Dan Saultman on wed 30 jul 97
I just read over the fees for submitting to a certain competition.
1. $10 per slide (3 slides max per piece)
[Gee, they'll only accept $30 of my money per piece]
2. If, after accepting my $30 slides, they like em' they get to keep
em' [Gee, thank you]
3. If My piece is accepted I pay shipping to and from destination
(ok).
4. When they repack my piece they get $25 [Double Gee]
5. They get 25% of sale price (ok)
HOW ABOUT THIS.........
1. I charge $35 for opening my submission envelope.
2. There is a one time entitlement to view my slides $10 ea. slide
3. Based on the photography industry standards, a usage fee will be
charged for my slides as well as a credit to the photographer. $25
4. My pot will be submitted with a special plexiglass enclosure that
has a black curtain and a coin slot. You put in 4 quarters and the
little curtain goes up for 12 seconds (sorry no group viewing allowed)
5. If you want to buy my piece there is a 25% buyer's tax.
6. Finally, if my piece doesn't sell and is returned, there is a $25
"re-stocking" fee.
==Thank you for accepting my $12 mug for your competetion!==
Sincerely
Dan Saultman, The profitable art potter
In Colorado, just tryin' to make a buck!
Dawne Jenelle Fowkes on thu 31 jul 97
Dan,
Good point but as we know, people wouldn't just enter a mug in a show. I
totaled what it would cost to enter a piece that had a value of $250. The
total came to $167.50 which included their entry fees, slide fees (for
dupes), packaging(my side), shipping on my side (both ways), their
commission and packing fees. Net profit: $82.50. This is a loose figure as
shipping is difficult to calculate without knowing where it's going. What a
nightmare!
This is an age old and ongoing situation that doesn't seem to have a
solution that everyone can live with. I can understand the feelings on both
sides of the fence about the fees. If you don't have a grant or funding from
a "source" to hold a competition, you have to get the money from somewhere.
But tacking on all kinds of fees isn't going to make you popular either and
tends to be exclusionary from a monetary point. We all know the ups and
downs of entering a competition so I won't be redundant.
My personal philosophy is to be VERY PICKY!!!!! Still, I am incredulous
when some of those competition prospectus' arrive. What are they
thinking?????????
Cheers!
Dawne Jenelle Fowkes
Ventura, California (where it is a gorgeous sunny California day.. perfect
weather)
Don Jones on fri 1 aug 97
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Dan,
> Good point but as we know, people wouldn't just enter a mug in a show. I
>totaled what it would cost to enter a piece that had a value of $250. The
>total came to $167.50 which included their entry fees, slide fees (for
>dupes), packaging(my side), shipping on my side (both ways), their
>commission and packing fees. Net profit: $82.50. This is a loose figure as
>shipping is difficult to calculate without knowing where it's going. What a
>nightmare!
My philosphy on entering compeitiions is that it is very much like
advertising. I don't understand why anyone would do it to make a profit on
a single piece. This is stuff one does to enhance one's resume, image,
overall pricing, get noticed by a larger audience, tested by a name judge,
be seen in the company of nationally known ceramists, see how one fits into
the larger ceramic picture etc. etc.
I think you have to keep knocking on these doors if you want to make an
impact on ceramics as a whole. If you have a satement to make in clay then
you should be able to make money at it doing marketing work and have your
work focused on at national and regional compeitions. It's two seperate
things. I would like to get into the big show in New Zealand. I apply
every year knowing that it will cost a couple of hundred dollars just to
get it there. I write off the cost of this work as advertising.
Don Jones
claysky@highfiber.com
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