This document provides some tips on how to price your artwork, and information on how the sales process works, including how much commission HOME will take.
If you have access requirements, please contact manchesteropen@homemcr.org or 0161 212 3449 to discuss.
Click here to download a PDF version of this guide
Tips on pricing your artwork
- First things first…only put your artwork on sale if you want it to sell! If not, select ‘not for sale’.
- Have you sold work before? If so, you may already be aware of a typical asking price for your work.
- If you are a professional artist we suggest you consider any known benchmarks for selling your artwork and do not devalue your work.
- Don’t overprice your work. If you require £10,000, it is unlikely to sell in this context.
- Is this your first time selling your work? Research similar artists and artworks to get an idea of prices by early career artists, if applicable.
- Do you know anyone who has sold artwork before? If so, make best use of any contacts by reaching out for advice and suggestions.
- Take in to account the time taken, the materials used and if relevant, the cost of any framing.
- Ask yourself what you would be happy to pay for a comparable work if you were buying it for yourself.
- While there will certainly be collectors visiting the exhibition, the vast majority will be those who will see a work they wish to live with, in a home environment, so their budget is likely to reflect this (in the region of £50 – £250).
- The first Manchester Open saw huge demand from the public for the purchase of work, raising in excess of £20,000 of sales. However, the vast majority of these – over 90% – was for work below a £300 maximum cap.
Selling your work through HOME
- HOME will facilitate sales of artwork during the Manchester Open.
- All artworks will be paid for in full by buyers, there is no provision for paying in instalments.
- When someone wishes to purchase a work, they will be advised by our gallery team to make an enquiry with our box office staff. All artworks will be numbered for display only, for cross-reference against a full listing guide that will include artist name, title and price.
- Our box office staff will take a payment in full and cross the work off a sales-list. A red dot (sticker) will be placed by the work in the gallery to indicate the work has sold.
- We can only sell work that is present on site. We cannot manage the sale of multiple editions. Should we receive further enquiries once a piece has sold for a work that exists as a multiple, we will speak with the artist to arrange an introduction to a potential buyer.
- Artworks will be available for collection at the close of the exhibition only. HOME do not offer a delivery service.
- Buyers will fill out an Artwork Purchase Form before the work is given to them.
- On the close of the Manchester Open, HOME will calculate sales payments for payment to artists whose work has sold.
- HOME retains 30% of sale price, which is expressly used to fund our activities with audiences and those on a limited income.
- The artist will receive 70% of the sale price, payable upon receipt of an invoice following discussion with the HOME team as to amount owed, if any.
- Should the receipt of funds be problematic for any reason, or you do not have a bank account, we will endeavour to assist where possible with alternative means of reimbursement.
For further information, please email manchesteropen@homemcr.org with your query and a member of the team will get back to you when available. Please be patient, as we expect to process multiple enquiries.