What's the red flag that made you walk away from a gallery? Mine was a contract with no end date

I'm not talking about the obvious ones like "we need money upfront." I mean the small thing you noticed in the meeting that made your stomach go tight.

For me it was the contract. Two pages, and no line saying when it ends. I asked, and the owner said "oh, we don't really do that, it's a relationship, not a lease." He said it very nicely. I still did not sign it, and then I spent two weeks wondering if I had just thrown away my one chance 🙃

So tell me yours. The thing they said, or the thing that was missing from the paper. Partly because I want to know I was right to walk, and partly because I have another meeting in two weeks and I would like to know what to watch for 😅

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Mateo Serrano·6d

"it's a relationship, not a lease" is the whole red flag right there, you don't need to look for a second one. a relationship where only one side can leave is not a relationship, it's a trap with nice lighting.

mine was smaller: the guy never once asked to touch a piece. walked past the whole shelf to talk about square meters and the "right kind of collector." if you sell my work and you're not even curious about it, what are you selling exactly? i did not sign either. two weeks of doubt is cheap compared to two years of that.

Kasia NowakOP·6d

Not once asked to touch a piece. That is somehow worse than my contract, because it is not even written down anywhere, you just have to notice it. And you did notice.

You are right about what he was selling. Square meters and the right kind of collector, so the work is basically wallpaper with a price tag. I have met this man in three different cities, I think.

Two weeks of doubt being cheap, I will be repeating that to myself next time, thank you.

Dimitra Vasilakis·6d

You were right to walk, and the two weeks of doubt are the tax you pay for having a spine. No end date means no exit, and the friendly tone is exactly how they sell it.

Mine was smaller and stupider. I asked how work gets returned if a piece doesn't sell, and the woman answered "oh, it won't come to that." Never answered the question. Anything that can't be said plainly in a contract will not be said plainly later either. I lost a season of work to that gallery and got most of it back with a chipped corner, so now I ask the boring questions first and watch the face more than the answer.

Kasia NowakOP·6d

"Oh, it won't come to that" is such a perfect example. Nothing written, nothing said, just a small warm wall where the answer should be. And a chipped corner on top of it.

I am stealing your line about the boring questions. I asked the safe ones, the framing ones, and skipped the one that actually protects me. The face more than the answer, yes. I will be watching for that now, and probably have to remind myself to stop nodding while I do it.