Seriously Thinking Of Going Premium

The main advantage of premium is being able to upload more than 25 images; since you only have 15 at the moment there are no real benefits for you to do so right now. To the best of my knowledge premium doesn't give you a better ranking in search etc. Wait till you reach the maximum number of images before you upgrade.

It's only $30/year, and for that you get some additional marketing tools and commissions on frames. It's a bargain compared to other sites, which charge $100 or more for less storage and fewer benefits.

I'm mystified by this question. But I also get mystified when my wife takes 20 minutes to order from the In-N-Out menu.

Unless you're ready to get more serious about your effort. Wait until you have 25 images.

There are three big advantages to going premium for me.

1. Having more than 25 images. This one won't help you yet.

2. Having my own URL, which I then pay another site so when you go to www.JCFindley.com you get to my artist website here. BIG advantage if you market off site. This could certainly apply to you.

3. The 5% commission. Hey, 5% can be quite a bit depending on how much you sell and how large and what format they sell. My $30 and then some is covered every month with that 5%.

There are other advantages but those are the three that matter the most to me. You have to decide if it will help you out but 30/year is not much.

All the pros of going premium have been listed. The only con is that you have to pay for it. The upside to that is $30 for a whole year is so affordable and you get a whole lot of bang for your buck.

I had wondered about people not paying the $30.00 and selling. It seems you proved it can be done, but how long has it taken?

Every time I read a thread like this the ones that sell the most say you have to have at least 150 pieces of art here to take off. Some that do well have thousands. Are you ready for that? Do you have tons of pictures and time?
$30.00 a year is not much, I agree with that, but your paying that to promote FAA.
Its like paying a restaurant for a better table.

I think all these sites should be free once established like FAA is, because what we do is promote them for free. Working many hours and marketing for free to help FAA get more popular in hope of getting your art seen.

The $30 a year is supposedly a barrier to prevent the site from being flooded with soccer mum shots. And $30 is really peanuts compared to what FAA offers in return. There is one artist here who only has a couple of works but sells very very regularly. The more work you offer, the bigger your chance of selling - but there are exceptions to that rule.

Dean, are you saying soccer mums don't have $30.00 to spend? or bad a artist won't pay $30.00 to join this site.
Have you seen the contests?

you have only 15 images, the real prize in the thing he makes us pay is that you can upload what you want. i haven't found that many people even know about the artist website even though i send people there. there is no real tactical advantage to getting the premium site unless you can pour in work every few weeks. we aren't in the amazon thing right now, even though many still are - and i have no idea how that works now. i don't know what this big surprise is, but unless people can find the artist site, i don't know if any of it will help. anyway, i say keep the money for now, and create more. when you have the 26th image, then pay for it.

---Mike Savad

You clean up well Mike

Kevin if you do not wish to pay premium then please free not to


JL the new sites are coming out any day now and I think most of the premium members are going to be very impressed with the abilities.

Also of course you have the option to upload over 25 works. If you are serious about marketing yourself then premium is the way to go but, if you have few works, are not worried about being with other people etc, then stick to free.

I have two free accounts and one premium. I want different things from them. I also have my own website and can use the premium widgets there and then ignore this site if I wish, apart from to upload new work

It is entirely up to you. Most of the things you get here for free but premium does have some advantages and will have more soon. For now, in your place I would probably stay free and wait and see.

I think 30 $ for such site like this, is just NOTHING, especially if you are selling. JC is right, the 5 % of materials also an advantage here. I counted it for 2 years its for now 224 $ - not bad at all...

I just assumed you already were premium JL by your activity here!

I look at it this way. I have paid $30.00 for a jury fee only to get rejected for the show. At least you GET something with FAA's fee!

FAA is one of the cheapest expenses I have in the art "business".

I tend to agree with Mike who said - keep the money for now, and create more. when you have the 26th image, then pay for it. since you don't have at least 25 images uploaded and right now, you can still sell what you have uploaded for free. If what you really want is the AW site then, yes . . . it's the only way you are going to get it.

Oh - honestly, I don't have anything to offer re's my AW site. I have it on all of my business cards but I don't track it.

--Donna Proctor

Have not read the thread but, when you go premium you are investing in your work and your storefront. You have made back it seems what you would invest in premium so its not a loss.

I did the same thing, I wasn't going premium until I made the sales to pay for it. So it caused me to work it and I learned a lot. Now I've made it to premium and not looking back. Love it !!

I don't sell a lot, and I'm not doing any real marketing right now. But one sale pays for the premium membership. I've made about 5 times that so far this year. So is $30 worth it? You bet!

I don't agree one bit with what Kevin said about having 150 images. I made my first sales within the first few weeks with a free account and 25 images. I more than make back the 30 dollars a year on the commissions alone. That said, the only advantage you are going to have with less than 26 images is your own site. And that is very well worth 30 dollars a year if you are going to be sending prospective buyers their directly or through advertising or business cards. If you don't have a site of your own now then it would be a very good investment for that alone. Even if you only send a few key people there a year.

Jl, your work is amazing! Please go premium so the world can see and buy lots more of it!

I paid $30 to have my unsold art shipped back from a show. ;-)

I really like your work, JL, and have "liked" and commented on it. I was surprised you didn't have a premium site.

But an AWS is only good if you spend the time promoting it. Otherwise, it is like having your art in a closet with the door closed.

At least, on FAA et al, people may see your work in different places. Not so with the AWS.

But... with the AWS, people you direct to your website are seeing YOUR work and only your work if you turn off comments and such.

Isabella said: the new sites are coming out any day now and I think most of the premium members are going to be very impressed with the abilities.

CAN'T WAIT!!!

Jl ...I checked the website link on your bio page to see if you joined the artistwebsite and the link takes you to a place other than to your site...You may want to update that link...

I agree with Philip. The shopping cart widget alone is worth $30.00!

Wow, thanks, everyone, for your input and advice. I really appreciate it. Thanks especially for the compliments - can't get too many of those!

Judy, thanks for the heads-up. I've updated the link.

Well, after viewing the comments, I guess the best thing is to *sigh* keep building up my gallery to at least 25 images, and then go premium. I sure hope my eyes hold out. :P Thanks again, everyone.

it's constant work. i compare being an artist to being a tv show.

people start liking a show and they want to see more, so you have to make new episodes every so often so people have a reason to come back and to remind them your still alive. many think all they have to do is create a few things and they will all sell. but to get people to notice you, lots of new work all the time. you do become a machine after a while.

---Mike Savad

Isn't another advantage that you can see private discussions or can you see those anyway? I started with a premium so I'm not sure!

Melissa, I haven't got premium and I can see private discussions...

ah! okay, I wasnt' sure :o)

J L, I started with the basic and made my 1st sale while being in basic. I immediately went to premium and started promoting the heck out of my artist's website. Since then, I've made consistent monthly sales that increase yearly. When you market your work to people, you want them going to your AW, not FAA where they can then wonder off in search of similar works.
I say go premium and market a lot directing people to your AW.:)

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With premium you can upload many, many more than 25. And should your computer crash, your images are still at FAA and you can recover them. Good, feature. As for sales, it may be slim pickings per sales whether you have 25 or hundreds showing. Very difficult to tell what will sell or not sell. Good luck!