Beadwrangler Special Feature
April 24, 2000

Question: Dear Barb, I am considering selling my beadwork, but I have no idea how much to ask for it. Do you have any advice?

Answer: Dear beader, I think you have asked the ‘$64,000 Question.” I hope I can answer it!

Pricing your beadwork for sale is, perhaps, the hardest part of being in the beadwork business. There are formulas that some artists use to help them determine the price of the pieces they sell. It goes something like this: Charge $10-20 per hour of work, plus the cost of materials.

This sounds great on paper, but in reality it can cause problems. It often takes several hours of labor intensive work to create a wonderful piece of beadwork and that runs the price up sky high. If you sell your work at craft shows where people expect to get great bargains, your prices will be too costly and you probably won’t sell much. Also, if you have to keep track of the time it takes to make a piece, it can take some of the joy out of beading. When the art becomes the business, the creative process is often negatively affected. The artist often thinks more about the time/money issue than the joy of creating a magnificent piece.

Many great artists have bemoaned the necessity of doing ‘bread and butter’ work (inexpensive art) to keep the money coming in. Unfortunately, they spend so much time on it that they can’t do the ‘real’ art that is hidden in the recesses of their soul. My intent here is not to discourage you from selling your work, but rather to bring some reality into the decision.

Now, having said all that, here are some suggestions to get you started.

1. Visit art galleries in your area to see what similar work is selling for. Also, talk to other local artists about their pricing process.

2. If you are putting your work into a gallery, remember that they will tack a commission amount onto the piece; anywhere from 30-50%. So keep that in mind when you price your art. Be sure to talk to the gallery owner to see how he/she will promote you/your work.

3. If you are a well known name you can ask more for your work than if you are just beginning. So promote yourself by writing magazine articles and offer them to the national beadwork magazines. Talk to your local newspaper to see if they do articles on artists.

4. Approach the local libraries and even banks or other businesses that have showcases to see if they’d be interested in showing your work. Airports often have great showcases. Some of these places do not sell the pieces, but they give you great free exposure.

5. Remember, there are many wonderful artists out there waiting to get ‘discovered’. Many of them grow old waiting. You are your best advertisement. If you make jewelry, wear your work.

6. Start a guild and have local shows and sales.

7. If you have a web page, promote yourself/your work.

8. Make up a portfolio with good quality pictures of the unique pieces you have done. Put together a professional looking resume listing all the shows, awards, magazine articles, etc. you have done. Also, list any promotional pieces about you/your work that others have done in local or national publications.

9. Keep your work original. That way you don’t have to worry about copyright infringements and you won’t see the same exact piece done by another local artist. Most people like pieces that are unique.

10. Above all, enjoy your art. It will show! And the enthusiasm will rub off onto others who may just buy some of your work.

Enjoy! Barb Barb Grainger

copyright April, 2000 Barbara L Grainger

"The greatest tragedy isn't death - it's what dies inside you while you're living." Actor Gary Busey

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