Hi there! I am a block print artist, so all of my pieces are made my hand. I can replicate most of my works, therefore charge “less” for them as I can make many copies.
For pricing, I typically charge about $0.65 per square inch for these pieces. I am beginning to offer commissioned work, and am curious how to charge for something that is one-of-a-kind, and that I won’t resell. Currently, I am using the equation [(sq. in x $0.55) x 10] , 10 being a possible resale quantity; so a 5"x5" commission costs about $135. These 5x5 pieces take me about 6 hours to create. Does this logic make sense for pricing?
There’s nothing wrong with your formula — it’s a solid starting point. What you’ll want to do is observe how your customers respond to that price. If they seem happy with it, you can keep it as is or gradually increase it, depending on the situation. The goal is to find your “winning price” — where customers are willing to pay and you still maintain a healthy margin.
Another thing to consider is how much time and resources you’re putting into commissioned work compared to your block prints. Commissioned pieces can be priced higher and give you great margins, but you’re limited by how many you can create per day. On the other hand, block prints can be sold in higher volume, generating more revenue even with thinner margins.
I don’t have all the details about your business, so I can’t give a definitive answer — but it’s worth reflecting on this and choosing one area to prioritize. For example, if you decide to focus on commissions, you could position yourself as a specialist in that space, which also gives you a strong rationale for raising your prices.
Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.