Pros and cons for pricing on your website

[StevenW]

I've been thinking and one of the things I've noticed about a lot of sculptors/artists websites is they're pretty much split down the middle as far as putting price tags on their work.
Given that many do and many don't put price tags up, I'm wondering what some of your reasons for and against are. I am undecided as far as what is "better" if indeed there is a better choice, but I feel that a good website is not just a store and not just a billboard either, but something in-between. Does anyone have a website where only certain pieces have price tags and others don't?

Just curious to hear people's thoughts..
TIA

Steven

P.S. I edited this a little because on reflection it's a little baited sounding and I don't want it to come across that way.. So let me just ask if there's any one reason why you do or don't?

Thanks again..

[cooljamesx1]

I think a good website would have pictures with a link to purchasing information. that way people interested in buying have the info they want, while at the same time people can browse your work without being told it's "value"; without the site being just a store.

[evaldart]

I don't price work on the site because of how much prices can change from day to day. A brand new piece is always much higher than it should be (the latest work for me is always the most exciting). Things that have hung around a good while are subject to negotiation - especially if I'm in a bit of a dry spell. Some mornings I wake up mad at the world for not paying me what I'm worth; the work is expensive that day. Some mornings the desparation hacks prices to regrettable lows.

But its generally not at volatile as I've made it sound. Of course sizes, man-hours, wieght, exhibition venue, all come into play and I like to see the prices for similar works creep up as I creep along in my career.

I am usually working without representation so no one else is getting a cut. I have plenty of work laying around and it must feed the work yet to be produced.

People will form opinions about you and your work based on price. Let them form those opinions BEFORE they know the price.

I'm sure I've lost sales because of whimsical pricing and I've let things go way too cheap...at the end of the year though the digits and numerals matter alot and simply need to just add up to a wage that makes for a pleasurable life. Some years are more pleasurable than others.

[tonofelephant]

I post prices on the web site because am interested in selling work. Up til two years ago I could not put prices on my website because a gallery owner put his prices above my retail prices so he could "negotiate" a price with clients.

My thought is that the price is the price. I have provided the galleries selling my work the retail price. They agreed to handle my work at that price so we have a done deal. In addition, pricing on a web site helps clients coming to your site to decide if they want to purchase your work.

To me pricing is all about lowering the obstacles to having the customer buy the work. Have run in to enough obstacles selling work to appreciate the opportunity to rid myself of one.

Carl
www.wsggallery.com

[Julianna]

People will form opinions about you and your work based on price. Let them form those opinions BEFORE they know the price.

I agree.

No prices are on my website---the site is meant to be more of an online portfolio than a store/gallery. I have often considered providing a price range, but have been back and forth about that.

I can understand the desire to making it easy for customers to buy the sculptures, but I also only want serious enquiries.