Buying paintings at Ejido park

I've purchased art at El Ejido park, where the artists sell their works mostly on Saturdays and Sundays. 

Both the Ecovía and the Trole stop near the north side of El Ejido where the artists and their paintings are found.  The Ecovía stop is Casa de la Cultura (House of the Culture) on 6 de Diciembre.

Based on my experience, the price of an obra depends on ....

-- quality of the work

-- size of the work

-- how hungry is the artista

-- your ability to negotiate

Rule of thumb:  when in doubt, offer half of what you think it might be worth.  Better yet, have the artist state a price, and then you offer no more than half that as a negotiation starting point.

This is an ideal situation for a Gringo to pick up art at a deep discount.

cccmedia

Words and phrases to use when negotiating at Parque El Ejido....

How much do you want for this?  ¿Cuánto quieres para esto?

Twenty-two is my final offer.  Veintidos es mi oferta final.

Would you take 25 bucks for these two?  ¿Aceptaría veinticinco dólares para estes dos?

Forget it.  I'll come back if I change my mind.  Olvídelo.  Regresaré si cambie mi mente.  (As soon as you turn your back, listen for a ‘best offer.')

  -- cccmedia

Thanks, great tips.

You may have noticed long rows consisting of dozens of covered / tented shop stalls inside Parque El Ejido on weekends.

Same negotiation strategies apply as with the artists.

At these stalls you can find about 95 percent of the same crafts and clothing that are available at the famous market in Otavalo, Ecuador -- saving you a bus trip to that dusty town.

The five percent of exceptions is heavy woolen items, such as sweaters and blankets.

One phrase you will hear over and over as you approach individual stalls:  ”A la orden.'  This means:  “At your service."

About five minutes away from the Casa de la Cultura intersection is a street-level shopping distrito for such crafts and clothing, on Calle Jorge Washington east of Avenida Amazonas.  One advantage of this location is that the goods are available every day, not just on weekends.

cccmedia

You can buy "Sunflowers" for maybe $US50 million and a "good copy" for maybe $20.