom did I think I was to value my art at that price. It will either sell at that price or I will gladly keep it in my personal collection. By the way, it won Best of Show and I received a check for $500. I do have a question as to how to price licensing images for book covers and other purposes. Advise would be greatly appreciated.