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Hi, Jim,<br>
I think you are probably not the only person interested in this topic, so
I'm answering here on the list.<br>
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. <br>
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. <br>
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. <br>
I'd be happy to help with any other questions you may have. You can
email me at whitwood@fairpoint.net.<br><br>
GOOD LUCK!!<br>
Marcia (aka Mush)<br>
South China, Maine
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<dd>At 11:43 AM 4/19/2009, Jim
wrote:<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">
<dd><i>[snip]</i></blockquote><blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">
<dd>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.? </blockquote>
<dd><i>[snip]<br><br></i><x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
</dl>
</dl><font size=2 color="#800080">See Marcia's wood carvings
at:
<br>
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http://whittlinsnwood.com<br>
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