How to Sell Your Sculptures

Part of the fun of creating sculptures is seeing the appreciation on the face of a buyer. There are different avenues which one can use to sell sculptures, from art shows to the Internet.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Take your sculptures to a gallery. Some galleries will buy your work from you directly while others may prefer to display them and sell on consignment. When a gallery sells your work on consignment, you will have to pay a commission that is about 30 percent to 40 percent of the sale price.

2. Sell your work directly to gift shops or arrange to sell through them on consignment. Look for gift shops with items that will complement your work. This will affect the price that the shop owner and the customers will be willing to pay for your items.

3. Sell your sculptures at your own shop. Look for a location that has a considerable amount of foot traffic. Be sure to register your business and obtain a license.

4. Sell your work to interior decorators. Due to the nature of their work, interior decorators are constantly on the lookout for attractive or unusual items.

5. Market your sculptures to establishments like companies and restaurants. Restaurants need display items to add to the ambience and make the place look more attractive. Companies usually need art for their lobbies.

6. Hold parties to show off your sculptures. You can have them at your house or, just like Tupperware parties, you can have people invite you to show your work to them and their friends. Make sure each item is clearly labeled with necessary information, including the name of the item and the price.

7. Create a blog to talk about your work. Visitors who are interested enough to read your postings regularly may also be interested in purchasing your work. Post pictures of your sculptures with information on how they can buy them.

8. Sell your work on the Internet. There are several ways to do this, including creating your own website, selling at an auction site like eBay, or creating an online shop through a site like Etsy (see Resources below).

9. Display your sculptures at art shows on the weekends. Artists of various categories meet at these shows to exhibit and sell their work to interested buyers. Visit Artshow.com to look for shows near you (see Resources below).

Tips & Warnings

• When people shop online their decision on whether to buy or not relies greatly on the quality of the pictures of the items. In order to sell your sculptures successfully, you will need to take pictures that are sharp, bright and show your work in the best way.

Resources

• Find art shows in your area at Artshow.com
• Sell your sculptures on eBay
• Open a shop at Etsy

[Zengwen07]

on 10/6/2008 what about patents, or copyrights? how will that affect my sculptures when i go to sell?