A reader posted a comment regarding prices (Would You buy now without knowing the price?):

I agree, prices should be listed on an artist's site and I do list mine, but I wonder how other artists handle this problem. On your site you have an 18x24 listed at $1,000, now that piece has been accepted into a show that takes a 40% commission, & shipping is your responsibility. Your work is now priced at the exhibition for $1,700 but prospective buyers at the show could buy it from your website for $1,000, why would they pay $1,700 at the show??? How do other artists handle this?

I would like to adress a few things here.  I'm not sure what painting specifically to which the reader refers.  As I am not personally a painter, it is not one of my pieces.  However, I see some issues here.  I'm not sure why the painting would be marked up 70% to go to a show, but that is unacceptable.  Shipping is not $700.  The painting should be the essentially the same price at the show and on the individual artist web site.  In other words, if you deal with shows or galleries, your retail prices should always account for the gallery commission. 

Let me say this again to be clear:
Your prices should be essentially the same wherever your work is sold.

Now I understand that there is sometimes a transition period from an artist who has been selling everything directly and is now selling in galleries or shows.  But  once you reach a professional point of selling in galleries, the prices of the work will need to reflect that.  You will need to get through that transition point as quickly as possible.  Pricing work on a web site that undercuts your gallery pricing is a bad idea.

Think about it this way.  You make 60% of the price for creating the work.  The gallery (or show) makes 40% of the price for selling the work.  If you sell the work from your own web site then you deserve both the 60% and the 40%.  But the price the customer pays is still 100% - exactly as if he had bought it in the gallery.

Here's another thought.  Put yourself in a customer's shoes.  Let's say an art collector falls in love with your artwork and buys a piece from a gallery.  Now the customer visits your web site and finds out that everyone else pays 40% less than he did.  He'll feel like a fool and it will make him wonder if your work is really worth anything at all.

Just some of my thoughts on pricing.

Sincerely,

Clint Watson
Software Craftsman and Art Fanatic

InformedCollector: Free daily briefs about today's finest artists in your inbox.
BoldBrush Contest: Monthly Online Painting Contest with over $4,000 in awards.
Backstory: About Clint. Email Editor.  Submit a guest post.  Twitter. Republish. ]