...A fair followup question might be: what criteria would you use for pricing a piece?
Pricing is the question of the ages. Like you said, it's all over the map, so everybody's mileage will vary. My experience is based on selling in the Los Angeles area. Other areas are different. As an example, Bernie in Goodland Kansas can get about twice the price for a potpourri bowl that I can in Los Angeles. Now Bernie makes a fine potpourri bowl, but I think he'd agree his aren't twice as good as mine.
It's just what his market can bear. Having an inferior piece priced too high potentially hurts other turners by giving buyers the false impression that the whole turning market is overpriced. Having a quality piece priced too low potentially hurts other turners by undercutting the market.
When I'm pricing one of my own pieces, I use several criteria. The size and the wood (rarity or figure) play a part. If the finish really stands out as being nice, I'll add some to the price. If I feel that I nailed the form, that adds to the price. Another big part is simply how much I like the piece. Sometimes things just go right and everything seems to just hit the sweet spot. The more I want to keep it, the higher the price. And then there's the venue. When I was selling at street fairs, I'd set my prices higher in the more affluent neighborhoods. I got my starting point for pricing by looking at what I considered to be comparable work in my area. In general, my prices have settled into the $100 to $350 range for most bowls and hollow forms. (Hollow forms are generally more expensive due to their uniqueness.)
But what sets apart a $60 piece from a $260 piece? To a certain extent, I agree that ego plays a part. You have to believe your work is good enough to charge $260 for a piece of designer firewood. (Of course, it also helps if your work is actually that good.) I also think a lot of it has to do with the presentation of the seller and the perception of the buyer. If the seller is displaying a bowl on a card table at the weekly Farmer's Market, and the buyer is has the perception that he's looking at a handmade salad bowl, $60 may be a fair price. If the seller is showing the same bowl in a tasteful display at an upscale street fair, and the buyer is seeing an artistic fruit bowl to serve as a table centerpiece, the $260 price is probably more in line. In both of these case, I'd expect a graceful form and a consistent finish with no visible tool or sanding marks.
You have to target your market correctly, too. If someone is trying to sell $260 "art" bowls at a Farmer's Market where customers are looking for salad bowls, they're probably not going to get many sales. (Keep in mind, it could be the same bowl.) Similarly, someone trying to sell $60 salad bowls at a high-end show where customers are looking for art will also likely have slow sales. And if the customers see themselves as "art connoisseurs", they might even hesitate to buy a $260 bowl from someone if they also see other, lower-priced products displayed with it. In fact, for selling to the real high-end art customers, the turner might even be better off only displaying a few pieces, and pricing the $260 bowl in the $400 to $500 range. (It better be pretty special wood at that price, though.) The appearance of exclusivity appeals to collectors. There are also some bragging rights amongst their friends involved too, I think. In the "art" price range though, the piece really needs to "speak" to the buyer. It takes some pretty serious love to prompt someone to pay a few hundred bucks on something for which they could get a functional equivalent at Ikea for $10. But those people do exist. I ran into people with that mindset last year when I was installing high-end artwork in wealthy folks' homes and offices. These are people who don't bat an eye at spending a few thousand bucks for something that'll be used as a decoration.
Another thing that plays a part in the pricing is the maker's reputation. The upper echelon of turners have a reputation among collectors, and they can charge a premium for their pieces. Of course, one of the reasons they have lofty reputations is because they have a history of making beautiful pieces, and they often also have a "signature" style, so people can recognize the maker simply by looking looking at their work. Of course, that stage is still quite a way off for me.
One thing I don't really use in my pricing is the degree of difficulty. Some of my $150 pieces were more difficult to make and finish than some of my $300 pieces. And my highest-priced piece (the burned manzanita wood piece Jim Bradley mentioned upthread) was one of my easiest. I just like it a lot.
Wow...didn't mean to write a book.
Good question, though. This thread has prompted some good discussion.