What to do!

[Sue in Eureka]

Thanks Ash. You guys are a lot of help!

Sue

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Originally Posted by Sue in Eureka

I'm getting good sound advice from you all and appreciate it so much.

No I am in NC. This town is so small Mayberry could kick the crap out of it.

Sue

LOLMotorcycle

[sheltiecarver]

Sue,
Like you, I am totally amazed when someone actually wants to give me money for something I've created. I get by on a budget that is probably significantly less than that of a lot of homeless folk, so I'm always thinking in terms of "What would (could) I pay for something like this?", and the answer is always ridiculously tiny. So I think about it as "What might a person pay for something similar at a craft fair/art show (take your pick - whichever is closer to this particular creation)?" Then I just tell them the price, and either they are shocked that I have the gall to ask so much for so little, or they understand that original art deserves a fair price, and they gladly shell it out and treasure their prize. I've learned to keep my shock that they'd actually pay $xx pretty well to myself, and the money is always welcome - there are so many tools and so much wood, and so little $ Smile
Good luck to you, whatever you decide - but don't sell yourself short. (and remember that this is just an opinion - for what it's worth)
Sandy

[Sue in Eureka]

Thanks Sandy. It's always nice to have opinions of others and their experiences to help with these decisions. I'm going to think on it over the weekend.
Sue

[J Wardwell]

Sue,
I have run into this situation more times than I care to remember. Being that this is my profession it's that much harder to give a discount of any kind. If that person is interested enough to ask for a peice, then there more than happy to pay for it. What's bad is when a so called friend thinks you should give something for nothing just because your "friends". I think you should name a fair price and let it go at that. It's not worth worrying over. Anyway"that's my two cents"

[jillsy]

Hey Sue! Glad to see you're getting such great feedback! Good luck with your decision and let us know how it goes!

[Claude]

Sue:
I don't think we can really help you decide to charge or not charge for the carving; that's something you'll have to wrestle your conscience over. I've been fortunate to be able to avoid that problem so far. Having said that, though, what I'd probably do, depending on the friend, would be to put a small tag on the bottom of the carving with a price on it that I'd ask a total stranger to pay. If I then decide to give it to a friend, I'd leave the tag on it. They would eventually see the tag and, hopefully, appreciate it even more because they would really know the "true value" of the carving.

Disclaimer:
These sage words of advice follow a nice dinner and three beers in a great hotel clear across the country from home; heed them at your own risk Smile

Claude

[Sue in Eureka]

Claude thanks for your in-put. Three huh?
Sue

[rick-in-seattle]

Sue,
I wouldn't worry too much about this, determine the carving your friend wants, tell her what it will cost and let her make the decision (before you carve it).

I try to make small carvings that I can give away to friends free.
Selling carvings is not as rewarding as you might think.