bv52gyf Loc: Kincardine, Scotland

My employer is running an ArtFest where staff can submit work to be sold with some profits going to charity.

I am submitting 20 pieces prints on canvas and have been asked about prices to charge. To be honest, this will be the first time for me to sell anything I have photographed and I could do with some help regarding pricing.

I have framed canvas prints in the following sizes: (all inches)

8X8
12X8
16X12
24X12

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks

Andy

SX2002 Loc: Adelaide, South Australia

Are they actually framed Andy or just the unframed ones on an art type frame/stretcher...don't think I've ever seen a canvas framed...
This will have quite a bearing on price structure as will the cost of getting your pics printed on canvas...

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

first sale? I'd ask 2 to 3 times the cost you have invested. Later, when you get more experience and learn what the market will bear, You raise the prices to as high as you can go, adn still make a sale. Remember, it is psychological for people to think the pictures that cost more "must" be better.

I know it sounds strange, but I tend to do better when I put higher price tags on my prints.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

That sounds like a reasonable markup and is line with many other merchandise types. However, don’t forget to include something for the cost of your time in the base. I mean, don't limit yourself to the cost of framing and printing.

Since it is going to charity, it is a great opportunity to play with prices to see what the market will bear.

You could also ask your employer, if this is not the first time they have been involved in this kind of thing.

RRS Loc: Not sure

I have a lot of canvas prints but only two that are framed and those are of my children's weddings.

bv52gyf Loc: Kincardine, Scotland

Many thanks guys for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it

Andy

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

We have a lady at the club who puts up canvas prints for sale she gets between £65 and £85 dep on size - she turns 3 or 4 a month to club members and visitors. but cost X 3.5 = 70% gross profit in catering so should do the same in photography

Photographer Jim Loc: Rio Vista, CA

In some ways, this is a tougher question to answer than one might expect.

I usually sell my work at between x3 and x4.5 my production costs, depending on the quality of the festival and the expected demographics of the area and clientele. This would be considered fairly typical.

You may have other considerations however which may make that rule of thumb unwise. First, because this is not a regular thing for you, your production costs may be higher than somebody on the festival circuit. If you are pricing at the higher margin, you may therefore end up with a price that is "over-priced" in comparison to the rest of the market. Secondly, the size and nature of the show may also dictate how large a margin you can charge and still be within the range of "what the market will allow". If, the festival is fairly large (100+ artists), juried to eliminate poor quality or mass produced items, and expected to draw a substantial crowd, you can ask a higher price than you might at at a small, non-juried, community sponsored show, with just a few artists, and just a small crowd of locals attending. In that case you might be forced to drop down to only x2 your cost in order to be within the festival's overall price range, in order to attract any sales. However, be careful that you are not low-balling the other artists at the show.