What would "Mr. Haney" do ???

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Studio2bn

True Grumbler
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Jan 11, 2003
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75
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Pensacola Florida
Firstly, as I have stated, I am a small home based one man shop...but doing pretty well in spite of myself !!!

Here is the Scenario......
A customer of mine who has purchased and had framed several prints/posters that I carry made a statement the other day about some prints/posters that she had bought a year or so ago (Not From me) and had them "Professionally" framed at a very nice local shop...She said, " I have just grown tired of several of these and would like to put something fresh on my walls" and said that she wished that someone would give her some sort of trade/or "Some" credit towards her new purchases...(Most of these prints are in the same price range as what I carry)......I have seen her home and the prints (Mostly print sizes in the 11x14...16x20 size + Mat and molding....and they are Very nice, and framed beautifully, excellent condition and a few of them are something that would readily resale in my shop...Here is where I need some wisdom from " Grumbleland "....How/Or would you figure any allowances....I know she will be back with more and more work for me...Is this feasible or am I opening a can of worms that is best left closed ???
J. Michael
The 1969 Alabama Speling Be Champeuun
 
I would suggest ebay to her. I would not want to sell someone's work other than my own. It looks good on the outside but you do not know what might be hiding within.
 
The fear in offering anything for them, is that you might not recoup your $$$ from them....
Maybe offer to try to sell them for a period of 3 to 6 months on consignment, and return them to him if they don't sell....If they do sell, give him a % of the sale (maybe as much as 50%)....
Basically, he is asking you to buy them from him....If you didn't have the potential framing sale, would you buy them anyway?...If your answer is "no", than I wouldn't....

Another thing to consider is that if you "train" your customers to trade in their art, some day you might find yourself operating a Pawnshop and not a Frameshop....
 
I have done something similar to this a few times in my long, unremarkable career, and I ALWAYS ended up donating the items to some charitable silent auction, though that wasn't my original plan.

Who's Mr. Haney?
 
Ron...and those of you who didn't get the "Mr. Haney" intro...Remember "Green Acres" and Mr.Haney whose life consisted of Horse trading every thing under the sun....He always had a truck load of anything to sell from frog flippers to womens feather boa house shoes....He also had a very strange voice...I think he/the character use to play on some of the old Roy Rogers episodes.......OR maybe not.....
J. Michael
 
Out here in "the boonies", Mr. Haney is the weatherman on one of the local t.v. stations. I didn't think he had anything to do with picture framing. Or horse trading for that matter.

Just thought you would like to know. :D

-Mike.

[ 01-30-2004, 12:02 PM: Message edited by: Hobbes03 ]
 
I think it is great she has grown tired of her art after only one year, but that is not your problem. You are in the business of framing or reframing, not disposing of someone elses property. You are not a consignment shop, either. I think it is enough that I am resposible for whatever a customer brings me to frame. I don't want to be resposible for anything I am not framing.

"Planned obsolesence" is a term I learned way back in grade school. It means to make something useless or outdated after a certain period of time so you will have to replace it. It is what keeps the economy moving along. If things lasted forever, or styles never changed, people would never have a reason to buy new things and we would be out of business. It is to your benifit that this lady wants to change her art after only one year. You shouldn't feel responsible to dispose of it for her. (It kind of makes me wonder why we are so concerned with making framed items last longer).
 
I would refer her to E-Bay or a gallery that specializes in "used" art -- if there is one in your market.

To give her anything for them would establish a precedent. If you do that, she will probably expect you to do it again. And again.
 
Because you qualified that these were readily saleable in your shop I would figure what these would sell for in my shop at a 30-40% sale price
and offer her 50 % of that as a credit against
her framing charges . You mak her happy and you make a decent profit even if you have to sell them at a sale or discount price .
 
You could also suggest to her that she donate them to any one of the many non profit organizations out there who will give her a statement of worth for her to use as a tax deduction. I donated an old Mac based computer I had to the local rich peoples library and got a deduction of $250. for it. I'm sure she would appreciate your shrewd business sense. ;) ;)
 
Studio2bn;
I agree entirely with what "framah" said. In fact Marie and I regularly work with a local PBS staion ,WYES Channel 12 TV, which host an annual "Art Auction"and I know they would love to receive some nice Framed art and ,YES, they do give all donnors a tax deducatable form with each and every donation.Tell her to give them a cal or drop them an email at www.wyes.org or 504-486-5511 and ask for Marion Prigmore and tell her Buddy sent you.LOL
I have known some auction Regulars who make a practice of Buying art at auction keeping it a while then donnateing it back in order to buy a different piece to take it's place.
I don't know the legalities of it all but you do get a tax deduction for your purchases and you do also get a deduction for the value of the art being contributed.
So it could almost be possible to have new stuff on a regular basis and cost very little if anything.
Of course this doesn't help us Framers any. But then a few of us Framers are regular contributors of framing of unframed works . This does give the Framer a bit of on air publicity.
BUDDY
 
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