New Boxes Born

I'm grateful for the useful advice I'm receiving from everyone. I am truly blessed to have so many wonderful friends.

Lots of requests to see more of my work. Since I just "birthed" a group of 5 boxes, I'm including their portraits here. I'm not a professional photographer, so you'll have to put up with these unprofessional photos. To give you an idea of size, I measured the largest box in the group. The box with the tiny school bus on the top has a footprint of 6 1/2" X 5" and is 6" tall. The top of this box is actually slanted a bit, so the 6" is the maximum height. It's hard to see just what is in that 1/2 circle box with the Chinese symbol on the lid. Inside is a tiny Buddha. Prices range from $35-$55 for the boxes in this group. $35 represents the lowest price on any of my boxes and they go up to $100. When I first started selling these, I heard many people say my prices were way too low. Over the years I've inched up the amounts but even last month a customer said, "These are so inexpensive!"

Pricing is a difficult issue for all artists. Of course, we never get paid for our TIME, because it's so hard to convince buyers our pricing should include at least a reasonable hourly wage. I generally consider pricing by three criteria: cost of materials, difficulty of execution (this would include my time), and what the market will bear. Another point comes into play with pricing. How do you handle adjusting prices for work sold directly to a buyer compared to work for which you receive only a percentage (i.e. art sold on consignment)? I'd like to hear from other artists how you price your work.

So many boxes to make and so little time! I also have to finish 2 collages and a paper quilt. I'll include photos of those another day.