Ricohdd228@AOL.COM on thu 10 apr 03
Dear Clayart:
Hi. My name is Drew Degen, and I am a high school senior. I discovered
ceramics this year and fell deeply in love with clay; mostly throwing. Since
December, I have only thrown about 35 pieces, but I have already had a few
inquiries about if they are for sale. I have talked to my ceramics teacher
about it, and all she tells me is that I need to price according to what the
piece means to me. I just don't have enough experience to have a good basis
for pricing. I dont know if I should charge less because of my experience or
more because its one of my first pieces and it has sentimental value. I
guess its pretty hard without seeing my work, but if you have any tips on
pricing for a person in my situation it would be greatly appreciated. Thank
you very much.
Drew Degen
By the way, the website is great!
mercy lang on thu 10 apr 03
Hi Drew-Here's my opinion and keep in mind that I'm a sculptor and not a potter(i don't throw). I specify this in case there is a difference in markets. It really becomes a question of what the market will bear. You have to look at your pieces objectively and compare them to other ceramists and see how what their prices are. The internet should provide you with plenty information on diferrent artists and their pricing. Keep in touch and when you have pictures email me- I would love to see your art. Best of luck, Mercy Lang
Ricohdd228@AOL.COM wrote:Dear Clayart:
Hi. My name is Drew Degen, and I am a high school senior. I discovered
ceramics this year and fell deeply in love with clay; mostly throwing. Since
December, I have only thrown about 35 pieces, but I have already had a few
inquiries about if they are for sale. I have talked to my ceramics teacher
about it, and all she tells me is that I need to price according to what the
piece means to me. I just don't have enough experience to have a good basis
for pricing. I dont know if I should charge less because of my experience or
more because its one of my first pieces and it has sentimental value. I
guess its pretty hard without seeing my work, but if you have any tips on
pricing for a person in my situation it would be greatly appreciated. Thank
you very much.
Drew Degen
By the way, the website is great!
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Mercy Lang
Visit www.mercylang.com for fine art and sculpture. Jewelry for your Home!
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Snail Scott on fri 11 apr 03
At 06:02 PM 4/10/03 EDT, Drew wrote:
>I have only thrown about 35 pieces, but I have already had a few
>inquiries about if they are for sale...I dont know if I should charge less
because of my experience or
>more because its one of my first pieces and it has sentimental value...
There are a few ways to look at this, as you note.
You can charge a lot for your pots, because they are
precious to you, and you are reluctant to part with
them. But, frankly, most people who want to buy
student work do so because they figure it's cheaper,
and a good deal at that price but not at a higher one.
If it's priced like a professionally-made pot, then
it will be judged by professional-pot standards. If
your work truly holds its own against such work, then
you can price it accordingly, but be prepared for the
expectation that student pots, like student haircuts,
should come at a discount. People may want to be
supportive of students, but not at too high a cost.
Many students price their work quite high, with the
rationale that "I want to keep it, but if someone offers
me that much money for it, they can have it." This sounds
pleasingly logical, but don't do it. First, it insults
your potential buyer, who is typically not so big a fan
of the work as to want to pay a premium for it, and is
left wondering "do they think I'm a sucker, or what?"
Second, it insults you, since it implies that you don't
know the worth of your own work. The minute you put a
price tag on something, you are placing yourself in a
professional arena (even as a student), and it implies
that you have no grasp of your market, and are thus
far more amateurish than the buyer had thought when
they first saw your pots. Third, it's fence-sitting to
no advantage. Make up your mind - do you really want to
sell it, or not? If you do, price it realistically.
If you don't, then don't play games, simply don't offer
it for sale.
The opposite tack, pricing low, is frequently derided
by professionals, who fear that they are being undercut
by people who don't even try to make their hobby pay
for itself, much less support the craftsman. I think
that this is only relevant for work which is truly
competing on an equal footing with professional work.
Student work being sold at fund-raisers or out of the
school studio is not competing with anyone, and the
only bottom price, as I see it, is how little you are
willing to accept for it.
I would take this opportunity to think about what the
work is really worth. It's good practice, at the very
least. Go to local shops that sell pottery, to craft
fairs, and visit local potters. Look at the prices being
asked, and look at the work. Evaluate it. See how the
craftsmanship, design, effort, and even presentation
affect the price. Compare your work to what you see.
Good weight? Smooth rims? Well-fitted lids? Useful size?
Functional shape for its intended purpose? Eye-catching
or unique? Attractive/popular colors? Appropriate surface
designs/ornament? Matching sets? How much cheaper are
'seconds', and what makes them 'seconds'?
Compare your work to similar work that you see, with
a critical eye. Are your bottoms a bit thick? Rims
uneven? Glazes patchy? Forms awkward? Think about how
these aspects affect the value, in your own mind. It's
not just an exercise in pricing, it's about looking
thoughtfully at quality, as well as the other intangible
aspects that appeal to the buyer. Think of it as giving
yourself a 'real-world' grade, using real-world standards.
Even if you never try to make a living selling pottery,
you'll learn a lot in the effort.
No one will expect your student work to hold its own
against the work of experienced professionals, and the
point of this is not to make you feel like you have to
compete on their terms. But, when you sell work, you
are functioning within the 'real world' even though
you are a student. You will gain the respect of your
buyers and your teacher by knowing your own level in
it, and pricing your work accordingly.
Sentimental value is for you. And maybe friends and
family. It's a real, true thing. But you can't charge more
money for it to other people - it's not their sentiment.
So: Evaluate your work realistically. Choose appropriate
prices in real-world terms. Then: Decide whether the
sentimental value of those pieces remains greater to you
than the money the prices represent. If you'd rather
keep them, do it! If not, go ahead and sell. But at a
fair market price.
-Snail
robin wright on fri 11 apr 03
Hi Drew,
this might work for you,try to decide how much you would like to be paid per
hour, then see how many pieces you can throw and finish in 1 hour. Divide
your hourly rate by the number of pieces finished, add costs and thats your
bottom price per piece, if your customers will pay more all the better. Good
luck.
Robin
----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2003 11:02 PM
Subject: What do I do about pricing?
> Dear Clayart:
>
> Hi. My name is Drew Degen, and I am a high school senior. I discovered
> ceramics this year and fell deeply in love with clay; mostly throwing.
Since
> December, I have only thrown about 35 pieces, but I have already had a few
> inquiries about if they are for sale. I have talked to my ceramics
teacher
> about it, and all she tells me is that I need to price according to what
the
> piece means to me. I just don't have enough experience to have a good
basis
> for pricing. I dont know if I should charge less because of my experience
or
> more because its one of my first pieces and it has sentimental value. I
> guess its pretty hard without seeing my work, but if you have any tips on
> pricing for a person in my situation it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank
> you very much.
>
> Drew Degen
>
> By the way, the website is great!
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
>
Mitch Kotula on fri 11 apr 03
Drew: Go to galleries and other places where pots are
sold. Compare your work with theirs: is it equal to,
better than or not as good as? With this "data" in
mind, put together your best pots and approach the
gallery owner or store owner, not the clerks.
Introduce yourself as a potter and ask if they would
like to look at your work and perhaps consign it.
Personally, I let the gallery owner guide me on
pricing, but a lot of potters I know dictate what they
want the pot to sell for. You choose.
This is a learning experience now, and will remain so.
Every market is different and the tastes of owners
and galleries covers a wide range.
I recommend you just keep throwing, experimenting and
getting it out there. The experience far outweighs
whatever other people tell you.
Mitch]
=====
Mitch Kotula
Development Plus
PO Box 2076
Hamilton, MT 59840-4076
406-961-5136 (Home)
406-546-6980 (Cell)
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