Damage to a sold print

resummerfield said:

I really don’t understand the reasoning here. So let me present these 2 quotes and see if someone can explain it to me…..

If one of my limited-edition numbered prints was returned to me damaged, I would destroy that print and make another identical one, and give it the same number. I don’t want to discuss any fee at this time, because that would depend upon the individual circumstances.

So my questions are…..

1) Why would I mark it as a “replacement”? (if I’m reading TheFlyingCamera’s post correctly).

2) Why would issuing an exact replacement print impact any other buyer? (as railwayman3’s friend suggests).

Click to expand...

There are "rules" to the whole limited edition print thing, and one of those is to insure that there is one and only one set of prints, totaling the number in the edition plus the artists' proofs, and no more. It's kind of silly, but if you are adhering to the notion of a limited edition, then technically, the loss or destruction of one of your prints is not something you should concern yourself with, certainly not to the point of replacing the print, because with one gone, that makes the others in the edition more valuable, because there's now 1/nth fewer copies in the world. It's a rather contrived thing that makes sense mostly if you are selling through galleries and not directly to the customers. That's why I said to make the replacement, but since it is no longer part of the original edition, it is supposed to be marked as such.

The number one goal for my business is to help my customers. On one hand, I need to keep it alive so that it can help others which means that I need to cover my costs. On the other hand, I see no value in making a profit off of my customer’s mistakes or problems. Your customer knows they messed up. If he is president of the club, I am sure he is reasonable enough to not expect you to give him a replacement for free and it sounds like he did not ask you for one. He is simply asking how you can help him out. In cases like this, I sacrifice my gross profit and offer a deep discount. My business stays cash flow positive and I am able to help a customer that will generally be grateful. This can go a long way with the internet.

In the old days it was thought that an unhappy customer would tell 10 people about your company. A customer that was ok with the transaction might tell a couple. A customer with a serious problem that you solve beyond their expectations might also tell about 10 people. This is still true with the internet, but you need to add a few zeros to the ten so that it becomes 1000. Here is an excellent example -
If you google “framesbymail.com” you will see the website “avoid framesbymail”. That website has been on page one of google for years. Here is another example from a blog that involves my company. Fortunately for me, I own the latter company mentioned in the blog:
http://ronfrazier.blogspot.com/2007/07/company-comparison-frame-usa-vs-frame.html

Cheers,
Mark

It's interesting that the president of an art association would present you with this issue without a specific request for a remedy. He surely knows that replacement would not be possible had he damaged a pastel or oil painting. Had he purchased a photograph by an artist who is deceased, he would also realize that there would have to be a possibly significant fee paid to repair a damaged 'graph if it were even possible. I wonder if he fully realizes that you've sold him a hand made print, and not an inkjet-pushbutton "poster". It's an interesting quandary that purchasers may expect remedies to damaged work in direct proportion to what they think may be involved in making the remedy.

I think, though, that you've gotten a preponderance of suggestions that speak to accommodation and building good will...especially in your own local region. I think that advise is wise. I hope you'll get back to us with the results of your conversation with the guy.