Charged $40 for a shipping quote and it was the best thing I did all month
Long story short, someone messaged about a piece, wanted to see it in their space, asked if I could hold it for two weeks while they "decided." I said sure. Then I did the math on what that actually costs me, three weeks of a piece sitting in my front room while I answer follow-ups about whether it's "warm or cool in person."
So now I say: $40 to reserve it for a week, comes off the price if you buy. Half of people vanish. The other half pay the $40 instantly and two of those bought. Which is roughly double my close rate from when holding was free.
The part nobody tells you is the $40 isn't about the money, it's that it forces them to say yes or no. Free holding lets people stay in maybe forever. Maybe is where all my work goes to die. I had 6 pieces in maybe last spring, I sold 1.
Also I finally started saying "I can't hold it, someone else is looking at it this weekend" even when nobody was. Felt like a lie the first three times. It stopped feeling like one when it turned out to be true twice.
I'm not saying do this. I'm saying I was giving away the one thing I have that's actually scarce, which is time on a piece before the decision.
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Reading this I was thinking about the holding part only, because in our work also people ask to keep a painting aside for some days and then nothing comes of it. But 40 dollars for a quote, that is a different thing, and I am not sure I fully agree with it. In Madhubani most of my buyers are not rich people, sometimes a teacher, sometimes someone buying for a wedding gift, and if I ask money just to know the price they may quietly go away, and I would never know why. Our people also bargain, that is normal here, it is not disrespect. Still, your point about the follow-ups is true. Half of them only want to talk, not to buy. Maybe the paying tells you who is serious. I do not know if I could do it in my village, but I am glad it is working for you. Wishing you good sales ji 🙏
The misreading is fair, "quote" and "hold" do sound like the same thing until you've eaten a month of follow-ups. But I'd push back on the idea that the fee is a rich-person filter. It's not about whether the buyer has money, it's about whether they're decided. A teacher who genuinely wants the piece pays the 40 and it comes off the price anyway, so they lose nothing. The ones who vanish are the ones who were never going to buy, and honestly, not knowing why someone went quiet is its own kind of cost. In my work I'd rather lose the tire-kicker early than carry them for three weeks.
yeah, the undecided ones are the whole problem. and "undecided" often just means they haven't looked at their own bank account yet.
what gets me is the ones who go quiet and you never find out if the piece was wrong or the timing was wrong or they just forgot. that's the part that keeps me up, not the money. not knowing is worse than a no.
ah, hold on, I think the title misled you. the $40 is for the hold, not for a quote. quotes are free, always. I'll talk price with anyone, that costs nothing and I'd never charge for it.
so reading your comment I actually think we agree. someone asking what a painting costs is not the same as someone asking me to take it off the market for two weeks. the first one I'll do all day. the second one has a real cost, and that's the part I put a number on. a teacher buying a wedding gift should be able to just ask the price.
the bargaining thing I don't have a good answer for. different rhythm here. mostly people either pay the listed price or go quiet.