How should I price my artwork?

The secret to pricing is having a range, not a formula. You need pricing from $0-100 (non-wall art items like merchandise), $100-1,000 (prints and smaller pieces), and well over $1,000 (originals and large pieces). Having a range solves multiple problems: it makes raising or lowering prices easier, it provides customers with options at different price points, and it establishes a value ladder that shows why your expensive work costs what it does. For prints using print-on-demand, take the wholesale cost and mark it up 250%. Don’t worry about profit margins on merchandise—it’s primarily for customer acquisition and marketing. Human beings make purchasing decisions based on comparison, so when someone sees your $50 prints, $1,250 limited editions, and $2,500 originals all together, they understand the value hierarchy. Also consider ‘price anchoring’—include something extremely expensive (like $25,000-50,000) even if your originals top out at $5,000. This makes other pieces seem more reasonable by comparison, and occasionally someone wealthy will buy the expensive piece. There are no absolute rules—you can price different images differently and adjust prices anytime.

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Asked by artists asking about pricing strategies · Answered by Patrick · Art Business Webinar · 2026-06-22