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The reasonable pricing for commissions

Discussion in 'Art' started by Juilee, Jan 26, 2018.

  1. Juilee

    Juilee New Member

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    Some people seem to have this magical price point for art commissions in their heads and they think that's the reasonable price. When they asked for a quote, they were shocked to learn the prices to commission an artist is way higher than what they are expecting.

    My point is some people tend to think prices below $30 is reasonable and it's not. They can expect to pay at least $100 minimum for a professional quality art. They may think that's not a reasonable price at all especially if you are trying to live on a small paycheck.

    But art is a luxury. So maybe for people with a small paycheck they can still spend money on commissions but they can only get it from amateurs. They won't get the best quality from an amateur that's for sure.

    However, is it really terrible to deprive them from getting quality art? Some people act like they were entitled to good quality work when they can't afford it and try to justify their cheap offers as reasonable.
     
  2. RianK

    RianK New Member

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    Well, the topic is way more complicated than one could ever atempt to put into a post on a thread on some random forum, but I think there is one way to make it so that everyone is happy: the artist can simply make smaller pieces, affordable for those with smaller incomes. Simple, right?

    As for the snobs, there will always be snobs around, no one can help it, there is little to be done about that, save for not wasting your time with them, methinks.
     
  3. Emily Bartow

    Emily Bartow New Member

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    Pricing art is one of the hardest parts of the selling process for this category. Do you keep prices low if you're a new artist, regardless of your level of talent? Or do you charge on a scale that is based on skill? Or size? Or time invested? Or do you charge super high in an attempt to grab peoples attention and think your work must be worth something, even though your name as an artist is unknown?

    My boyfriend is an artist, so I have firsthand experience with this subject as of late. We decided we would take emotion out of the process pf pricing and came up with a "formula" for deciding on pricing, both for custom pieces and pieces in the collections. We take into account the following: size (price per square inch which we determined by Width x Length x Price Per Hour). Price per hour is calculated by reputation (he is a new artist) plus his current rate of pay at his actual day job. We then add in the cost of materials and double that in order to see a profit.

    So far, it has worked well for us and we will recalculate at the end of the year as needed. Hope this answers your question!
     

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