# You opinion on commission prices (in general)!



## arcannixxx (Sep 2, 2016)

Hi, I'm just curious of what most commissioners think about art prices. Do high prices stop you from commissioning someone? Do _low _prices stop you?

A while ago I saw someone talking about how low prices keep most people from commissioning an artist, and honestly that surprised me! (I'd link the post but I've lost it)


As an artist, I don't mind, and expect commissions to cost $70+ cause you know, it make sense. But I never thought people would avoid commissioning artists that price their art below $30?

So what are your thoughts? 

EDIT!: For the record I DO think artists should value their art at at least minimum wage. If and artist spends hours and hours on something, you shouldn't expect and artist to price it at anything below $15. Like $9 an hour is fair to charge (esp if you're a full time artist.)  

*Low prices don't stop me from commissioning someone (but I do feel bad if they under value, so I tip more), high prices don't stop me either, but I do have to save up for them. :>


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## Yakamaru (Sep 2, 2016)

If I feel an artist deserve more I send them more as a tip over the commission fee.

There are a lot of good artists out there. How they price their art is completely up to them. Some have a bit higher prices than the average, some have lower. It's all up to the artist.

Too high a price will of course make less people get commissions, but the artist gets more per commission.


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## -Belle- (Sep 2, 2016)

Most of the prices I've seen are fine for their level of quality. It's the fact that everyone and their mother is American or only accepts USD.
Exchange rates and conversion fees kill me so I don't buy a lot of art. 

Wish there were more Canadians out there I could buy art from instead.
or if more people just let me pay in my monopoly money haha


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## AsheSkyler (Sep 3, 2016)

It's strange, but true. Underpricing yourself can drive away potential customers because most people have become painfully familiar with "cheap = crap" from bad deals elsewhere in the business world. (I thought I'd gotten a good deal for $5 32GB flash drives, but they both irrevocably corrupted within three months. Ouch.) You get what you pay for more often than not.

Low prices are not an automatic deal breaker for me. It might make me suspicious, but I'll groom through their gallery and try to find out why they're low. Are they slow? Unreliable? Shoddy? Unprofessional? Keep the original? Simply a beginner gaining experience? The most irritating factor in setting prices on your commissions is something intangible like reputation. What da heck? I can understand a person being in such high demand that they can afford bumping up their prices, but it's just kinda cruel to expect some unknown nobody to make less than minimum wage just because they're starting out.


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## PlusThirtyOne (Sep 3, 2016)

in truth, i think that artists should value their talent and price it properly but lots of them seem to think their art is worth WAY more than it should be. Unsurprisingly enough, it's those same artists who complain the most that they aren't being hired or getting steady work.


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## psychonautic (Sep 4, 2016)

Imo WAY too many artists severely undercharge for their work, which condition commissioners to believe such low rates are normal. I see so many artists on deviantart charge under 15$ for a full illustration(granted, I did the same when I first started, but my skill was much lower than theirs). 

One of the problems is artists think if they charge properly, nobody will buy. But charging too little can attract bad customers that don't value their skill.


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## darien (Sep 4, 2016)

Personally, if the art is priced correctly i pay just what they're asking, though I do throw tips and/or giftart at people for doing more than I feel I paid them for.  A lower price does tend to make art more accessible for people that just don't have a large budget to work with but really like a particular artist's work. I've also seen people who undersell themselves, either due to lack of confidence or just because they want to offer a more fair price. Some commissioners however, are much more generous and thankful than others- and it really is in the artist's best interest to offer a fair price, even if it is a little on the high side. It is after all, their own time and effort they're selling. If someone offers $10 busts when they could be selling the same art for $30 easily- sure there may be more interest, but that also means the artist is doing 3 times the work to get the same amount of return.

I also tend to hesitate to buy into more expensive commissions, especially if I'm not entirely sure the artist can pull off what I'd be asking for. For example, there are a number of really quite good artists who primarily draw one gender and have little if anything to show of the other gender. There are also artists who often a lot of very large chested females but when it comes to smaller chests, they might not quite look quite right as the smaller proportions just aren't something they work with frequently. Some struggle with anatomy for a particular species or subspecies, my icon for example was made by an artist who- at least at the time- professed to having difficulty with feline faces (I think she did quite well!) but excelled at canine muzzles. A lower price can offer a bit of a safety-net when it comes to client satisfaction, but it can be an undue burden on the artist. I've also seen some gratuitously overpriced art.

Going back to my icon for a brief moment, the piece was one of a few i commissioned from the same artist. She was unsure about the pricing at the time as she hadn't done many busts, and basically did it as a PWYW commission, refusing to offer me a solid price. Having seen much of her art and watched her streams, and caught the one bust she'd done prior- I offered $40(if i recall correctly), but when I saw the finished piece (Much larger and more detailed than the comparably tiny icon lets on) I threw in what meger tip I could afford and did some gift-art of her OC as an additional thank-you.

Pricing, much like art itself- is very subjective; it often boils down to what the artist feels their time is worth, and what the commissioners are willing to pay. what some may deem as high, might be normal or even low to others, and visa-versa.


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## Raddy Fox (Sep 6, 2016)

I buy artwork when I either: 
Have saved and set aside a budget, then go find an artist to that budget or nearby and haggle 
Or, if an artist has listed a commission and I've been intending to buy art off them for a while, I'll pay pretty whatever they usually charge, of which I am aware from researching their profile.

I don't tend to go trawling for cheap or free art. I have in the past and I didn't follow the artist. The work of someone with low prices is almost always slightly rushed and lacking in the passion and care of a more expensive piece AND (from an artist point of view) I'm unlikely to be a returning customer to a cheap artis. Because, I have no intrest in you or your work. The only appeal is your low price and that isn't worth me remembering your name. I don't think this is just me, I think this is how most people will think if they see your artwork going cheap. This maybe handy news for anyone just trying to start out, I believe low prices are counter productive in the long run if you are trying to start a business.

There's always sketches! Even if an artist doesn't offer sketches, ASK! They might charge £40 for a standard drawing but only £10 for a sketch (using myself as an example.) And in most cases, they won't mind been asked. I actually get quite soppy when someone asks me for a sketch because it means to me they like my art so much they'd be happy just with one of my rough sketches. So don't be put off contacting artist! In my case, I think it's essential business ethics to genuinely care for your clients and followers. You, the people looking for art to buy, are our income and support. The money you pay is what puts food on our tables. You are (or should be) one of the most important thing to any commissioning artist and they should value you. So talk to them. Part of our job is engaging with you 

Hope this helps. All opinions are my own.
-Raddy

FA: Userpage of raddyfox -- Fur Affinity [dot] net
Twitter: twitter.com/raddyfox


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