Tiki's Fair Market Value? - Tiki Carving

T Tamapoutini Member Aotearoa (New Zealand) Joined: Aug 30, 2006 Posts: 1530	T Tamapoutini Posted posted on Sun, Dec 10, 2006 12:12 PM Funny how the more prolific/experienced amongst us agree that there is no magic formula! Even Ben says he probably isnt the man to ask & admits that he's still learning... Ben: Pricing is one of the toughest aspects of carving for a living, eh? -Sucks when you hear of customers lauding it over a humble deal! It is the same when you see a piece sold on for a whopping profit! Damn. I dont think people realise that when you are producing everyday, youve also got to look at selling everyday simply in order to recoup some time/money & to stop yourself from drowning under a tiki-tidalwave (or Moai mountain)... The pricing 'adjustment' at the end often falls in the favour of the buyer because no matter how long a piece takes, it can be let down by flaws in the materials or the smallest of 'mistakes'. Those cheaper pieces often take just as long or longer to produce than a perfect piece that has behaved itself throughout the process - where's the hourly rate/$per foot then?? As for pricing the Moai: Im glad Im not in your shoes; thats a toughy!! Perhaps it should go on the amount/quality of feedback/'props' given by those watching..?? Ooh, this one's gonna cost ya Gman!!! :lol: Gman: Ill give you a dollar for your 2 cents; some good points raised. Yes, price most definately fluctuates depending on the wieght of bills that need to be paid. Its your work, they're your bills & as an artist you/we have every right to raise or lower prices as we need/want to. There's also nothing wrong with accepting a lower price from the poor-but-deserving. Im sure we've all had that experience before. I have had the odd really nice piece that has been given away; the person it ends up with being more important to me than any amount of cash from a stranger... You're also right to point out that not many artists really get to produce their very best work on a regular basis. Most have those B&B lines to pay the bills which are 'aimed' at a buying public & only get to 'indulge' their art for rich patrons or at the expence of heat, food etc... I raise a glass to those who aim to be one of the 1-in-1000 who make it to Super-Stardom! ching T3 :)

*Funny how the more prolific/experienced amongst us agree that there is no magic formula! Even Ben says he probably isnt the man to ask & admits that he's still learning...

Ben: Pricing is one of the toughest aspects of carving for a living, eh? -Sucks when you hear of customers lauding it over a humble deal! It is the same when you see a piece sold on for a whopping profit! Damn.
I dont think people realise that when you are producing everyday, youve also got to look at selling everyday simply in order to recoup some time/money & to stop yourself from drowning under a tiki-tidalwave (or Moai mountain)... The pricing 'adjustment' at the end often falls in the favour of the buyer because no matter how long a piece takes, it can be let down by flaws in the materials or the smallest of 'mistakes'. Those cheaper pieces often take just as long or longer to produce than a perfect piece that has behaved itself throughout the process - where's the hourly rate/$per foot then??
As for pricing the Moai: Im glad Im not in your shoes; thats a toughy!! Perhaps it should go on the amount/quality of feedback/'props' given by those watching..?? Ooh, this one's gonna cost ya Gman!!! :lol:

Gman: Ill give you a dollar for your 2 cents; some good points raised.
Yes, price most definately fluctuates depending on the wieght of bills that need to be paid. Its your work, they're your bills & as an artist you/we have every right to raise or lower prices as we need/want to. There's also nothing wrong with accepting a lower price from the poor-but-deserving. Im sure we've all had that experience before. I have had the odd really nice piece that has been given away; the person it ends up with being more important to me than any amount of cash from a stranger...
You're also right to point out that not many artists really get to produce their very best work on a regular basis. Most have those B&B lines to pay the bills which are 'aimed' at a buying public & only get to 'indulge' their art for rich patrons or at the expence of heat, food etc...

*I raise a glass to those who aim to be one of the 1-in-1000 who make it to Super-Stardom! ching

T3 :)

Post #271592 by Tamapoutini on Sun, Dec 10, 2006 12:12 PM