Selling customs & original artists

[DaffyDilly]

This year I am selling off my collection including customs. I have some that I received in custom swaps, some that I received in non-custom swaps, some that I bought and some that I commissioned. I believe they're almost all from 2009-2014 so nothing recent.

What's the current thinking around notifying the original artists?

[Griffin]

I would not mind nor do I ask to be notified - as an artist I'd say the customs are yours now and you can do as you please.

I guess I would only be updset if a swap partner sold my custom shortly after receiving it. But as you're selling off your entire collection, I don't think it matters if some of them are from swaps. You "paid" for them by participating in the swaps, and have cherished them as part of your collection for quite a few years already.

[True]

I wouldn't be heartbroken if someone sold a custom i made for them. I understand all too well how collections can change over the years, or just becoming less interested in a certain collection, or if some emergency comes up and money is tight etc.

Imo it is your property, and you paid for it, it and it sounds like you enjoyed them for many years.

I think an unofficial rule of thumb, if you're selling a custom you bought and paid for, don't sell it for more than you paid. As an artist, I would be kinda salty if I knew someone else was making a bigger profit off my work. x.x

[Griffin]

I think an unofficial rule of thumb, if you're selling a custom you bought and paid for, don't sell it for more than you paid. As an artist, I would be kinda salty if I knew someone else was making a bigger profit off my work. x.x

I actually thought about this but didn't write anything on the subject. I find this an interesting topic, because I used to think like this, and I know it would kind of hurt if someone profited off of my work. Then again, when selling anything, it's the market that decides what it goes for. A product is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. Customs can be considered works of art, and I would imagine that skillfully made customs could also go up in value, especially if the artist only produces a small number of customs per year or has retired. From this perspective, it would be kind of cool if one of my customs sold for more than what was originally paid. But I guess this mostly applies if the customs are sold by auction - I agree the starting price (or the asking price for regular sales) should not exceed the original price, and since there's inevitably some wear, the price should probably be slightly lower.

// edit to add a missing verb

[DaffyDilly]

Thanks for the input both. I think pricing customs is always difficult, even when you're the maker and you finished it yesterday! I didn't really sell many of my own (I was always too attached) if any so I don't have much practise plus I'm well out of the loop.

Obviously some of these customs didn't have a specified value when I received them, and others I won't remember what I paid. I am not out to make a big profit on somebody else's work, but at the same time I am selling for both space and money so I don't feel that I can just let them all go for free. It's a tricky one. As I'm not initially looking to auction the customs - I am taking my collection to UKPC and will sell the remainder online, either fixed price or via auction - that means I need to determine what I believe to be fair prices. I would agree that in many cases I've had the use of the custom over the past X years therefore it's devalued, but then there are others that I know will probably fetch a higher price than I paid for them.

What's even harder, is if the original customiser wants the custom back and it was through a swap. How do you work out what's fair in that situation?! My gut feeling before posting was to try and contact the swap customisers at a minimum so I'll potentially be in this situation a few times over.

Edit: Where my head is at currently is that I can't pay the shipping (that defeats one of the objectives I'm trying to achieve) and I feel that at a minimum the packing materials and time taken to do that should be covered. I'd love to give the customs back for free but that just isn't feasible, yet I feel bad saying 'you have to pay me for the thing that you made' even though I understand that I kind of paid for them too!

[Griffin]

That all sounds very reasonable, DaffyDilly.

Would it be possible to post a pic of those ponies which you received in swaps? That way the original artists could see if they wanted a say in the matter? I know it's a bit of a hassle, but even a group photo would do. Or simply a list, if you remember the names of the artists/customs and/or the swap themes. Not everyone is active anymore, of course, but that way anyone can't say you didn't try and give the artists a chance to make you an offer. Again, I don't think this is a must, but perhaps some artists would appreciate the gesture.

Best of luck rehoming your customs!

[DonkeyGrl2002]

Maybe post the pics of them here and just say if you want your back contact me and we can work something out :-)
if you don’t hear from them then sell them or auction them off however you want :-)

[DaffyDilly]

I'll double check my list is complete and pop something up in the customs sales forum at some point, thanks guys

[Eruna]

This won't be a popular opinion, but a one-time sale of a custom should probably go for whatever someone is willing to pay for it.

For example, say I sell a custom to Jane for $100. It's a one of a kind and shows a high level of skill / craftsmanship / whatever. She likes it, but it was a bit of a splurge purchase. She also just broke her cell phone and could use a new one.

Sue comes over Jane's and sees the custom. She absolutely falls in love with it. She asks "Oh my! Where can I get one?! I must have one!"

Jane explains that it is a one of a kind custom. Sue asks "Would you consider selling it?"

Jane says "Hmm... no. I paid $100 for it and I do like it."

Sue is insistent and says "$100? I'll pay you $200! I absolutely must have it!"

Jane considers her broken phone, how much $200 could help, and that she already has a huge collection of customs. She doesn't think she will miss it that much.

"Ok Sue, I will sell it to you for $200!"

So... is that wrong? I don't think so. It's a one time transaction of a one of a kind item that Jane owned.

On the flip side, if Jane were to make a mold of a custom and somehow make exact reproductions and start selling them for a profit? That's an issue.