[Jewelry making - Article 00995] - Re: [Orchid] Pricing for a gallery exhibition

[Stephen Walker]

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Hi Devora,

>     I do not want to price my items too high. This may give the
>     impression that I always sell at exaggerated prices (even in my
>     gallery). 

    It is OK if the prices are a little higher at the exhibition, but
    not really good form for you to be underselling the gallery by too
    much, since that makes them look bad. It is really a question of how
    much the exposure or the boost to your ego is worth for
    participating. 

    I put together a gallery exhibit this year that includes both work
    that I bought outright and work that is on sale-or-return
    consignment. One of the artists got upset when it became apparent
    that I was negotiating a different deal with each exhibitor. In her
    case it was just one piece that I very much wanted in the show. I was
    willing to give her whatever terms she wanted in order to have the
    piece for 8 weeks. I guess this is very unusual, but I am dealing
    with an unusual group of artists and also included several pieces
    that are not for sale from private collections. 

    Most galleries are going to have a standard set of terms and if you
    plan on making money through sales that way, you had better set
    prices so that you can. If your prices are so low that you cannot
    give the gallery 50% commission and be happy about the sale, your
    prices are probably too low. It takes time and money to make things,
    but it also takes time and money to sell. In my own business, my
    sales expenses and time are more than half the total. We just jacked
    up our prices on gold jewelry about 30% and had any unusual sales
    resistance. 

    I am a little concerned about the gallery asking you to pay for
    insurance. I don't think I have ever heard of that expense being
    paid by the artist other than paying for insurance on shipping. Maybe
    it is different in your country. 

Good luck,
Stephen Walker
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