[Woodcarver] Selling thru Galleries, Shops, etc.

[Marcia Berkall]

Hi, Jim,
I think you are probably not the only person interested in this 
topic, so I'm answering here on the list.
A while back, when I was making the transition from predominantly 
shows to predominantly galleries, I picked up a book by Carroll 
Michels , "How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist".  There are 
several good books on the topic, but this just happened to be the one 
that I found. One of the pieces of advice that I took very seriously 
was to set a price for something and use that price wherever you are 
selling.  The reason:  Say a client finds a carving at a gallery and 
decides to go to your web page only to find that same, or similar, 
carving for less.  Or a friend sees one for less.  When I started out 
I was struggling to get$85 for a Santa.  Thanks to the galleries they 
now sell for $250.  What works for me is anywhere that my prices will 
be seen in public, the price is the same..galleries, web pages, 
shows.  That does not mean that you can't give special pricing to 
repeat customers, friends, local people who find you other ways.
I resisted working with galleries for years, not wanting to pay the 
high commissions.  When I started to put together all the 
figures...high costs for better shows (some entry fees were between 
$200 and $400, or even more), travel expenses, motel/lodging expenses 
for shows away from my home, food...etc...etc., the commission fees 
started sounding better.  Just be careful and try to find galleries 
that you hear about from other artists, or that you are able to fully 
research.  Most galleries have a consignment agreement.  Read it 
carefully.  Be sure there is something in the agreement about who is 
responsible for damage to your carvings, theft, etc.  I did have a 
carving stolen from a gallery and was compensated for it through the 
gallery insurance.
Galleries have been wonderful for me.  Thanks to them, my prices are 
far more reasonable, I now have something of a following, I am able 
to spend more time in my studio carving instead of packing/unpacking 
the van, and it's just a short drive to the post office :)  The 
galleries I work with all consign at 40% to 50% commissions, so it is 
not an easy decision.
I'd be happy to help with any other questions you may have.  You can 
email me at whitwood at fairpoint.net.

GOOD LUCK!!
Marcia (aka Mush)
South China, Maine
At 11:43 AM 4/19/2009, Jim wrote:

>[snip]

>do I consider a different price for them?? Or is the answer simply 

>"Set a price and use it across the board no matter what venue the 

>sale occurs in"? Does anyone have any guidelines they can provide 

>about how to deal with shop owners to make sure they respect what 

>you are doing and treat you fairly??? If you decide to sell thru a 

>shop can the shop owner insist that you do not sell like items at a 

>lesser price anywhere else?? As you can tell from all the above 

>questions, I am really without a clue on all this.?So, if anyone out 

>there would like to give me any advice at all, I will greatly appreciate it.?

[snip]


See Marcia's wood carvings 
at: 

http://whittlinsnwood.com
Blog: http://cahvah.wordpress.com/
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