Negotiating fine art prints, when buying photography, is something people do, but not everyone is effective at it. A skilled buyer will create a win-win situation during the purchase of a fine art print. Are you an art collector who knows how to create value both for yourself and for the photographer? Do you know how to be fair? This article will equip you with better understanding. It will also discuss “dos” and “don’ts” when purchasing your next masterpiece.
When negotiating fine art prints it is important to understand the actual quality and value of the artwork. In addition, you need to know the full pricing structure, so that you are aware of your entire cost.
There are many photographers who offer printed artwork. However, there is often a significant difference between the quality of the final print from one photographer to another. The first ingredient of a quality print is the content of the image – location, composition, subject, etc. The second one is the quality of the image itself – colors, detail, tone, and more. Finally, the physical print and mount materials bring it all together to create a great art piece, or not.
Read more: What Are High Quality Nature Photo Prints
In addition, it is important to know how to judge the value of the art print. It can be challenging to do that with photographs because their value can be very subjective. For example, they have extrinsic value – attributed to them by others. They also have intrinsic value – attributed by the artist. Finally, they have personal value – the personal effect that a fine art masterpiece has on you individually. All of these play a role when deciding what a print is worth to you.
Read more: Understanding the Value of Nature Photography Prints
Make sure that you understand the full pricing structure before negotiating the fine art prints. In other words, know what your total cost is. For example, is the list price what you will pay or are there additional costs? If you need the image shipped somewhere will there be a shipping charge? Will the shipping charge be higher if delivered to a commercial address (it usually is) as opposed to a residential one? Will you have to pay tax, insurance, etc.?
It always makes a difference whether you are buying directly from the artist or not. Buying from a gallery, an art consultant, interior designer, or some other art broker usually results in a higher price. Whenever there is an entity between you and the photographer you can expect to pay more.
In some cases, the artist owns the gallery. However, even though there is no middle man there are higher operating costs to run a brick and mortar gallery. You can expect higher prices, given the cost of rent, utilities, insurance, and staffing.
If you are considering negotiating fine art prints, I would recommend that you avoid the practices listed here.
Be respectful of the art. Few things will faster put off a photographer than a derogatory comment. Saying something like: “Why is this print so expensive? I can do the same with my camera.”, will most likely be offensive. At the end of the day, if you believe that you can do the same quality artwork maybe you should consider doing it.
Another way you can offend a photographic artist, or anyone selling creative work, is to lowball them. Not understanding what it takes and costs to make a high quality photo print can be a mistake. Blatantly offering a low price is disrespectful. Most photographers work very hard to bring their best quality to their customers and they take pride in that. Lowballing them will get you nowhere and will only communicate lack of appreciation and respect.
Sometimes buyers will compare photographers’ pricing, when negotiating fine art prints. For example, they will point out the lower prices of another photographer as a reason to get a better deal. While photo prints from different photographers may sometimes look similar, the comparison is rarely apples to apples. Nature prints have a lot of nuances and are almost never a black and white comparison. The quality of the image and print medium will go a long way in determining the value of the prints. Ultimately, if another photographer’s work is more appealing to you, consider buying from them instead.
If you are not serious about buying, negotiating the prints is not a great idea. While you may have your own reasons for doing it, it will only be a waste of time for the seller. If you are not sure whether you want to buy a print, first ask questions about the art. Learn how and where the images were taken. Understand what is unique about these photo prints. Once you have decided that you want to purchase an image, proceed with negotiations. The next section discusses various options for that.
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The following tips are much more productive in creating a win-win situation. Although they are not a guarantee, chances are that they would be helpful in the process.
Before negotiating fine art photo prints find out if the price is negotiable at all. Sometimes there is flexibility and other times the price is firm. It is not uncommon for galleries to offer a 5-15% discount. However, if the price is non-negotiable don’t push. Rather explore other options for getting better value. Remember that “any discounts will decrease the amount of money given to both the gallery and the artist”.
If you really want to buy a print, priced higher than your budget, contemplate a less expensive medium. Ask whether you can purchase the same image, but printed on a more affordable print and mount. For example, canvas prints are less expensive than metal prints. Metal prints are less expensive than acrylic prints. Obviously you will lose quality by opting for a less expensive medium, but that might be ok. Ask about the options and see if the photographer will be willing to negotiate the print price by offering the print in a different medium format.
Some photographers offer limited edition prints only, which are more expensive than open editions. If you really like their work but are looking for a better price, ask if they offer open edition prints. If the answer is no, ask if you can purchase one of their stock images. Every nature photographer has many more images than what you see in their portfolio. Maybe they would be willing to sell one of those for a price within your budget.
It is not rare that photographers will offer temporary sale deals from time to time. This usually happens around holidays. You can always ask whether such a sale will be coming up any time soon. If so, and you are not in a hurry, it may be worth waiting.
Multiple purchases are helpful when negotiating fine art prints. Maybe you are in the middle of a remodel and need more than one art masterwork. Maybe you just moved into a new home and want to decorate it with beautiful fine art nature photography. Or maybe you want to get a print for yourself and another for a family member or a friend. What a great opportunity to buy more than one print and ask for a discount.
If you are dealing directly with the artist and they are a gallery owner, chances are he/she has some older inventory prints. Fine art photo gallery owners do want to bring new wall art and might be willing to sell an inventory print for less. Some of them may even have annual sales for inventory prints. Also, even those photographers who do not own a physical gallery may have a few inventory prints in their home. The downside to buying an inventory photo print is that you cannot choose the image, its print size, and print mount.
Ask for a better price when negotiating fine art prints if there is an opportunity for you to pick-up the artwork yourself. Consider this option if the photographer is local to you and they also print with a local lab. Although this is a more rare situation, you might be able to save on shipping by offering to pick-up the print directly from the lab.
Everyone knows that electronic payments are convenient but they come with a cost. If you are negotiating fine art prints, explore the option of saving through a non-electronic payment. Offer to pay with cash, check, or a money order to get some savings. Obviously the more expensive the art print, the higher the savings, given that electronic processors charge a percentage.
This approach will most likely not work when buying from a fine art photo gallery. However, if you are working directly with the photographer it may be worth asking about it. Can you offer goods or services in exchange for a discount? Maybe you have skills and experience valuable to the photographer. What if you are skilled in marketing or website SEO? Or, maybe you are an accountant and can offer tax work. Be creative. Have a conversation with the artist and explore options that could be beneficial to both parties.
Inquire about making payments when negotiating fine art prints. Although not every art seller may be set up to accept payments, you have nothing to lose in asking. In addition, you can ask if they will consider a payment plan through a vendor like ArtMoney or similar.
Gintchin Fine Art offers exclusive limited edition fine art photography by Lazar Gintchin, a nature and landscape photographer specializing in large format size prints. Each image in Gintchin’s portfolio is a unique and limited edition print. The gallery includes high-quality wall art prints in acrylic and metal mediums, providing a luxurious fine art presentation. With a diverse range of genres to choose from, art enthusiasts can curate a collection that reflects their aesthetic preferences.
