Painting pricing dilemma
Tony
and told me that he discovered that I have the price of one of consigned
paintings listed at a lower price on my Web site than the price that the
gallery is offering the painting for.
He demanded that I remove all of the prices from my Web site, even
though I told him I would put the gallery's retail price for that
painting onto the Web site.
I subsequently looked at my Web site and found that there was another
painting that was priced lower and one priced higher than what the
gallery is offering those paintings for.
I think he is concerned that I will offer his customers a lower price
for the paintings than what he is offering, even though I haven't had
offers from anyone to buy paintings shown on my Web site.
He said, "What if a customer sees your price? What am I supposed to tell
him?"
I don't think it's fair that I should have to remove the prices from my
Web site. If I got a private customer, I would refer him or her to the
gallery, which would benefit the gallery as well as me.
I would sell privately (at the gallery's price) only if the gallery was
unable to sell a painting in a reasonable length of time and if I got an
offer after taking a painting back from a gallery. I think a reasonable
length of time is about six months.
The lower-priced painting that he was concerned about was priced lower
because it was consigned at another gallery before, where the gallery's
commission is lower.
The other two were priced differently from the gallery's prices because
I had the paintings in my home and published my Web site before
consigning the paintings at the gallery, and then neglected to change
the prices because I've hardly had any response to my Web site.
Why should I not be allowed to advertise my paintings on my Web site if
there's no conflict of interest with the gallery? The gallery owner's
demand was like demanding that I not advertise those paintings at all on
the Web site.
What is the proper way to handle this situation? Should I remove all the
prices from my Web site as the gallery owner ordered me to?
ABD
very successful art consultant and gallery director. After I left, I picked
up my own painting again, and sold a few pieces (through a gallery),
probably because I have some talent and know what people will pay money for,
despite my lack of skill. I have also worked in high tech for many years,
mostly in a sales and marketing capacity. My way of thinking comes
partially from a formal education in engineering.
Congratulations on getting your work into a gallery. We can explore if you
are in the right gallery, in a later conversation. First of all, I wonder
if you have properly signed contracts with the gallery. This is also
another conversation. Some artists go merely on trust, which is very
tempting, but it puts too much of a strain on the relationship. If proper
documentation, including how long the pieces will remain in the gallery, is
in place, much confusion is taken away, and the burden of trust is taken
away to a point. You are probably more likely to sell your pieces in the
gallery (?), if they are being displayed (not stored away!), and therefore,
the web site which has not been buttering your bread should not be of
primary concern. Personally I would try to maintain the best relationship
with the gallery, and remove all prices from the website, until the show is
over and you have your pieces back. If you do not trust the gallery owner,
I would get the pieces back, especially if you can get into other galleries
that are suitable for your work. While your pieces are there, get a good
contract form together, which the gallery owner and you will each sign, each
time pieces change hands. The form should include the retail and wholesale
prices.
As a gallery owner or dealer, it would not be acceptable to have an artist
also selling art from the studio, at different prices. Therefore, I
suggest that you develop a sensible pricing formula that you can use for
your body of work. I have this on an Excel spreadsheet for my work. You
can include framed and unframed prices, if you add/remove frames on your
pieces. You can work backwards to get the wholesale price. Be sure that
the formula works for all of your pieces, and then use the formula for new
pieces. This presents consistency, and makes you appear more professional,
as do the contracts. I might put something on the contract about pieces
that will also be on the website, or just leave those pieces off of the site
until the pieces are back in your studio to avoid a conflict of interest.
Once you have all of your pieces back, put all the prices back on your
website, and in the What's New section, or even better on the home page (I
have not looked at your site yet) put a Now Showing At (you know what I
mean?) announcement. You may find that you get a call for a piece at the
old price from a gallery owner, and you can negotiate at that time for that
piece. This way you set the price for your work. It is important that you
know what a reasonable price is for your work. I might take a few pieces to
a few gallery owners, just to see what they say regarding an appropriate
price. Hopefully, this recovers all of your costs and then some. Expect
most galleries to want 50% of the retail price. Running any business is
very expensive, and the gallery really does deserve the 50%. Some galleries
want more or less of the retail. That can get tricky. It is important that
you are consistent with your pricing. If you sell paintings at the
wholesale price to close friends and family, it should be clear that only
friends and family get that pricing, and it should not be made public . . .
only tell if asked, but be honest.
I made the mistake of letting a gallery set their own pricing on some of my
pieces that are currently in NH. They raised the prices on all of their
favorite pieces. In my opinion, that is why they have not sold, because
they are overpriced now. (I have MUCH more experience than they do.) I
took it as such a compliment, and thought, whatever they want is fine.
Well, I will lower the prices back to *normal* when I get them back, and
price fluctuation is not good. Hopefully not too many people saw the pieces
at the inflated prices.
Best of luck. Please write back and let me know what you decided to do.
ABD
Tony <ton...@telus.net> wrote in message news:3BD7674F...@telus.net...
sketchdude
> I made the mistake of letting a gallery set their own pricing on some of
my
> pieces that are currently in NH. They raised the prices on all of their
> favorite pieces. In my opinion, that is why they have not sold, because
> they are overpriced now. (I have MUCH more experience than they do.) I
> took it as such a compliment, and thought, whatever they want is fine.
> Well, I will lower the prices back to *normal* when I get them back, and
> price fluctuation is not good. Hopefully not too many people saw the
pieces
> at the inflated prices.
>
> Best of luck. Please write back and let me know what you decided to do.
> ABD
>
I think you should look at it from the customers point of view. Is it fair
to
the person who wants to buy your work to see it listed at a certain price
if they cant actually get it for that?
It really makes the gallery look unprofessional to have their price
undercut.
Your consignment agreement should have clearly stated the price and the
commission. The costumer has no way of knowing what the circumstances
may be. The customer only sees the listed price(s).
You should do whatever it takes to keep the prices consistant. If the work
is overpriced, re-negotiate the consignment agreement, or get the work
back and price it yourself. If you agree with the galleries prices, you
should
probably put a contact link to the gallery where the price is listed now.
Hope that helps,
--
sketchdude
http://home.earthlink.net/~o0sketchdude0o/
Justine Thyme
>What is the proper way to handle this situation? Should I remove all the
>prices from my Web site as the gallery owner ordered me to?
This is what happens when there is no
agreed upon contract -- in writing.
As a gallery owner, I would drop you in
an instant if I found out you were
undercutting me, or misrepresenting
yourself otherwise. I'm not saying that
is the case here, but a contract is the
first and foremost necessity in any sort
of good business arrangement.
Tony
ABD wrote:
> Hey there. First to tell you from where my advice will come. I have been a
> very successful art consultant and gallery director. After I left, I picked
> up my own painting again, and sold a few pieces (through a gallery),
> probably because I have some talent and know what people will pay money for,
> despite my lack of skill. I have also worked in high tech for many years,
> mostly in a sales and marketing capacity. My way of thinking comes
> partially from a formal education in engineering.
>
> Congratulations on getting your work into a gallery. We can explore if you
> are in the right gallery, in a later conversation. First of all, I wonder
> if you have properly signed contracts with the gallery. This is also
> another conversation. Some artists go merely on trust, which is very
> tempting, but it puts too much of a strain on the relationship. If proper
> documentation, including how long the pieces will remain in the gallery, is
> in place, much confusion is taken away, and the burden of trust is taken
> away to a point. You are probably more likely to sell your pieces in
> thegallery (?), if they are being displayed (not stored away!), and
> therefore,
> the web site which has not been buttering your bread should not be of
> primary concern. Personally I would try to maintain the best relationship
> with the gallery, and remove all prices from the website, until the show is
> over and you have your pieces back.
Thank, ABD.
What if I take the prices off and a customer calls and asks the price of a
painting? Am I supposed to say I don't know the price? What's the difference
between having the price on my Web site and telling a customer who calls me
what the price is? In either case, I'd be informing the customer of what the
price is.
These paintings are shown on my site in the "New Paintings" section, which
implies that they are available for sale.
> If you do not trust the gallery owner,
> I would get the pieces back, especially if you can get into other galleries
> that are suitable for your work. While your pieces are there, get a good
> contract form together, which the gallery owner and you will each sign, each
> time pieces change hands. The form should include the retail and wholesale
> prices.
I have a contract for each painting. Each contract is signed by me and the
gallery owner, and states what the retail price is, and states that I get 50
percent of the retail price within 30 days of a sale.
Why would you include a time limit in the contract? I don't think I've heard of
that guideline before.
> As a gallery owner or dealer, it would not be acceptable to have an artist
> also selling art from the studio, at different prices. Therefore, I
> suggest that you develop a sensible pricing formula that you can use for
> your body of work. I have this on an Excel spreadsheet for my work. You
> can include framed and unframed prices, if you add/remove frames on your
> pieces. You can work backwards to get the wholesale price. Be sure that
> the formula works for all of your pieces, and then use the formula for new
> pieces. This presents consistency, and makes you appear more professional,
> as do the contracts. I might put something on the contract about pieces
> that will also be on the website, or just leave those pieces off of the site
> until the pieces are back in your studio to avoid a conflict of interest.
Having different prices on my Web site was an oversight. Yesterday I changed
the prices on the site to reflect the gallery's prices, after the gallery owner
called me about this issue.
I can't use a formula with this gallery. If I used my formula, the retail price
of my 30-by-40 paintings would be $1,875 (Canadian) which keeps the price below
$2,000. With this gallery, the owner set the price of my 30-by-40-inch
paintings at $2,400.
His rationale for the higher price is that he has high costs, such as staff and
high rent in the central business district. He also says that if he can't set a
high price he can't make enough profit.
> Once you have all of your pieces back, put all the prices back on your
> website, and in the What's New section, or even better on the home page (I
> have not looked at your site yet) put a Now Showing At (you know what I
> mean?) announcement. You may find that you get a call for a piece at the
> old price from a gallery owner, and you can negotiate at that time for that
> piece. This way you set the price for your work. It is important that you
> know what a reasonable price is for your work. I might take a few pieces to
> a few gallery owners, just to see what they say regarding an appropriate
> price. Hopefully, this recovers all of your costs and then some. Expect
> most galleries to want 50% of the retail price. Running any business is
> very expensive, and the gallery really does deserve the 50%. Some galleries
> want more or less of the retail. That can get tricky. It is important that
> you are consistent with your pricing. If you sell paintings at the
> wholesale price to close friends and family, it should be clear that only
> friends and family get that pricing, and it should not be made public . . .
> only tell if asked, but be honest.
Agreed.
This gallery owner isn't concerned that the price of my paintings is
inconsistent compared to other galleries. What I mean is that the prices of my
30-by-40-inch paintings are $525 higher than they were in the first gallery
where I consigned them (last summer). The first gallery had a 40 percent
commission and the price of the paintings was $1,875. The current gallery has a
50 percent commission, and the price of the same paintings is $2,400, and I
think this gallery owner generally sets his prices higher.
> I made the mistake of letting a gallery set their own pricing on some of my
> pieces that are currently in NH. They raised the prices on all of their
> favorite pieces. In my opinion, that is why they have not sold, because
> they are overpriced now. (I have MUCH more experience than they do.) I
> took it as such a compliment, and thought, whatever they want is fine.
> Well, I will lower the prices back to *normal* when I get them back, and
> price fluctuation is not good. Hopefully not too many people saw the pieces
> at the inflated prices.
I've also heard the theory many times that some customers are more willing to
buy expensive paintings (at upscale galleries) because they assume that the
paintings must be valuable if they are expensive. At the same time, of course,
others are deterred by higher prices, as you point out.
> Best of luck. Please write back and let me know what you decided to do.
> ABD
Haven't decided what to do yet.
Tony
Tony
> to
> the person who wants to buy your work to see it listed at a certain price
> if they cant actually get it for that?
>
> It really makes the gallery look unprofessional to have their price
> undercut.
Having the prices of some of the paintings on my Web site inconsistent
with the gallery's prices was an oversight, and I corrected the
discrepancy on my Web site within a couple of hours of the gallery owner
calling me about this issue.
I wasn't undercutting. One of the paintings whose prices were
inconsistent was higher than the gallery's price by $80. No one's asked
me about buying a painting shown on my Web site, so I didn't think the
prices shown there was very important.
> Your consignment agreement should have clearly stated the price and the
> commission. The costumer has no way of knowing what the circumstances
> may be. The customer only sees the listed price(s).
I have signed contracts stating the prices and the commission.
> You should do whatever it takes to keep the prices consistant. If the work
> is overpriced, re-negotiate the consignment agreement, or get the work
> back and price it yourself.
The prices vary, depending on which gallery the paintings are shown at,
because the policies of each gallery vary, so keeping the prices
consistent among the galleryies is impractical.
> If you agree with the galleries prices, you
> should
> probably put a contact link to the gallery where the price is listed now.
I do think my paintings are over-priced at this particular gallery, but
one of the paintings I saw at the gallery in question (by another
artist) was priced at $7,000 (Canadian) which is about $4,400 U.S., so
the prices of my paintings at that gallery are in line with the prices
of the other artists' paintings there.
The top of my "Retailers" page on my Web site already lists the name,
address and phone number of the gallery in question, and I'm considering
asking the gallery owner if he wants a link to his site as well.
Tony
Tony
I have a signed contract for each painting. The inconsistency of the
pricing was an oversight.
In general, the prices of some of the paintings were lower on my site
than at the current gallery because I added new pages to my Web site
featuring the new paintings last summer, when I had the paintings at a
gallery that has a 40 percent commission and that gallery owner (last
summer) was amenable to having these paintings priced at $1,875.
The owner of the gallery where the paintings are currently displayed
would not agree on a price of $1,875 and he decided to price the
paintings at $2,400.
Since switching the paintings to the new gallery, I neglected to update
the information on my Web site, since no one seems to pay attention to
my site anyway. I think it's been at least a year -- maybe more than two
years -- since anyone has emailed me about the art on my Web site, and
then it was a question about a print -- not a painting.
The price of one of the paintings was higher than the gallery's price
(as I stated clearly in my initial letter in this thread) so how could
anyone claim that I'm undercutting the gallery's prices?
If I were undercutting, then all of my prices would be lower than the
gallery's prices.
Tony
Tony
Justine Thyme wrote:
>
> In article <3BD7674F...@telus.net>, ton...@telus.net says...
>
> >What is the proper way to handle this situation? Should I remove all the
> >prices from my Web site as the gallery owner ordered me to?
>
> As a gallery owner, I would drop you in
> an instant if I found out you were
> undercutting me, or misrepresenting
> yourself otherwise.
If either one of us is unscrupulous, it's the gallery owner, not me.
He claims to charge 50 percent commission, but if I consign to him an
unframed painting, he'd add $800 to the retail price of the painting on
a frame that costs him $180 (a 444 percent mark-up) and he'll keep all
of that money.
For example, on an unframed painting priced at $1,600, he'd tack on
$800 for the frame, increasing the retail price to $2,400. Out of that,
he'd pay me $800.
He's repeatedly told me that that works out to a 50 percent commission.
Tony
On top of that, there's not even much labor involved for him to frame a
painting, because he uses a wholesale framer to frame paintings for him,
so he can't claim that he has to charge a lot for labor. He just has to
call the framer and place an order and the frame is made for him.
sketchdude
> For example, on an unframed painting priced at $1,600, he'd tack on
> $800 for the frame, increasing the retail price to $2,400. Out of that,
> he'd pay me $800.
>
> He's repeatedly told me that that works out to a 50 percent commission.
>
Unforunately, a 50% commission will continue to be the norm untill
artists enmass refuse to deal with Galleries and dealers who charge
so much.
It's a sad situation, because it's almost impossible for
Galleries to stay in business, period. At any
commission rate.
Artists make the problem worse for themselves by
subscribing to the myth that Gallery representation
is some kind of validation of their merit as artists.
Dealers worsen things by insisting on monotony.
They call it good business. I call it a lack of vision.
--
sketchdude
http://home.earthlink.net/~o0sketchdude0o/
Tony
sketchdude wrote:
>
> >
> > For example, on an unframed painting priced at $1,600, he'd tack on
> > $800 for the frame, increasing the retail price to $2,400. Out of that,
> > he'd pay me $800.
> >
> > He's repeatedly told me that that works out to a 50 percent commission.
> >
>
> Unforunately, a 50% commission will continue to be the norm untill
> artists enmass refuse to deal with Galleries and dealers who charge
> so much.
Instead of refusing to deal with him, I'm framing my own paintings and
asking for 50 percent of the retail price, but it means I have to invest
in a lot of framing.
I've also started to paint on deep canvasses, that are one-and-a-half
inches thick, as they don't need framing, but I don't think they would
sell as well. I think framing increases the saleability of the paintings.
> It's a sad situation, because it's almost impossible for
> Galleries to stay in business, period. At any
> commission rate.
That depends. Many galleries flourish.
> Artists make the problem worse for themselves by
> subscribing to the myth that Gallery representation
> is some kind of validation of their merit as artists.
It's not a myth. Gallery representation, or publishing company
representation, or sales rep represenation, or some other kind of formal
representation, is important validation of the artist in the public's
mind, and acceptance by the buying public in part determines the success
of the artist.
ABD
of soap. It retails for $10.00. Five of that is the cost of the bar from
the wholesaler, not including shipping. Once you take out reasonable
salaries, and pay other overhead like utilities, office supplies,
advertising and taxes etc., there is usually only about 5% net profit in any
business. If anyone disagrees, I suggest they do some real research. Ask
any CPA for example. I studied business before, and owned a business for
many years, and did my share of studying. People who are not in business,
have this misconception that businesses and corporations have all of this
cash floating around. If it were so cheap and easy to own and operate a
business, many more people would be doing it, for sure. The reason why most
new business fail is that the founder fails to have the ability and
foresight to write a valid business plan, which includes cash flow
projections.
If you manufactured the same bar of soap, the cost of goods sold might only
be $1.00 . . . as a matter of fact, it better be, or you will be out of
business. It costs money to get goods to the consumer. A wholesaler pays a
sales rep, for instance, too. If a retailer pays 50%, then the sales rep
usually gets 10%. If he hires reps under him, they get 5%, and these folks
pay their own expenses too. If a retailer pays 35% less than retail for the
product, you can be sure that the sales rep is charging 20%. These are
universal numbers.
As far as the framing goes, it is a product too, and the costs need to be
covered. Some galleries prefer to do their own framing. At the gallery I
worked for, we had our own frame shop, to ensure quality. No offense to
anyone out there, but many artists put their work in cheap frames. The
gallery owner will know what kind of frame will sell the work. We sold very
few unframed pieces. Most art sold best in a gold beaded frame, out of my
gallery. Clients could buy prints framed or unframed. Once an original had
a frame, it generally stayed on the piece. It would not be fair or
reasonable for the artist to expect the gallery to put a frame on the piece
which retails for $800, and then give half of that to the artist. Your
website should make it clear that the art is unframed, or framed, whatever
the case may be. Hey, I once got a spot in the front window of a gallery,
just because I put a nice frame on the piece. Remember that the frame
should bring out the art, (and not be selected merely to match the
furniture.)
Galleries that do not stay in business, are like usually like any other
businesses that do not stay in business. It is usually due to incompetence
or lack of ability or willingness to change when necessary.
Remember, I am an artist too. It is important for the gallery owner to
respect the artist, and it is also important for the artist to respect the
gallery owner. It does the eye no good to despise the hand, for the eye
needs the hand, and the hand needs the eye. And they are but two parts of
the body.
ABD
sketchdude <o0sketc...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:uBYB7.3581$Xc.2...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
ABD
Tony <ton...@telus.net> wrote in message news:3BD8253E...@telus.net...
See, that is the conflict of interest. No consumer should be calling you
about a piece that is in a gallery, they should be calling the gallery.
That is the galleries point of view. Of course, if someone called you, you
should give the price. If you send them to the gallery, and the gallery
gets the money and you get less (remember you must charge retail to
consumers, and wholesale to galleries), then the gallery is happy and will
want to show more of your work. You really win in the long run.
> These paintings are shown on my site in the "New Paintings" section, which
> implies that they are available for sale.
>
> > If you do not trust the gallery owner,
> > I would get the pieces back, especially if you can get into other
galleries
> > that are suitable for your work. While your pieces are there, get a
good
> > contract form together, which the gallery owner and you will each sign,
each
> > time pieces change hands. The form should include the retail and
wholesale
> > prices.
>
> I have a contract for each painting. Each contract is signed by me and the
> gallery owner, and states what the retail price is, and states that I get
50
> percent of the retail price within 30 days of a sale.
>
It should specify 50% of the unframed price.
> Why would you include a time limit in the contract? I don't think I've
heard of
> that guideline before.
>
The time limit benefits you the most and the gallery owner the least. It
gives you a good excuse to get all of your paintings back if the gallery is
not selling them. All good contracts have time specifications . . .leases
are up at the end of the year, and until death do us part.
Again, I would specify unframed prices, and I would take all prices off the
web site while the pieces are in the gallery if that is what the owner
wants.
> His rationale for the higher price is that he has high costs, such as
staff and
> high rent in the central business district. He also says that if he can't
set a
> high price he can't make enough profit.
>
This is true. What he means to tell you, is gross profit, not net profit.
If the gallery cannot stay in business, it does no artist or collector any
good.
It sounds like this gallery owner may use more expensive frames. You are
the one who must be vigiliant regarding prices. . . it is your reputation.
Having your prices go up is not a problem, generally, but having them
slashed is a problem. Of course, you must remember that the frame as
product is being lumped into this equation. Just watch one of those auction
shows on TV sometime. Sometimes the frame on an old piece of work is worth
far more than the work itself. The frame is a separate product. There is
not that much of a difference between $1875 and $2400. If this new gallery
has a glitsy reputation, that is only better for you. The perception of
many art buyers is that the price is reflective of the art. If the frame is
properly selected, it isn't even noticed, like a well-tailored business
suit.
>
> > I made the mistake of letting a gallery set their own pricing on some of
my
> > pieces that are currently in NH. They raised the prices on all of their
> > favorite pieces. In my opinion, that is why they have not sold, because
> > they are overpriced now. (I have MUCH more experience than they do.) I
> > took it as such a compliment, and thought, whatever they want is fine.
> > Well, I will lower the prices back to *normal* when I get them back, and
> > price fluctuation is not good. Hopefully not too many people saw the
pieces
> > at the inflated prices.
>
> I've also heard the theory many times that some customers are more willing
to
> buy expensive paintings (at upscale galleries) because they assume that
the
> paintings must be valuable if they are expensive. At the same time, of
course,
> others are deterred by higher prices, as you point out.
>
This is oh so true. I wanted to do some consulting after I left the
gallery. Even though I had access to the same art, I did not have the
beautiful store front, and the clients felt the art was too expensive. In
the gallery, you could always see them wishing they had more in thier budget
to buy even more.
Bob & Dale Ford
approximately jewellery. I had a big fight with a framer about this, and a
supplier. His comments were about why should artists be able to buy the frame
moulding from his supplier at a similar cost. The supplier was restricted in
what he could sell artists because if all the artists started framing their own
then his buyers would lose their businesses and as a result he would lose all
his business. My comments to him were I was a painter and never wanted to
frame squat. However I could not afford to pay the framers prices even at a 20%
artists discount. If they were more reasonable I would gladly pay. I heard the
rent and what ever bullshit rant too. Yeah right........ to justify a +400%
mark up.
Unless it is a hand carved Italian gold plated frame which sells for about 50.00
cdn a foot (i.e. 30.00 US) there is no such thing as an 800.00 frame.
Dale
PS Unless we are talking at least 100 years and old hand carved.
ABD
restoration, and he never approved of the frames the gallery sold, and
sometimes we would get well over a thousand dollars for one.
Does anyone have frame shop recommendations in Boston?
ABD
Bob & Dale Ford <bdf...@mb.sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:3BDB8A5C...@mb.sympatico.ca...
Tony
And that's not all.
I have signed contracts for each painting saying that I am to be paid
$1,200, (50 percent) of the retail price of each painting. Yesterday I
was at the gallery and saw that, instead of $2,400, the price tags each
said $2,850. The gallery owner neglected to inform me that he had made
the prices higher than what was on the contract.
His excuse was that the paintings are good and that therefore I should
get more money for them, but I think he might have kept the extra $475
for each painting if any of them sold. I seldom go to the gallery, so he
may have thought I wouldn't be aware of the higher selling price.
He also said that he would probably offer the customer a discount as an
incentive to buy, which would lower the selling price to about $2,400 in
the end anyway.
I asked him to lower the prices back to $2,400 and to consult me before
changing the prices again.
Having the price at $2,850 is almost $1,000 higher than they were at the
previous gallery, where they were $1,875. Someone in this thread said to
keep prices consistent. How can you keep prices consistent when you've
got this sort of stuff going on and when galleries have different
commissions? It doesn't seem to be a practical suggestion.
Also, if I take the paintings out of this gallery and put them back into
a gallery where they would be $1,875 again (a price I'd prefer to get
them to sell more easily) customers could perceive that as a signficant
price drop, which you're not supposed to have.
Tony
ABD
about the change. It sounds like they may be dishonest, or perhaps it was
just an *oversight* on their part. You have to give them the benefit of the
doubt, if they did the same for you. To clarify something that you wrote
before, 50% of the painting, not 50% of the frame. It sounds like the
contract should be more precise with this gallery in the future. In any
case, it sounds like your work is selling well, at a higher price. That is
really great. Maybe your prices were too low in the first place. Here is
the key. Will this owner pay you, and in a timely manner? That is key. It
is far better for someone to raise the price of your work, than to lower it.
If your works still sells well at the higher price, I would stick with it,
and with the gallery, if they pay you. I have a friend who kept his work in
a great gallery, for the name, and they sold his work. The problem was that
he wound up needing a lawyer to get paid, finally. That was really tough.
At least he had a lucrative art *job* to pay the bills with in the meantime.
Best of luck.
ABD
Tony <ton...@telus.net> wrote in message news:3BE0793C...@telus.net...
Tony
>
> This is tough. It would have been better if the gallery owner told you
> about the change. It sounds like they may be dishonest, or perhaps it was
> just an *oversight* on their part. You have to give them the benefit of the
> doubt, if they did the same for you.
> To clarify something that you wrote
> before, 50% of the painting, not 50% of the frame. It sounds like the
> contract should be more precise with this gallery in the future.
Okay. In the future I may try to write in the contract that if the
gallery owner is to have the paintings framed, a maximum of $200 could
be added to the retail price to compensate the owner for the cost of the
frame, so that he doesn't add $800 for a 30-by-40 frame to the retail
price, which is his standard, crooked practice (and he keeps the $600
profit left over after paying the framer).
I may eventually threaten to take my paintings out of the gallery, too,
if I find that the gallery onwer is pulling shenanigans like
clandestinely adding $450 to the retail prices with the intention of
keeping that money. I don't know if such a threat would be effective,
because artists and good art are a dime a dozen, so my work could be
easily replaced with other, quality artwork and the gallery owner might
not care about losing my business.
I don't know if I have enough clout with this gallery owner for these
measures to be effective, but I may try them. Their effecitveness would
depend on the sales of my paintings in the future and the customers'
feedback about my paintings at the gallery and the quality of new
paintings I show to the owner.)
> In any
> case, it sounds like your work is selling well, at a higher price. That is
> really great. Maybe your prices were too low in the first place.
So far, only a few, inexpensive prints and one, relatively small
painting sold of the new batch of paintings I've had at these two
galleries this year, (and I convinced the owner of the current gallery
to buy one painting from me at one-third of the retail price with 45
days payment terms because I needed some cash) but he is optimistic that
he can sell that one and the others that I've consigned to him.
He's been showing one of mine for over a year now and it still hasn't
sold, but he still thinks somebody will buy it.
> Here is
> the key. Will this owner pay you, and in a timely manner? That is key. It
> is far better for someone to raise the price of your work, than to lower it.
> If your works still sells well at the higher price, I would stick with it,
> and with the gallery, if they pay you.
Yes; he's pretty good with paying (usually after a reminder or two!).
>I have a friend who kept his work in
> a great gallery, for the name, and they sold his work. The problem was that
> he wound up needing a lawyer to get paid, finally. That was really tough.
> At least he had a lucrative art *job* to pay the bills with in the meantime.
> Best of luck.
> ABD
Thanks.
Tony