Art Festival Selling Prices

[dmunsie]

I went to my first art festival to get a feel for quality and prices for the prints they were selling. I was actually shocked, in a good way, how high the prices were. Smaller prints were under 300.00, but the larger prints were priced usually around 2k and a good number were much higher, 3-5k! Limited editions with the photog siggy, etc, etc.

Thought it was interesting info enough to post here in the commercial section. Anyone have any experience selling at art festivals? Is that a captive market?

 

[tirediron]

Prices on stickers are one thing, actual sales, a totally different animal. If the person is selling at those prices, that's good, but I'm guessing, chances are, they went home with pretty much the same number of prints they arrived with - that's a TOUGH row to how.

 

[Steve5D]

What Tirediron said.

My brother's a photographer down in northern Florida. I went down there to help him with his booth at a music and arts festival. His prices were far from high, and he sold very little until he lowered his prices towards the end of the last day. He was selling matted 5x7" prints for $20.00. He sold a lot of them, just not when they were priced at $25.00.

Conversely, he has prints in a gallery there, and sold nothing until he raised his prices...

 

[KmH]

Each market is different.

Even in the same market, different shows often attract a different type of buyer.
Juried shows often allow higher prices than non-juried shows.
Outdoor shows often limit prices compared to indoor shows.
Shows in Dallas can generally be priced higher than shows in Lubbock.

 

[LouR]

What Tirediron said.

My brother's a photographer down in northern Florida. I went down there to help him with his booth at a music and arts festival. His prices were far from high, and he sold very little until he lowered his prices towards the end of the last day. He was selling matted 5x7" prints for $20.00. He sold a lot of them, just not when they were priced at $25.00.

Conversely, he has prints in a gallery there, and sold nothing until he raised his prices...

It's all very psychological. I've done art fairs for years and have to sell matted and framed prints for very little profit ( I basically triple my costs and that's with buying frames on sale) but those very same pieces I have sold for 10x what they cost me when showing in galleries.

I agree that pricing is one thing, actual sales are another. People going to street fairs want a bargain that's unique while people going to galleries think they're "collectors" of fine art. I find it's the same or worse with juried shows. I was in one in which one of the judges thought digitally enhanced photography wasn't art at all and was debating that with another judge who wanted one of my pieces in the winner's circle. The following year, he wasn't there and I won 2nd place, Fine Art. But, I digress...

 

[Ilovemycam]

Wow, never knew they were that high.

 

[Steve5D]

People going to street fairs want a bargain that's unique while people going to galleries think they're "collectors" of fine art.

Exactly.

Just as it's possible to price your work too high, it's equally possible to price it too low.

"Perceived value" can be a very effective lure...