Dilemna..help....

First, make sure the inquiry is genuine - easier said than done, I know. But there's one hell of a lot of scammers about, so be careful. Second - you don't have to sell it if you don't want to .... maybe that's a daft comment, but not everyone wants to sell, and if you don't - well, don't. Third - how much to ask; well, you're not a known professional artist, i.e. you don't normally sell or, presumably, exhibit. So a price in the hundreds might be a bit steep. But I wouldn't go much lower than £80.00, unframed and unglazed. Plus postage and packing. Any less than that and it's not really worth your while to be honest - bear in mind you can pick up a print from a shop for around £20 to £30, and an original work has got to be worth more than that. Under-charging is as bad as unrealistically optimistic pricing: both can put people off, but of the two under-charging is worse because it suggests you don't put much value on your work: and if you don't - why should a customer? I haven't sold (or painted) anything for quite a while now, and others might think I'm trying to sell your work too cheaply! So err on the side of fairness to yourself - and don't take less than you might pay if you were the buyer.

I’ve only just come across this stream so sorry for coming late to the party but I thought you might be interested in my own experiences on this matter and sorry if I repeat any of the advice already given. Earlier this year I received a request for 5 acrylic abstracts from a purchaser in the States. This came as a result of postings made not on this site (I rarely post on POL of late) but on a poetry site where I accompany my poetry with a suitable painting. In this case the purchaser paid by cheque in dollars at an agreed figure – an unusual method but I went along with it. I am currently working on 3 commissions of scenes in Italy for another overseas customer (again from the poetry site) and this time payment is being made by PayPal – my preferred method. On other occasions I have received payment by bank transfer. I have a separate account for Art in which I keep a low reserve so little is at risk and the Bank has assured me in the past that it is a safe method. However I always insist that shipment will not be effected until I am in receipt of cleared funds so the risk is with the purchaser and not me. I never sell overseas with a frame for obvious reasons. All my work is professionally mounted and wrapped and is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. As for postage because of the sizes involved they go parcel post and I include a sheet of hardboard to ensure they are not bent during transit. For the 5 acrylic abstracts (just under 2kg) the cost via parcel post including tracking was about £57 which was factored into the price.

Do update us Jim. Would really love to know the outcome and hope it was a good one for you. I think it is a lovely painting and can understand someone wanting it, but am glad people have warned you to get the money first.

Jim, do give your wife belated birthday wishes from me. (Incidentally I'll be having my 75th birthday next year, some sort of a milestone I suppose). I do hope her op is rescheduled without too long a wait, and hope it all goes smoothly once she has it. Friends of mine have had hips done and have been a lot better afterwards once fully recovered.