When framing costs eat your margin on originals

Hey there! The fact that you're running the real math on this instead of just slashing prices out of frustration puts you in a stronger position than it probably feels like right now.

The two price points can absolutely coexist. They're not competing with each other, they're different tiers of the same collection.

- Don't drop the framed work to match the new stuff. Custom-framed, ready-to-hang originals serve a completely different buyer than lower-priced unframed work. The person buying a framed architectural print wants to put it on the wall that weekend. That convenience and presentation quality is real value, not padding.

- For the new direction, launch it at its own price point without apology. "Here's my new series, here's what it costs" is a clean story. Buyers don't cross-reference your older inventory and do margin math. They see what's in front of them.

- On the sitting framed pieces: the cost of holding inventory is real too. Storage, mental weight, capital locked up in frames. If one or two have been sitting for 6+ months, a "collector's pricing" moment on those specific pieces (not a blanket sale) moves them without resetting expectations across your whole catalog.

- Going forward, price framing as an upgrade rather than baking it in. Sell the work unframed at your comfortable margin, then offer custom framing as an add-on at full cost. The buyer who wants turnkey pays for it. The buyer who has their own framer gets a lower entry point. You protect your margin either way.

The one thing to avoid: across-the-board price drops that train your audience to wait for the next markdown. Targeted moves on specific pieces, yes. Wholesale repricing, no.

Want help mapping the numbers on your specific pieces? Walk through your pricing with me

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That overthinker line is the whole fight, isn't it.

Sometimes the honest answer is that price cuts alone don't move the work. I've had framed prints sit for months after a discount, and eventually I just accepted they'd find the right person on their own timeline. The margin math matters, but slashing and hoping rarely changes the equation. If the new process gets you to a price point that moves, put your energy there. The older pieces will either land with someone who connects with them at full value, or they won't. Either way, discounting didn't solve it for me, it just made me feel worse about the inventory that stayed.

I think customers may prefer portability and to choose their own frames.If selling paintings is tricky and insecure I would not overinvest in framing.

I'm waiting for art to regain its value without depending on time or on how it's framed... and, of course, I accumulate artworks at home

I believe in do what you have to do to make the customer happy.A sale is one more person who owns your work. However all the suggestions here are very thoughtful and considerate. God Bless you all for the information.

I find great frames at thrift stores and Goodwill, and have a frame shop cut and join them for a moderate price.

I ran into something similar with my garden pieces a couple of years ago. Kept getting beautiful frames that I genuinely loved, but the final price scared people off at shows. What changed things for me was switching to a simple mat in a protective sleeve. No frame. It felt like a compromise at first, but honestly, buyers responded better. They're purchasing the painting, not the presentation, and a clean white mat lets the colors do the talking without adding that sticker shock. For your older framed pieces, I wouldn't slash the price. Maybe just shift how you present new work going forward and let the framed ones be what they are. Once I stopped framing everything, my margins got so much healthier and pieces moved faster, both online and in person.

My experience has been keeping the inventory moving was more effective. If another project comes along for the architectural prints, you could increase the price to reflect the true cost plus profit.