Looking for design inspiration?   Browse our curated collections!

Return to Main Discussion Page
Discussion Quote Icon

Discussion

Main Menu | Search Discussions

Search Discussions
 
 

Roy Erickson

9 Years Ago

What Do You Think

I am thinking of having a ONE day, 24 hours, sale. It would be cost + $1 - any size any medium. I suppose the way to do it would be to do a global change of prices and then 24 hours later change it back. Seriously - if you are selling nothing - and getting nothing - and you are on the last pages of search - a dollar is more than 0 - and sales would boost the search position towards the front - right? I'm now working on the date to do this - August sometime perhaps. This is not asking for a critique of my work (Mike) or my marketing - just a simple question of what you think of the idea. thank you. rd

Reply Order

Post Reply
 

John Hickson

9 Years Ago

Your logic is sound Roy, as you rightly say, something is better than nothing. That said, why almost give it away? Have you investigated every avenue to boost your sales? Not that I'm some sort of selling genius mind, I haven't sold a damn thing! :D

 

Katie Jeans

9 Years Ago

I dont know if it would benefit or not but I am curious to see how you do! You will have to update me. How big is your audience? If its only other artist how much they are into buying as selling & complementing other artist moreso. Good luck though

 

Bradford Martin

9 Years Ago

I don'y think you really lose anything. If you are only selling sporadically then any sales would likely be people who wouldn't have bought something. If you make a sale you get a little boost in the search so that is something. To be honest I am not sure it would work, but then again who can resist a bargain.

 

Roy Erickson

9 Years Ago

To any who might ask - I've sold less since doing ANY marketing - than I did in the two years I was here before I 'got active" in promoting my work on FAA.

 

Heather Applegate

9 Years Ago

It would probably only have a chance at working if you had a lot of followers to market to in that short time period. If you haven't got a following, no point.

 

Patricia Strand

9 Years Ago

Sounds like a good idea, since it's only for one day. Any longer, and I'd wonder if it was a clearance sale, lol (based on such a low price). But for it to work, of course, you'd have to be on other social sites, or else who would see it? I'm sure you know that, of course. Just worth mentioning. Another thought ... I wonder how many here ask family members and friends from around the country to purchase something from them to increase their standing? I have never done that, but sometimes I wonder if others have, based on the recent sales pages.

 

Edward Fielding

9 Years Ago

You still have to promote it. If a tree falls in the forest does it make a sound? If a fire sale happens and no one knows about it....

Funny, I'm watching TV and an ad for Goodwill comes on. Goodwill! Even places that basically give stuff away have to advertise.

 

Louise Reeves

9 Years Ago

Well, he has 106 followers (more than I do) so that's a potential $106. ;)

 

Edward Fielding

9 Years Ago

Other artists? In Glen Garry Glen Ross those would be the low level leads.

Roy if you are selling less after doing marketing, then you are 1. Doing it wrong or 2. Not keep up with your competition.

 

Kim Shuckhart Gunns

9 Years Ago

Roy, why not check with some of your followers on what kind of sale they would like to see. I'd hate to see you go so drastic as a cost +1 You have terrific pieces. i'm sure your fans would want the market kept up.Go to past buyers too remember people have to see things at least 3 times before they buy.

 

Roy Erickson

9 Years Ago

Edward - you go to a different Goodwill than I. Most of their stuff is "junk" and what ain't junk - unless they are just haphazard at knowing what they got - isn't cheap.

the second part of the problem - there are few (at least from what I can see) digital non objective abstracts selling. Yes - there are the exceptions occasionally. Even I have sold a "few" - only one on FAA - but on other POD's several (but I gave them up for FAA - because I like the structure here - and so far, FAA hasn't shot it'self in the foot).

I do NOT have a set of buying followers - I would take the promotion to twitter - at the least. I'm not on FB, so that one is out.

I may live another 20 or so years - although there is no guarantee - and while many folks have children or grandchildren to pass on their heritage - all I have is my art - and when I am gone - it will be as well. Not crying in my beer - just - facts are facts. I brought nothing with me - and so I'm taking nothing out when I go - but there will be nothing left behind either, (well, not much). and every day, I think of that more and more.

 

Tom Druin

9 Years Ago

30-50 % off your mark-up attract them to buying and you still make money you deserve...

 

Barry Lamont

9 Years Ago

I'll be honest Roy... It seems a bit desperate.. Maybe it will get you a few sales and a leg up on the searches.. but will you still respect yourself in the morning? Tom's got the right Idea..at least make the money you deserve.. otherwise you're essentially just paying to play.. and that sucks.. You might be better off buying your own work to get into the searches and then sell the pieces on at fairs or whatnot!

 

Dan Turner

9 Years Ago

You have nothing to lose by trying, but I think it would only be successful if your followers understood your markup.

Otherwise, you have to take a page from car dealers: "Only $500 over invoice!" Psychologically, that sounds like $500. People know it's not, they don't really know what it is, but it sounds incredible.

You could use the same strategy, which works year in and year out, but could probably keep your prices close to where they are now.
"Only $1 over cost!" -- see? sounds too low.
"Only $300 over cost!" -- sounds like a deal, let's look!

Good luck with the promo.


Dan Turner
Dan Turner's Seven Keys to Selling Art Online

 

Mario Carta

9 Years Ago

If your work is really good, don't undervalue your Art for the sake of the sale. Some times raising your prices is a better strategy.

 

Mike Savad

9 Years Ago

it's not the matter of the price - it's people viewing your site. right now it's very slow for me, vacations right now. even garage sales are slow. i wasn't planning on critiquing you - that takes work you know.

if it's not selling at your current price, making it cheaper won't help you much. you can try it if you want, but i don't think it will help much. abstract is a tough sell, its hard to market. have you tried going on zazzle? i think it would make a cool tie. or background for something. and if they see you there, they may find you here as well.


---Mike Savad


 

Edward Fielding

9 Years Ago

I find that most of my images that have sold don't sell again (at least not yet). So consider that each image might have a very small number of potential buyers. If you go through all the work to find those few buyers, then why would you only want to make $1 on the sale?

 

Chuck Staley

9 Years Ago

The problem is, you're not selling your artwork for a dollar. You're selling a 20x30 inch gallery wrap for $145. That's the printing cost.

What you are really doing, if your prices were marked the same as mine, is selling for 50% off.

I think a 50% savings sounds better than, poor me, I can't sell anything so I will try something desperate.

I tried that on Craigslist and got 0 bites.

But, as everyone knows and has said, people have to know about it or you're just blowing smoke somewhere... :+}

(Maybe make this private?)

 

Mike Savad

9 Years Ago

and to get higher in the search, you would have to push a lot of work. i don't know how many you would have to sell to make it increase. right now you can push the wine.


---Mike Savad

 

Roz Abellera

9 Years Ago

It sounds like it may work logically. Try it anyway just to see what happens.

--Roz Barron Abellera

 

Roy Erickson

9 Years Ago

ONE of the problems I have with FAA "discounts" is that it's a % rather than a fixed amount - many folks just don't understand that 20% off is NOT, like in any other store, 20% off the total but only 20% off YOUR cut of the total. Makes me almost dislike the "price breakdown". do you go into a store and they tell you - well the manufacturer gets $50, the Packaging gets 20%, etc - and we are only getting 4% of the total sale? That's the way gas is sold for your car - the seller - where you pump the gas gets only 4 or 5¢/gallon; all the rest goes to the oil company with a chunk or two or three to taxes; which is why most 'gas stations' now are convenience stores and gas sales, with you pumping your own gas, is a sideline. You'd think at least the seller would get more than the tax on it.

@ Barry - in a way - it is a bit "desperate". When I die - my art will die with me - because if it's not "printed before then" it will never be printed - and will be lost in the ether.

 

Dan Turner

9 Years Ago

"because if it's not "printed before then" it will never be printed"

That's digital for you. Can you imagine if all the images today's population generated were printed? No trees left! No paper products for anything else. Probably no ink either.

Really productive painters can knock out 52 paintings per year. But even painfully slow digital photographers can generate 52 images per hour.


Dan Turner
Dan Turner's Seven Keys to Selling Art Online

 

Alfred Ng

9 Years Ago

What ever happen to those 90% off sale last year?

 

This discussion is closed.