Sculpture Pricing

[Premiershipman]

Thought I would ask specifically in this area of the forum as it relates specifically to sculpture.

Just wondering if the sculptors on here have a method of pricing sculpture, as recent ones I have done I have priced quite low to 'get a name' but how long do you give it before upping them ?

The recent sculpture I sold, the purchaser said to me that she thought it was cheap, which makes you always think... ' Bu66er, should have priced it higher ! '

 

[chunkolini]

Pricing?
The difficult one.
a few thoughts. Each piece of art is a piece of you. People want it, they don't need it. They can't get it anywhere else. Most of it is unique.

I used to really struggle with this. Now I can generally think about the thing, and semmingly randomly generate a price. Usually they are right but I have no idea where I get them from. Now and again they are very very wrong. Tough taters.
I always give a price before starting and get 1/3 up front before I do anything.
Reckon on at least £200 per whole day as a starting figure. Add on approximate material costs. Then add on a haggle factor. Then you can make a show of dropping your price.
I hate the haggling process and these days rarely budge.
when I started my aim was to cover my costs and have a free hobby.
I have been incredibly lucky.
these days I expect to earn quite a bit over the day rate mentioned.
I seem to get by, my plan these days is work like a loon for a few days a week and enjoy my life.
income is totally unpredictable but I am a happy chappie.
I hope that helps.
again what an artist does really is make meaningless luxuries, people expect to pay for them . If they won't pay it is their loss.
doing commissions I always ask for a ballpark budget to work within, some folks don't like this some are ok with it. I find it helps me with the design process. Bells and whistles or simplistic.
have faith in yourself and what you do.
Last thought if you really like something whack the price up by 50%.
I know if I like it or must be special.
If people are not wincing a tiny bit put your prices up immediately.
if anybody says 'I/my mate' could do that say fine. And dismiss them as an idiot.
premiershipman, if you like pm me a few photos and the prices to go with them and I will give a second opinion.

Another last thought, never try to compete on price with shop bought stuff.

 

[gordon stephenson]

I suppose the answer I have got is "i don't know" but you must factor in your time and materials/consumables etc and come to a figure that you are happy with and still make a worthwhile profit. I also think that if you price the sculptures too low to start with you might find it difficult to get future customers to pay more.

 

[eSCHEn]

Pricing?
The difficult one.
a few thoughts. Each piece of art is a piece of you. People want it, they don't need it. They can't get it anywhere else. Most of it is unique.

I used to really struggle with this. Now I can generally think about the thing, and semmingly randomly generate a price. Usually they are right but I have no idea where I get them from. Now and again they are very very wrong. Tough taters.
I always give a price before starting and get 1/3 up front before I do anything.
Reckon on at least £200 per whole day as a starting figure. Add on approximate material costs. Then add on a haggle factor. Then you can make a show of dropping your price.
I hate the haggling process and these days rarely budge.
when I started my aim was to cover my costs and have a free hobby.
I have been incredibly lucky.
these days I expect to earn quite a bit over the day rate mentioned.
I seem to get by, my plan these days is work like a loon for a few days a week and enjoy my life.
income is totally unpredictable but I am a happy chappie.
I hope that helps.
again what an artist does really is make meaningless luxuries, people expect to pay for them . If they won't pay it is their loss.
doing commissions I always ask for a ballpark budget to work within, some folks don't like this some are ok with it. I find it helps me with the design process. Bells and whistles or simplistic.
have faith in yourself and what you do.
Last thought if you really like something whack the price up by 50%.
I know if I like it or must be special.
If people are not wincing a tiny bit put your prices up immediately.
if anybody says 'I/my mate' could do that say fine. And dismiss them as an idiot.
premiershipman, if you like pm me a few photos and the prices to go with them and I will give a second opinion.

Another last thought, never try to compete on price with shop bought stuff.

^^^^Very good advice there.

 

[Badger1bear]

Pricing?
The difficult one.
a few thoughts. Each piece of art is a piece of you. People want it, they don't need it. They can't get it anywhere else. Most of it is unique.

I used to really struggle with this. Now I can generally think about the thing, and semmingly randomly generate a price. Usually they are right but I have no idea where I get them from. Now and again they are very very wrong. Tough taters.
I always give a price before starting and get 1/3 up front before I do anything.
Reckon on at least £200 per whole day as a starting figure. Add on approximate material costs. Then add on a haggle factor. Then you can make a show of dropping your price.
I hate the haggling process and these days rarely budge.
when I started my aim was to cover my costs and have a free hobby.
I have been incredibly lucky.
these days I expect to earn quite a bit over the day rate mentioned.
I seem to get by, my plan these days is work like a loon for a few days a week and enjoy my life.
income is totally unpredictable but I am a happy chappie.
I hope that helps.
again what an artist does really is make meaningless luxuries, people expect to pay for them . If they won't pay it is their loss.
doing commissions I always ask for a ballpark budget to work within, some folks don't like this some are ok with it. I find it helps me with the design process. Bells and whistles or simplistic.
have faith in yourself and what you do.
Last thought if you really like something whack the price up by 50%.
I know if I like it or must be special.
If people are not wincing a tiny bit put your prices up immediately.
if anybody says 'I/my mate' could do that say fine. And dismiss them as an idiot.
premiershipman, if you like pm me a few photos and the prices to go with them and I will give a second opinion.

Another last thought, never try to compete on price with shop bought stuff.

Very wise words my friend and I will certainly be heeding these words myself in future, I have also heard the line of ( my mate could do that) I generally say well let them do it and when you want it done right it will cost you extra

 

[eSCHEn]

Very wise words my friend and I will certainly be heeding these words myself in future, I have also heard the line of ( my mate could do that) I generally say well let them do it and when you want it done right it will cost you extra

Same. That tired old chestnut just gets a laugh now and I wish them well with it.

 

[chunkolini]

My favourite was a quote from somebody who claimed to be a friend moaning to my best pal.
'How can he justify these prices for something he enjoys doing'
my friend is another artist. She annihilated him verbally, I heard from a witness.
yes I enjoy it but it is still at times bike hard work.
get paid what you can.
I have a few items that I price as products. They used to take hours to make. Practice and use of jigs has speeded then up tenfold. I still charge the original price. One of these little jobs now pays me £ 80 an hour. Mindless, difficult fiddly and boring. I earn it.
PSMan I bet a few of yours will go this way. Thinking of those cute bicycles.

 

[eSCHEn]

Exactly chunkolini. What a load of tripe 'enjoys doing it' lol. Maybe if we lived in star trek world...

Consumerism is an odd thing. People will pay hundreds every year for the newest silly phone but quibble over the same cost for something original, unique and beautiful that will last for their children's lifetime :shrug:

@Premiershipman - the idea of having a few 'stock' items that you can make up and have about is very good. You can do them quicker as you've the jigs so you can price them a bit lower. That way everyone can afford something and you get a bit steadier business. It's not what you asked about but do you have a website yet? Give me a shout if you want any advice or help on that front; I might be a poor welder but I can do computers

 

[chunkolini]

'Pricethemabitlower'
what strange language is that?

 

[Premiershipman]

Cheers guys

It's really awkward especially when someone says it's cheap and you think that you could have got more for it !

I have the bicycles at £9.99 each except tandems at £14.99 and I could probably knock out a bicycle in about 20 mins.

The big sculpture I posted the other day, I sold for £85 but think I should have had it at over £100 as I reckon about 6 hours went into it, but as I will be doing a number of them they're not unique so they are 'stock' as such.

I am considering doing unique sculptures and charging considerably more, or doing 10 of one sculpture and then selling 1of 10 etc at higher prices...

@eSCHEn cheers for the offer but my site is done - www.dalewoodcraftdesigns.com
Need to do a few amends though as the host made some changes and some of the pages have got a bit awry

 

[chunkolini]

Try thirty quid for the small bikes and 45 for tandems.
They are gorgeous. They are special and quirky. You could also base them on photos.
Don't forget nobody needs any of this.
my money flowers sell for 60. I am not saying how long they take to make.
These are the gifts desperate wives buy 'for hubby' that they like for themselves.
I would rather sell two at thirty quid each than six at a tenner apiece.

I remember a few years back the pricing issue cropped up. I was kind of flattered when some wag said ' Chunko I thought you were a hippy but you are a capitalist hippy'.
Pricing, the difficult one.
another one to watch.
I only mention prices on one page on my website. I got caught once I had old and new prices for a piece of work on different pages.
PS Shipman you are good at this stuff. Charge for it.

 

[eSCHEn]

Lovely site. Clean and stylish

Personally I would say the bikes are priced too low. I asked the OH (an artist herself) and she put them higher as well.

 

[chunkolini]

Another one.
once somebody has paid a higher price that becomes official.
I have been known to 'accidentally' up the price on a nice item at a show or on my website. So often that makes it sell.

 

[gordon stephenson]

Like whistlers reply when he was asked how he could charge thousands for paintings that didn't take very long to do, goes something like "I'm not charging thousands for a few hours work, I'm charging thousands for a lifetime of experience"

 

[Premiershipman]

It's hard once you have set a price, but I may look to amend them and see what happens.

Possibly it may be a situation where if the price is low the sculptures aren't valued as they are seen as cheAp ?!

 

[eSCHEn]

Exactly mate. Cheap == no respect.

 

[Maker]

Cheers guys

It's really awkward especially when someone says it's cheap and you think that you could have got more for it !

I have the bicycles at £9.99 each except tandems at £14.99 and I could probably knock out a bicycle in about 20 mins.

Is that it? Triple, quadruple, maybe even whatever the word for x5 is that and you'll be getting a fair price.

Like whistlers reply when he was asked how he could charge thousands for paintings that didn't take very long to do, goes something like "I'm not charging thousands for a few hours work, I'm charging thousands for a lifetime of experience"

That is skilled work though, it's not like Tracy Emin getting £150,000 for not tidying her room.

 

[gerrymoore]

I have to say that, although I agree with everything said above, I struggle to get customers and, although I make 'sellable art' people won't pay the price...perhaps scousers would rather just steal it ...

I love what I do and get great satisfaction from doing it but I find the marketing side horrendous...you can have the most amazing product (IMHO) but if you can't sell it then it's just goes with the other pile of unsold stuff.

 

[gordon stephenson]

I think it all depends on your market place, Selling in a small village or town will be difficult,but similar things in Londons west end if folks think its trendy will pay silly money, Saw a programme a few weeks ago about China and its new found wealth, some lady had paid $750,000 for a HANDBAG, Go figure,

 

[oddbob]

What price you get for your work is largely dependent on how and where you're 'marketing' it. No piece of work will ever command the same price at a craft fair as it would in a gallery or exhibition ...effectively, as soon as something is placed in a gallery it achieves a different status and higher kudos.

My advice to people wanting to expand the exposure (and value) of what they produce is always the same ...speculate £30 or so, get a subscription to a-n magazine, and submit your work to the many shows/exhibitions that are advertised in the 'opportunities' section. Open exhibitions are a good place to start...they generally tend to look for a variety of styles of work and are less bothered about only showing work of established artists. Don't be put off by any early rejections, stick at it, refine your submission process and eventually selling your work (for a good price) will almost take care of itself.