Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Wants My Dress...Update

[matuta]

I would ask them first what they are offering, then go from there. They might surprise you with a great offer that exceed what you might have asked. BUT it might not be a great idea to solicit advice in such a public forum, they might see it and use it to give you a lower number. As an artist, every piece can be considered "sentimental" so I would focus on the fact that you are an ARTIST (not just a 17 year old) and the TIME and TALENT it took for you to complete such an ambitious and unique one of a kind piece of ART.

Good luck!

FYI ... art can not just be calculated just on time and materials, if it were than pieces would not go for thousands or millions. Give yourself credit as an artist.

[spaz2phreek]

matuta has an excellent point. I really think you may want to consider deleting this thread or pm'ing folks asking that they remove details, in case they haven't seen anything yet, so they don't make a super low offer.

This isn't just a dress, it's art. Consider it as such.


Super congrats & good luck.

[Twitch Wench]

Do you know how many tabs you've used? Calculate how much it would cost to buy that many cans, then figure out roughly how long you spent doing it and add that to the price. Then add a bit of profit, it's so good!

It's almost 4000 tabs, and I honestly didn't buy one soda for my dress, they were all donated...But I spent over 100 hours on it...So what I'm understanding is if a can of soda's $0.25 it's already $1000, which I think that's a little much...I don't really know though.

$1000 is NOT too high!  First, my husband says that crafters should charge at least $10 per hour for their work.  Secondly, celebrities pay way more than that on gowns...  and this is Ripley's Believe it or Not!  High ball them and see if they have a counter offer.  If you start low, they'd still probably try to work out some negotiation to get it cheaper... 

Congrats, BTW!!!  It's awesome!!!

[kjlutz]

I agree with all those suggesting $10 000, remember this is a one of a kind artifact, but your best bet might be to ask what they are offering.

[ohiodiygirl]

you did an amazing job, such a great turn out!! And that is incredible that Ripley's Believe It Or Not contacted you! As all others have said before you should definitely start high in their offer, the worst they will do is counter offer and talk you down a little. So whatever you are looking to get double, as my mortgage lender advised me the worst feeling is having your first offer accepted and wondering how much better of a deal you could have gotten. Now if you say $10,000 and they give it to you I am sure you will be ecstatic but if you don't want to sell yourself short by asking for under $5,000.

[nilmerg]

I live in Australia and I have heard of Ripley's believe it or not. They are well know world wide!!! I wonder if they might be interested in your doritos dress too?! Combined that could be worth your entire collage fund!

I just scrolled through some of your posted images and your are ABSOLUTELY an absolutely original, talented and unique fashion designer not 'just a 17 year old'. Remember that you are worth it and offers like these don't happen every day. Aim high, very high.

[writeswithaleft]

Don't give a price. Ask them what their range is, then decide.

[MonicaElaine]

I hope it comes to the Ripley's in Dallas.  My daughter works there!  I love that place.  The dress is awesome!!

[Cookiepockets]

I agree with the people who are saying ask them what they would offer to you.  If you think it's acceptable, take it, if it makes you feel sick to you stomach, it's probably too low.  What Ripleys must consider is, you've put so much time and effort into this and it is absolutely a work of art! 
Also remember, if you are on your way to college or university, this money will go to a good use!

[levoyagedekennedy]

I think they are more than equipped to buy your dress for a significant amount. Take into consideration the time it took and how much clothing designers charge for their art and the cost of supplies and time you lost sacrificing dates or movie nights to make your dress. Then, read this article I googled for you.
 http://www.mlive.com/artprize/index.ssf/2010/10/buyer_spends_heavily_to_grab_crazy_artprize_entries_for_ripleys_museums_of_oddities.html

I am sure you can find others feeds that give you an idea on how much they purchase items for, but this is a start! Good luck to you and keep everyone posted.