Maurice Weitman on mon 12 jan 04
I know that there are friends, Friends, and FRIENDS, but I'd love to
know general ideas about how you all handle this sticky situation.
And if it's not sticky for you, I'd love to know that, too. I will
be in awe of your reasonableness.
To a great extent, I recognize that my problem with this is my
problem. It's why I was so wildly successful as a pro bono
consultant to non-profit orgs. I could never charge them!!!
And of course many of my friends make/have lots more money than I, but still...
Thanks.
Regards,
Maurice (who has eight shopping bags filled with six years of New
Yorker, Harper's, and NY Times magazines going out to the curb for
recycling.)
wayneinkeywest on tue 13 jan 04
I'm probably the wrong one to comment on this.
I give everything I make (pottery)away. That gets
expensive, though, real quick. But I don't do it for
a living (yet).
A fair price is a fair price, and no one is going to
dispute that. If you want to give a friend a deal,
give them a percentage off your "regular" price.
That's what I do in business, for friends and
good repeat clients. (some of our clients have
been with us for ten years, which is almost
unheard of in this business)
I've also had people I don't know (who are
friends of good clients) "expect" a deal,
because "they know so and so". In THAT
case, I raise my normal price 15%, then
give them 15% off. They're happy, and I'm
not "giving away the store."
I know that sounds awful, but hey, I like to eat,
and prefer to sleep under a roof.
And fair is fair.
Wayne Seidl
> I know that there are friends, Friends, and FRIENDS, but I'd love to
> know general ideas about how you all handle this sticky situation.
>
> And if it's not sticky for you, I'd love to know that, too. I will
> be in awe of your reasonableness.
>
> To a great extent, I recognize that my problem with this is my
> problem. It's why I was so wildly successful as a pro bono
> consultant to non-profit orgs. I could never charge them!!!
>
> And of course many of my friends make/have lots more money than I, but
still...
>
> Thanks.
>
> Regards,
> Maurice (who has eight shopping bags filled with six years of New
> Yorker, Harper's, and NY Times magazines going out to the curb for
> recycling.)
>
>
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__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
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>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
>
claybair on tue 13 jan 04
Maurice,
I have several patrons who became good friends.
I give them a 10% discount and occasionally gift them
with a small item.
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From:Maurice Weitman
I know that there are friends, Friends, and FRIENDS, but I'd love to
know general ideas about how you all handle this sticky situation.
And if it's not sticky for you, I'd love to know that, too. I will
be in awe of your reasonableness.
To a great extent, I recognize that my problem with this is my
problem. It's why I was so wildly successful as a pro bono
consultant to non-profit orgs. I could never charge them!!!
And of course many of my friends make/have lots more money than I, but
still...
daniel on tue 13 jan 04
Hi Maurice,
I have only recently started selling pots. My friends have been very
supportive buying pieces and accepting gifts. My view is that neither person
should feel taken advantage of because of the friendship. Find a fair price
you can both accept and go with it. If I've already priced something for
sale then that's the price I generally go with. If not then it can be
discussed but I think its helpful if you think about what you think its
worth (friendship aside), and if you're feeling generous then fine. I
certainly don't want to end up bargaining over my pots with my friends. But
I have generally found that they are equally hesitant about prices not
wishing to under pay me either.
I have a commission for sushi plates which I will have to do the price
thing over soon and that will be interesting. They are friends of mine and I
have to re-do the plates to be happy with them yet. They afterall know where
I live :)
HTH
D
Susan Cline on tue 13 jan 04
I have struggled with this too. BUT, this past year I participated in my first-ever show/sale. I was forced to establish some pricing and was not too far off on most of my items. Some of my friends came and bought things; no one balked at my pricing (which means it may be too low . . .) some have called me recently and bought additional items.
My conclusion: establish a price and tell your friends what it is. If they like the piece, they will buy it. If they are friends they should respect the time and effort you put into your work and should not be asking for special deals.
I do not charge sales tax, but pay it to the state. I price my things accordingly. You can always tell your friends they already have a discount by virtue of not having to pay sales tax, if this is relevant where you live.
Sometimes I barter with friends for needed services, but this is always established beforehand: massage therapist, hairdresser, etc.
Hope this helps.
Sue Cline
Cincinnati Ohio
-----Original Message-----
From: Maurice Weitman
Sent: Jan 13, 2004 2:08 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: selling your pots to friends
I know that there are friends, Friends, and FRIENDS, but I'd love to
know general ideas about how you all handle this sticky situation.
And if it's not sticky for you, I'd love to know that, too. I will
be in awe of your reasonableness.
To a great extent, I recognize that my problem with this is my
problem. It's why I was so wildly successful as a pro bono
consultant to non-profit orgs. I could never charge them!!!
And of course many of my friends make/have lots more money than I, but still...
Thanks.
Regards,
Maurice (who has eight shopping bags filled with six years of New
Yorker, Harper's, and NY Times magazines going out to the curb for
recycling.)
______________________________________________________________________________
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.
Eleanor on wed 14 jan 04
Maurice Weitman wrote:
> if it's not sticky for you, I'd love to know that, too
It's not sticky for me because it doesn't happen.
The pots I make are pretty nice, not Great Art by any means, but
fairly well-made and glazed, but not, IMO, good enough to sell,
compared with what I see in good craft fairs and on the internet. I
am my severest critic; family and friends tell me I'm nuts.
I give away a lot of what I make, to my kids ("the teapot doesn't
drip--much"), to relatives and to friends. That's not FRIENDS,
Maurice.
I'm very friendly with a few people who were co-workers. We're all
retired on pensions/SS and we have disposable income ranging from
some to a lot. And we all need gifts for Special Occasions for
children, grand-, god-children, etc. One friend took up potting as a
Retirement Activity but gave it up for Golf. I have given them pots.
We convene in each others' homes for Ladies Lunch and when they come
to my house they see my "good" stuff prominently displayed, serve
themselves from my bowls and drink their coffee from my mugs. They
ooh and ah over the pots and the former amateur potter pronounces
them "salable". They all urge me to sell.
NOT ONE OF THEM HAS EVER OFFERED TO BUY ANYTHING (and we have
discussed pricing).
Are they in reality trying to tell me something? Or do they just have
poor taste?
I was going to try and pre-holiday sell at two venues which I thought
suitable for my level of work, but for one reason or another--one
being cold feet--did not. Maybe this year.
Eleanor Kohler
Centerport, NY
The sun is out today, but it's too cold for it to melt the ice.
terry sullivan on thu 15 jan 04
I figure my potter friends work hard for a living same as me. Probably
harder. I pay full price and don't ask for a discount.
Sometimes I do ask for a little preferential treatment because I buy
lots of their pots. Like first choise of a few pots before a sale or
some such. But I still pay full price and wouldn't have it otherwise.
Occasionaly a workshop presenter or potter friend who has used my
facillity for something special they can't do in their own shop, will
give me a pot as thanks. That's a gift. Like when you help out a
friend with a building project. A little thank you gift.
Otherwise I always feel it is best to keep business as busines, and
friendship as friendship.
Terry Sullivan
Nottingham Center for the Arts
San Marcos, CA.
Personal email to: tsullivan@nottinghamarts.org
Workin my ass off these last two weeks in a Timber Frame class at
Palomar College. Saturday we raise the structure at the Antique Gas and
Steam Museum in Vista , CA. for a performace stage structure.
Weather: mid 70's and clear.
Billie Mitchell on thu 15 jan 04
i sell pots to freinds also.. i always give a discount. some insist that i
not give one but i do it anyways.. they also get pots as gifts.. mostly
ones that are left over from the end of the season or when i start a new
line and the old stuff doesnt fit in with what i am doing now. they dont
expect gifts all the time.. you give and they give. most support me
whenever they can.. if not by buying pots but supporting me by coming to my
shows galleries etc. sometimes people get in a rut and dont stop and think.
when you start selling im sure they will start buying.. it took a little
time to for some to realize that i have a business here and i cant be
giving away my work all the time. i also have some over to make pots..
those are the ones that see how much work goes into a piece. sometimes you
have to educate your family and friends and then they in turn pass on this
knowledge to their friends.
billie mitchell
artistswc@bellsouth.net
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