2nd Print Sale?

I made my first sale within a week of joinging FAA and remember thinking, "Wow. This is easy." LOL It was a while before my next one, but then the calendar year 2014 went reasonably well for me.

If only there were rhyme or reason for sales in this fickle business! Just keep doing what you are doing and they will come. ;)
BTW, be sure o advertise that first sale but not as a 'first', just a sale....should spark interest!

Joseph..."that was easy" happened to me when I bought my first lottery ticket! lol

So are we going to have 2 discussions now, one for how long for the first sale and another how long for a second sell? How about one more discussion for how long for a 3rd sell.

I don't remember, I joined in 2009. On the beginning I was getting sells now and then, later I would get at sell at least once a month (exception of xmas - I was getting more sells). Now I average about one sell a week.

For me, it was over a year between the first and second, but I was on the free account and did not market. Right after my second sale, I upgraded and started some low level marketing. The third sale came about a month after the second. SInce I did two things, I can't pinpoint which it was that made a difference or if it was both, but I can definitely say that when I spend time marketing now, I see results within the week (sometimes a day or two) - I can connect these dots easily since I do a lot of freelance graphic design, I have waves of busy times and but the FAA marketing on the back burner when I am working for paying clients.

First sale Nov 2014, second sale May 2015 (I signed up August 2014). My Third sale just came yesterday. I keep adding more and more things so I am slowly getting found in FAA search more.

But advertising is the best route for spreading the word.

Sebastian, you can go back in your sale history if you really wanted to - all the details are there.

Thanks everyone for the responses. I just was curious about how others experience when their first few sales fell to give me a better idea. I figured it didn't hurt to ask since often times I click on discussions that don't seem to even pertain to FAA.

usually the first is easy and the second is harder. because i think the site tosses in new people to encourage them to say they got their first sale. but i think the next day. i'd have to look, but it would take a while to go through the pages.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

it will really depend on your work, how well your known, how universal or specific your shots are, how well you advertise, etc. this month has been really slow for me. i got some sales today, so that's good, but it would be hard to gauge. i'm not sure people are buying as much these last few months.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Thanks for the tips Mike. Since I have also not been here for a year yet I have also wondered how much sales pick up around the Holidays and if sales greatly increase around Christmas or if it's not that big of a difference.

that varies too. i find it picked up a month or two before the holiday, but not during. last year. before that it was up then. i think it depends which holiday people are shopping for, and when they line up. but again it depends how well you diversify yourself. how well you advertise right now.

you should start people in galleries, add more keywords. and advertise as much as you can.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

I was spoiled when I joined FAA because three months later I made 5 sales in the same day to one buyer. My second sale was about 10 days later. Those were the good old days (2010) of FAA!

Very great to know. I will keep the advertising going. I'm fortunate to be selling some of my work again next month at a local event. I am hoping that if I don't make many sales at the event it will create the interests and maybe sales later on here.

My first one was 12 days after joining in July 2012. It was actually 3 large prints on one order. The second about 2 weeks later, A whole month for the third. 2 months for the fourth and then one a week going to the holidays. I work a lot harder now and sell less frequently. I also charge more. I continue to sell 2, 3 and even 12 at a time.

Holiday-wise, I can't speak for here but last year I sold much more on my other site from about November 1st-mid December, almost a print every other day average which was WAY up compared to the rest of the year. Sales disappeared after about Dec 15th or so.

I think this site is a different beast though since it's harder to get found through search.

I'd just love to sell period:)

I think the biggest thing is not know what to expect and what to do while waiting. I guess I will continuing sharing as much as I can and see what happens with my sales.

I think most people will tell you that if all you're doing is waiting that you won't be having much luck.

I agree with that David. I have been trying to share as much as I can. It took me 5 months to get my first print sale but I was able to sell a few cards before that. I'm just hoping that I will have more sales. I just ordered some cards to take with me to my next vendor event.

6 months to my first sale, but it was returned lol. Then I have sold few cards. Second print sale (or first real sale) was in another 8 months. Pretty bad I guess.

I hope that my first print doesn't get returned. I was shocked that they purchased the largest size available for that image. I guess time will tell.

Don't count on getting e-mail notifications of your sales..... This is the second sale in which I did not receive an e-mail notification. I always now go to "Behind the Scenes" and click on the "Sales" button there....

Diana I wonder why you aren't getting the notifications. I just purchased some items for myself and received the email. So it is working for me. Now if others would keep buying my work that would be awesome. lol I wanted to see the quality of the tote bags for myself and my daughter wanted one as a school book bag. I figured it's a win win situation as long as it will hold a 3rd graders books :)

The first million is the easy one.....

Wait, wrong question. Actually, the first, second and third happened simultaneously and so was born my Abilene theory. The next one took six weeks.

The tote bag is great quality!

I thought I didn't get email notifications for sales and it turned out they just landed in my over-aggressive spam filter... You might want to check there.

Good to hear. I read another discussion where someone didn't seem too happy with it so I figure that I better order one to find out for myself. This will be the first that I have ordered any of the items from FAA. I ordered a pillow and some cards too.

First print sale was cancelled, months after being on FAA. First print sale that stayed came 6ish months after joining the site :) Second came 4 and 1/2 months later. Only 2 of my first 11 sales (that were not cancelled) were prints. Luckily, my 8 sales this month have been prints!

Says the young man that had to convince his parents to go premium.

I suppose they realize that you are quite the serious business man now.

Nicely done Parker.

Haha, thanks JC. It is so much fun here on FAA, and nice to have some monetary benefits. I am so glad to have my parents backing me up through it all.

i have still yet to sell one...

09/15/2011 - sold a greeting card - yippie!

05/10/2012 - sold 10 cards to a friend

06/06/2012 - sold 24.63" x 30.00" acrylic print

06/06/2012 - 22.88" x 30.00" canvas print

etc. 282 or so sales later....

I have to say in the beginning I put my attention else where. I probably just let my account here sit without promotion for the first year or two.

Parker I am sure many are glad your parents have given you their support. Awesome work! G Berry after looking at your work I am surprised you haven't sold any. I'm curious how much time you put into promoting?

I was not very happy with the cards... I ordered some for my own purposes... I did not like the card stock... too glossy for my taste and not my thing. I wish buyers could have a choice in card stock. Since a lot of my images have a painterly/textural look, I would prefer to have my note cards on a matte finish and be of a finer paper finish.

Good to know. I guess it will be good to have some to show people. Some may or may not like them but at least they will know what they look like.