[isharkey]

If I buy a framed print, should I be paying for what the print is worth + what it cost the seller to frame it?

For example if a print is worth $250 and the seller payed $250 for the framing, should I pay $500 for it?

Thanks!

Ian

[trapnel1]

It's a bonus to have a decent frame if you plan to hang a print (which, of course, everybody on here does!).

Having said that, in general framing doesn't add significantly to the value of a print (unless it's a cheap print). Some buyers will pay something for a nice frame, but framing rarely recoups its full costs when you sell.

For any print of significant value it's better to see the print unframed so that you can inspect it fully. A frame can hide a multitude of sins (for example, a West Country Prince stamp on the back of what appears to be a Banksy print.)

[settingson]

Nov 5, 2015 13:19:35 GMT 1 isharkey said:

If I buy a framed print, should I be paying for what the print is worth + what it cost the seller to frame it?

For example if a print is worth $250 and the seller payed $250 for the framing, should I pay $500 for it?

Thanks!

Ian

Being a relative newbie, just over a year, and having purchased far too many in my new found enthusiasm, (some framed, mostly not) the way I personally see it is this:

So many people want prints unmarked and pretty much as they were released and therefore selling framed generally doesn't get you back your framing costs because of the unknown quality of the framing or possible hidden damage to the print. In fact the potential hassle of unframing and checking isn't probably cost effective and worth the effort in a lot of cases for the buyer when they could pick up a nice flat stored portfolio one! Also having it sent framed adds not only extra cost but also the risk of potential transit damage into the equation.

In occasional cases where the framing has been done well and is pretty much how you would like it and the seller is looking to recoup some of it then it's probably worth paying more than the print alone would cost you to save yourself the expense of doing it yourself.

At the end of the day it comes down to what people are prepared to pay/sell for and the desirability/value of the print in question but I think it's safe to say that if you paid $250 to frame every $250 print you bought and then had to sell them then you would end up taking a hit of $100 to $250 on every one if the print alone remained valued at $250!

[vinylcoholic]

I'd say framing is a bit like extra options when you buy a new car you rarely recoup that investment when you sale

[Deleted]

or buying a classic SH car with a dealer service history- it may be a deal clincher for the right potential buyer but the outlay can never be reflected in the sale price

[isharkey]

Thank you for the responses. I understand it a lot better now.