I wonder if this is why people get confused. If you make a product that is worth £500, it's worth £500 anywhere. What a turner needs to be able to do is make products for every pocket and know which locations suit which products better, rather than slashing the price of their prize turning, or bumping it up because a particular show is in a posh area.
Food for though....
Richard
Here here....As a non professional my thoughts would be that the price depends on various conditions such as quality of turning, quality of timber used, is it useful? is it purely for decoration? etc. etc. I don't think you can price an item depending on your venue, it should stay at the price originally decided on.
I have seen many turners at craft fairs with some abysmal offerings and they are always the same quick to do items, surely if you are going to ask a high price for your items then they have to warrant the price, so many times have I heard turners saying "I wont do those because they take too long"
If it is going to be turned out quick and cheap then it should also be sold that way.
Although the main things I make are jewellery boxes, I do make turned boxes to compliment them plus some smaller items which are targeted at the ladies, I then have items to suit all pockets. The main thing I have noticed though is that the public are more eager to purchase an item if it has a use, so any turnings I do must be useful, boxes, pincushions, needle cases etc, purely decorative items are always the last to sell, especially if they are expensive, everything I make must have a use.
I do not think the venue has anything to do with pricing and/or sales volumes, I have sold jewellery boxes at Village fetes as well as Artists markets but not in a Gallery, if someone wants your stuff then they will buy it and the way to make them want it is to make it irresistible, most important of all is to talk to them and convince them they should have it, if someone comes to your stall then try and make them go away with at least one item, if they come for one then show them something else and try to make them go away with two items, talk talk talk to them and make them smile
I have seen guys sit at their stalls with a newspaper all day and not sell a single item, nothing to do with the venue...!!!
So to sum up,,If the item is perceived as a quality item with some potential of taking poll position in someones house and can be passed on as a heirloom then price it that way, not every one can afford it but then you have to wait for the person to come along who can.
If your item is easily turned out then do lots and price it to suit, you then have top of the range prices and lower end prices, everything in between will then slot in.
Andy
