Why FAA print price is different from my markup?

[Elenathewise]

I thought FAA let you set your own prices for prints and didn't add anything on top apart from printing/framing and shipping charges. Am I mistaken? It looks like they are adding anywhere from 12 to 20% on top of my markup!
Here is what I see (FAA's markup on top my markup in brackets):
My markup   FAA "print price"
8"  - $30           35  (5)
10" - $40          45  (5)
12" - $50          60  (10)
14" - $75          87  (12)
16" - $100      115 (15)
20" - $125      142 (17)
24" - $150      170 (20)
30" - $175      197 (22)
36" - $225       252 (27)
40" - $250       280 (30)

So, while they advertise that they are being "fair" to artists and pay 100% of print price, they sneak up they own percentage on top of the price they present to the customer. And here is silly me thinking that I charge $250 for a 40" print when in fact it's $280. Not amused. Do they explain this additional markup anywhere - why it is there? Seriously, you want to get extra money - increase my annual fee, but don't burden my customers with additional mysterious charges!

[ShadySue]

AFAICR, they only say you get 100% of the price you set.
I can't see where they say that they don't add their own cut as well as the other charges.

[Elenathewise]

AFAICR, they only say you get 100% of the price you set.
I can't see where they say that they don't add their own cut as well as the other charges.

Wouldn't be more transparent and honest to say that my cut of the print price is 80%?

[ShadySue]

AFAICR, they only say you get 100% of the price you set.
I can't see where they say that they don't add their own cut as well as the other charges.

Wouldn't be more transparent and honest to say that my cut of the print price is 80%?

In your OP, you seem to suggest that their cut varies.
I think it is clearer for them to say that the price you set is the price you get, but clearly that's just an opinion.

There are a few examples where they're not exactly 'transparent and honest'.
For example:
http://fineartamerica.com/announcement-artist-websites-referral-program.html?affiliateid=
says:
"When someone clicks on your advertisement and then signs up for a new website on artistwebsites.com, you'll instantly earn $5.00."
but the reality is that you don't get your $5 until 30 days after the person signs up, so that they don't get a refund. Of course, that's avoiding scams and is not unreasonable, but that's not what the wording says.
There are some other rather 'strange' issues with the site.

[Elenathewise]

I think it is clearer for them to say that the price you set is the price you get, but clearly that's just an opinion.

It's clear in terms of how much you get, but since you're setting prices yourself you need to know how much the buyer is getting charged. The reason this came to my attention is a buyer asked about the pricing and what shows on the purchase page is not what I set.  When you set prices for a phone case for example, it shows you the base price, your markup, and the price the customer will see on the purchase page. With prints for some reason there is this silent and not even consistent add-on that's not defined anywhere or mentioned anywhere. Not ok. 

[Jo Ann Snover]

If its the accessories - frames mostly - that's extra and you get a cut of that when you sell a framed print. Could that be the difference you're seeing?

[Freedom]

They started as a promising fine art site, now they try very hard to become a Walmart by selling all kinds of rubbishes. Ironically my sales are way down comparing to last year, and I rarely see sales of phone cases, bags, etc.

[Microstockphoto]

The markup is material. If you go to a photo and choose a print and then click pricing details its all broken down for you. It is quite transparent to be honest.

[ShadySue]

And apart from their cut being different in different sizes, there are also the international sites and prices, e.g. I see prices in UK�, and prints for  customers in Europe (paying by whatever currency) are fulfilled via a printer in Glasgow, I believe (I've read that in their discussion). So no doubt with currency changes daily, it would really be impossible to give your cut, which always remains constant, as an accurate percentage. It's also quite possible that the UK materials prices are higher, as they usually are in the UK compared to the US.)

(as a comparison, on iS, your percentage is your percentage of the US$ selling price, not the same percentage in whatever currency the buyer bought in.)

I'm still curious as to what FAA do about VAT in the EU. They say officially that they "don't deal with VAT", but I can't see how that would be allowed.

With varying taxes and duties, again it would be very difficult to give you in advance an accurate percentage of every possible sale to every possible location. That said, although a small percentage of my work there is US-relevant, that's where most of my sales are. Their prices are extremely uncompetitive in the UK, no matter how low one sets one's own prices.

[ShadySue]

Seriously, you want to get extra money - increase my annual fee, but don't burden my customers with additional mysterious charges!

The customer sees the prices when they buy, nothing mysterious to them.

[Elenathewise]

The markup is material. If you go to a photo and choose a print and then click pricing details its all broken down for you. It is quite transparent to be honest.

I am not talking about material markup and framing commissions, and I am well aware of the "pricing details". What I am looking at is the "Print" price which is supposed to be what I set, and it isn't. 

Here is an example: