you should charge for any delivery. local or tokyo.

Either charge enough that you can include delivery in the price or make it explicate that delivery is an option and that it costs $x extra. You can’t offer to deliver and then charge them.

Also if you need someone to drive you then that is a problem. Personally I am a big fan of using local couriers – for $6 to $20 you can get something delivered without wasting your time but I’m not certain that would work for paintings unless there is a way to package them so they don’t get damaged.

I personally would not offer delivery if I needed to ask someone for a favour to drive me.

If it’s a part of your value proposition don’t charge them and bake it into your paint price. It helps to change your mindset of my art is cheaper then other therefore you’ll buy it. Into I’m an expert in what I do so clients pay for my expert work. Same applies to any service your in.

Once clients knows your an expert they will pay expert price.

Just have customers do pickup or charge a delivery fee and hire someone to do it. It’s not your job to have a prolonged negotiation with every customer about basic stuff like this. Also stop undercharging for your work. If you try to make everyone happy, you’ll attract customers who want to use small businesses as a doormat.

Absolutely, you’re right to consider charging for local drop-offs. It’s standard in business to add a fee for the extra convenience and effort of delivery, especially if it impacts your time or resources. Setting clear policies is crucial, too. Clearly communicate any delivery fees and policies regarding pick-ups and payments to avoid misunderstandings.
Also, if you feel your paintings are priced lower than their value, it might be time to reassess your prices. It’s important to charge what your work is truly worth. Remember, it’s okay to stand your ground on your policies and prices – your art and time are valuable. Keep shining in your creative endeavors!

Seems like a pretty simple solution. Create a terms & conditions section on your site if you have one of simply tell everyone your delivery / pickup rules if through word of mouth.

Example:

• All orders are subject to a $30 shipping fee. If you’re within X,Y,Z cities it will be hand delivered. If outside of X,Y,Z cities it will be shipped via X courier.

• Local orders can be picked up at Metro Plaza 7 days a week between 8am-8pm. Please email me to arrange a day / time. Local pickups must be paid for in advance via E-transfer or PayPal invoice. Always state that they don’t need a PayPal account to pay the invoice.

Yes, cash works great and all but when you do it enough times you’ll find out that there are far less issues when it’s paid for in advance. Lastly, don’t say you MIGHT be able to do anything. You either CAN or CANNOT.

Stop being wishy washy on delivery. Either you can or you can’t. The customer doesn’t care if you can’t drive. I have a courier that does deliveries in-city for me for $12 per delivery. Either establish a deliver charge of $15.00 inside a geographic area and make that part of your quotes price upfront or alter your art pricing to be high enough that you can offer “free delivery”.

But either way, set your policy, get approval upfront, and then stick to it.

Charge enough for your paintings that you can hand deliver them and get shorted $10 with a smile on your face.