Help with pricing my work, please :)

[UNCLE_RICK]

How many people sell their carvings?
How do you set your prices? I've got people wanting me to carve for them but don't know how to set prices. Read somewhere about pricing per square inch on relief.

Thanks,
Rick

[Lindy]

I've had some requests as well but I feel I need to carve longer so I can get much better before I do that. But since the question has been asked I would be interested in knowing as well for carvings in the round like I'm doing.

Thanks

[Colin-Partridge]

Rick,
It is a tricky question to answer and I am not sure really how to answer it. I know there are some Santa's out there that sell for over $2000.00 US some of the bird carvings can fetch that much and more. I had the same dileama when I started selling my carvings and prices them at rock bottom prices. I didnt sell very many. Then a friend of mine who also sells his carvings told me to triple my price and they would sell. I thought he was crazy who in their right mind would buy a carving for three times what I was asking for it before. Well as suprised as I was it worked I couldnt keep them on the shelf. I carve very large carvings most over 6feet tall. When I was visiting my carving friends on the west coast they sell their carvings (also large carvings) for $1200.00 a linier foot. I certainly dont charge near that much but they sell a lot of carvings. I think you have to know what you want to get for a carving and if the price pleases you and the customer then it is the right price. Hope this has helped.
Colin

[jamesfa]

i don't sell my carvings, but i will give them away to friends and relatives.but i had someone who came to the house and wanted to buy one,and i didn't know what to charge,so i asked the same question.

so fellows check general carving-page6 'selling carvings' and you'll get some ideas.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I never was very good at pricing! I was at a good sam's 'samboree' last week and took one of my eagle walking sticks....and I think they look pretty good, but then I am biased! lol But one vendor there really liked the stick and asked how much I wanted, I told him 150.00...and you would have thought he was holding a hot horseshoe he handed it back so fast! and actually for the amount of time in the stick, I didn't think that out of line but maybe it was, I just don't have a clue? :

[owlhause]

Hi _ Ho, I took a look at your eagle staff...very nice!!...150$ would be a bargain!
Pricing a carving/sculpture, or any piece of art work, is really a tricky matter. As a general rule I like to find other artwork that is similar in style, subject matter and skill level to what I'm doing and keep my prices in that range.
If people like your work the law of supply and demand will take over for you....getting the right people to see the work is the hard part!
The location you are selling in can make a huge difference...the eagle stick at a low end craft fair for 50$ will prob. not move...the same stick in a gallery in Colorado would very likely go for 300$.
Besides all that I think you have to be comfortable with price you put on a piece...don't sell something and then have that regret kick in after its too late!

greg

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

thats all true, I have no doubt, problem is knowing where and when! lol

[UNCLE_RICK]

Thanks everybody. I have numerous people wanting carvings done, 'spirit sticks, big bear bench, nik-naks'. Read all the posts in the general carving area and realized I just need to do this as a suppliment to my day job. I don't think I'll ever get to retire, I'm 40 and work at an auto dealership. This means no real retirement plan 10 hour days 5 days a week and very few days off. But I have an understanding wife that took 2 years of buying tools and puttering before she said 'if you want anymore you better make some money with it'
Thanks
Rick

[owlhause]

[quote author=Hi_Ho_Sliver link=board=Beginner;num=1078959599;start=0#6 date=03/11/04 at 17:19:06]thats all true, I have no doubt, problem is knowing where and when! lol [/quote]

Kind of like a slot machine!

[AlArchie]

We have several carvers in our club who sell their work. Some carve very simple items (clever, but not too difficult) and move a lot through local galleries. Several others do intricate work and can seem to sell only a few pieces at the higher prices. Low prices, however do not necessarily equate with sales.

An artistically well done bird, decoy, fish, relief, etc., should be able to bring anywhere between 100 and 500 bucks with no problem, and excellent work can go into the thousands. Those higher priced carvings don't sell as often, but pricing too low puts a stop on a lot of sales also. The market pretty well determines what the sales price should be.

Check around and see what other work of similar quality is fetching, and price yours in that range. Also check and see if those works are by a locally or regionally accepted artist, as these will price out somewhat higher, and you will need to develop a reputation in the sales area.

Also, if you find an outlet that moves a few of your pieces, it is more likely that it will be willing to display more, and actually work to sell your carvings, as they make their profits from items that move, not the ones that sit gathering dust.

These aren't just my own opinions but the result of many hours of discussion with other carvers in our club, who sucessfully market their work.

Al