- Calculate your true costs
Include materials, framing, packaging, studio expenses, shipping supplies, and selling fees (gallery commissions, website fees, payment processing charges).
- Factor in your time
Track the hours spent creating the piece and apply a reasonable hourly rate based on your experience and skill level.
- Establish a pricing formula
Use a consistent structure such as:
- Hourly rate × hours + materials
- Price per square inch (for 2D work)
- Size-based pricing tiers
- Research your market
Compare prices of artists with similar experience, medium, subject matter, and geographic market.
- Be consistent
Keep pricing predictable across similar works in size and complexity to build buyer confidence.
- Avoid emotional pricing
Don’t raise prices because you’re attached to a piece or lower them because you lack confidence.
- Account for commissions
If selling through a gallery, price your work so that your share remains fair after commission (often 40–50%).
- Adjust prices gradually
Increase prices incrementally as your skills, demand, and exhibition record grow.
- Build confidence in your pricing
Present prices clearly and professionally — collectors respond to structure and certainty.
- Review annually
Reassess your pricing strategy at least once a year to reflect growth, inflation, and market changes.
