Originally Posted by yonnikka
Building on a relationship-- one suggestion is to make an offer (better in e-mail or letter so she can re-read and re-think her reply) to buy one of her baskets as a gift for someone you know, someone that she does not know. Show her you are proud of her work, and acknowledge her creativity. That is a grand gesture that she cannot ignore. Just don't defeat yourself by bargaining for a discount price!!!! Good luck! Some things cannot be hurried...
My SIL's sister is a master basket weaver and I used to get priority buying privileges when she made new baskets (I have them on display and in use all over my house), and then she taught my SIL to weave and I purchased the first set of coasters my SIL made - I never negotiated, I gladly paid full price, their pricing has always been fair. Hopefully, in the future, I'll have an opportunity to purchase some of my SIL's baskets. We'll see!