How The Christmas Rush Goes From Someone That Has Been There

"I have run once a year sales over Thanksgiving in the past but that has generated very few sales for me, YMMV on this one.... "

I have always had the same results as this...That's why I did it DIFFERENT this year! I caught them BEFORE Black Friday! And it worked! I've sold a ton with this year's Holiday sale. In the past hardly any. Maybe 1 or 2 prints.

I have seen similar trends as you for print sales. I seem to sell A LOT on Christmas day every year. The first week of January is also a hit for me. I sell original paintings and commissions and those skyrocket the first two weeks of December.

I am hoping for a great season! But this past Summer has been my best print selling season ever...Better than the Winter Holidays of past.

This is my first real holiday season on FAA- I was here last year but I was barely starting out. I'm hoping I can make a dent here before the holidays are over. There's been a fair amount of browsing but sales have gone completely silent for me on FAA since the second week of November. My other store is starting to pick up now so I hope FAA follows the same pattern and some of the browsers will turn into customers.

Edit: Oops, you said experienced sellers - I am far from that. Just my experience so far this season :).

i had a slow start, got a nice sale, then some odd ones. and now i see tumbleweeds, not even much activity, hoping the rush will happen soon, all my stores are super slow. i can only assume they are waiting for black friday or are gearing up to go to thanksgiving.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Everyone is welcome to share here Toby.

I had 7 sales within the first 36 hours of the paycheck landing in my PayPal account early on the 15th. But nothing for the 18th or 19th. So what started out as screaming, has dwindled to a whimper all the way to total silence! lol

But such is the retail business. Overall I surpassed my both 2013 and 2014 yearly sales a little while back.

I am 6.5% down from 2013 sales and 14% up over 2014 sals for the 4 days. But one large sale or one more day of zero will tip these stats significantly.

Overall I surpassed my both 2013 and 2014 yearly sales a little while back. I have no doubt that I will surpass 2015 in 2016.

As far as site wide sales bing up, with all due respect JC, that is a meaningless statement unless you are going to put it in some sort of perspective like how many net new images or members have been added. A few people reporting their best years ever, is not really any sort of prospective unless we are going the get some sort of random sampling large enough to be accurate.

FAA adds thousands of images every day. Today has seen 2,216 so far. They also add hundreds if not thousands of member each day. Today we have seen 1,260. I would only be natural that system wide, there would be an increase in sales.

But to me that sends the wrong message to the people that are not seeing an increase and are wondering what they are doing wrong or trying to figure out what the need to do right. And we know they are out there.

Overall I surpassed my both 2013 and 2014 yearly sales a little while back. I have no doubt that I will surpass 2015 in 2016. So, no this is not me whining This is just me being my normal pragmatic self.

The other unknown factor is the number of new uploads (as part of that percentage above) were done by the same people reporting best years ever. I know in my case it was probably about 300 images, way down from years past.

My experience this year is about the same as Mike's. Usually my xmas sales start around Rememberance Day but not this year. Sales are dribbling in but no rush to speak of. The whole year has in fact been kind of wonky but I'll still be up around 50% from last year unless things die. I'm definitely a little anxious. I certainly don't like to see any days without sales this time of year.I sell on one other site where I've been for about 10 years and it's really slow there also.

i just got a sale today after waiting about 4 days, didn't take the sale, so i guess they found me some other way. hoping it won't be another lull again. last year showed sales from the 19th on. i forgot to check for the gaps though, but i think there were less of them.

but its not even the number of new uploads, but how top sellers take over the search totally. they will see a spike, and everyone else will take a back seat. i can only advertise so much, many buyers are people off the street.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

I been here since 2008 and everyday is Christmas for me, no rush just a slow but steady walk.

I had a big blitz on 11/17 - six sales everything from a phone case to large prints. Then it slowed down. Ready to see it rev up again! Last year recalling seeing healthy volume up to March when people started to say "ut oh I forgot I have to pay the tax man". Then the summer was stronger than you'd typically expect but the economy has been steadily improving the last seven years or so. The Amazon factor has yet to be determined. That's a big elephant that just walked into the market.

My marketing has gone to interior designers for the last eight weeks. I am very new. Only since the beginning of
July has my production of art kicked into gear and I created a good sized portfolio. To begin with anyway.
So last Christmas means nothing, I had twelve images.

Going after designers during the Christmas rush is not worth much. I fully imagine that designers are wrapping up
projects, gaining new contracts and going to Christmas parties.

That said my marketing is beginning to bring in a few people who are interested. Some with stated intentions. But not
Christmas gift buyers. Rental redo, big fan, major NYC/LA designer......but not gift buyer......

I expect something of a new stream of buying based on my marketing in the new year. I run ads in groups like FB groups and
my brand recognition is building substantially with positive feedback I can see.

Dave

Ed,

Interesting remark on Amazon art. I wonder if we can get any stats on Amazon's art business?
Maybe from the AR.

Dave

"The Amazon factor has yet to be determined. That's a big elephant that just walked into the market.'

And would you care to explain that? Seems they have been in the art biz for some time now. Are they doing something new? Thks in advance.

it is weird how sales come in waves. where do all the buyers vanish too at the same exact time?

amazon's art as far as i know, you need a physical gallery and physical stock, then you can sell art there. i don't think they liked the POD aspect of selling.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Mike and Floyd,

The point is if Amazon with its reach decides to market its art department aggressively then Amazon could drive the potential traffic
to itself in large part.

Dave

As an Amazon Prime member - if they have it, I buy it. I don't bother going anywhere else.

"As an Amazon Prime member - if they have it, I buy it. I don't bother going anywhere else."

Then you often overpay, even factoring the shipping. I'll usually look at Amazon's prices, often even first even though I'm not a Prime member however I usually check other websites too and occasionally I find it significantly cheaper elsewhere.

This is my first year and I recently had my first sale, just a non-holiday themed greeting card so I doubt it was a holiday related purchase.

I rest my case. I live in a town where Zappos just gave everyone in town a big box of freebies just because this town was recognized as big online spenders. This is a town of college professors and doctors. They don't have time tracking down something 10 cents cheaper.

You can chase the cheap market if you want but...you want to know who buys art? Its not the cheap end of the market.

Okay... thanks.

Ya, cool program but I don't think it is that big a deal, myself.

My wife, who is a professional shopper, seen that as a gimmick that tries to lock buyers in even when prices that are not competitive. But I am sure it will work great for Amazon but I doubt the rest of internet will just shut down. More like just copy it like they did the free shipping that Amazon forced on the market place that ends up with higher overall price to absorb the cost of shipping.

I thought there was some sort of new art program.

I've never experienced a "Christmas rush" in the first four years of selling on FAA. I don't expect this year to be any different. I have slow, but generally steady, sales all year long. Then again, my prices are on the higher end and I don't offer the low-end merchandise items, so my customers are more likely to be people buying for themselves or their business rather than gift buyers.

Most people shop... just a fact of life.

To many of them it is not about saving money, that is just a side bonus. Especially some women. It is about running all over the place and looking at stuff they are never going to buy.

Brick and mortar malls and stores or Internet sites. Shopping is a social thing. An entertainment thing and adventure for a whole lot of people, men and women alike.

Even I get into the act. I will very often say to my wife, how would you and Betty like to spend the day at the big Macy's down in Santa Barbara. She falls for it every time. I drop myself at the Sandpiper golf course and they go shopping. Win/win!

Not much of an adventure with parents with kids who have sports all week long. Hopefully your Macy's isn't on the chopping block "Macy's plans to shut as many as 40 more stores in early 2016, picking up the pace of its closings." http://money.cnn.com/2015/09/09/news/companies/macys-store-closings/
....
The trend I noticed last year was smaller sized items - gift items. Smaller prints that one would give someone rather than a large print they might buy for them-self.

The site increase as a whole has specifically more to do with increased Christmas shopping and when the increase happens, aka now. It has little to nothing to do with how any individual will sell.

For instance, I average a touch under 200 reviews a day, that has increased from 150 last year BUT the last week it has become more like 300 a day and will peak up around 400 plus a day in Dec. That shows the health of the Christmas rush but has nothing to do with how any one individual may fair in it.

____________________________________________

I think I will follow Sharon's lead and see what a sale this week might generate.

JC,

I am misreading you. "Reviews"? Or views?

I would have thought you have well over 200 views per day. I am confused here.

Dave

Reviews for printability I think.

Get em before they start traveling JC!

And spend their money on all the fixins.

QA reviews.

I am ONE of quite a few QA prescreens to approve an image for printing.

Roughly looking at my balance - last year 12/15th payout was only slightly ahead of the 11/15th one. But then the 1/15 doubled. Then the 2/15 went back down to Nov. levels.

Of course at this volume it only takes a few sales to sway the numbers round.

So far this year is running about double last year.

I would love to see a "Christmas rush", but alas, all my sales were generated through Facebook postings and the two this month were no exception. I have, however, seen quite an uptick in views, Wilmington notwithstanding, so I'll keep my fingers mentally crossed that those as well generate some sales.

Louise this might be the year for you! Took me at least three years of constant building to see some real progress. Get those views up!

Twitter, FB, Google+ (has a new look), Instagram - they are all bait for the search engines.

Shortly, after I post my comment on this thread. I received a email from a buyer at other site. He wanted to know if he purchases my painting could it be delivered by Nov. 26 in time for his wife birthday?. I told him if you buy today, I can sent it via international express by FedEx.He brought it and I right away, I packed the painting and drop it off at the post office and met the 2:30pm pick up time. As i was leaving the pick up truck just showed up. What timing! not Christmas but birthday rush!

Following Sharon's advice I now have a sale on, we shall see how it works.

Me thinks sales work if you have people waiting for them. Or have a list of followers to email. Otherwise during the Christmas season you are just giving away profit. Right now people are busy getting ready for Thanksgiving - either traveling or buying the turkey. But next Thursday, after the turkey is consumed, the dished are done, the wine glasses are empty and Uncle Fred is napping - the online shopping begins!

Yupp

I didn't run one at all last year, and almost never do one in general. Figured I would try the FB market which is more friends than followers though it is a mix. It is not a particularly large part of my market segment and generally people that wouldn't buy anyway so not losing profit but perhaps getting sales I wouldn't have got otherwise.

That is TBD though whether it even generates a single sale.

I did sell three boxes of 25 cards yesterday. (Not sale related.)

i think people don't really get into the rush until they see santa at the end of the parade. to many its still just fall, and with the temps its more like spring some of these days. though in the middle of the country they will be getting snow, so maybe they will shop first. but yeah, everyone is doing the thanksgiving thing - traveling or making.

i do see some print activity in statcounter (sure wish i had that on all pages to see what's going on). so maybe those will form into something? still slow going though.

---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

"Macy’s Sounds a Holiday Alarm, and Retailers Brace for Heavy Discounting



When Macy’s, a store closely associated with Christmas, says there is trouble brewing ahead of the holidays, it is enough to send the world of shopping into a tailspin.


The retailer of “Miracle on 34th Street” warned Wednesday that its stores were awash with merchandise after a sluggish fall season and that slow business would force it to go all-out on discounts during the holidays."

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/12/business/macys-sounds-a-holiday-alarm-and-retailers-brace-for-heavy-discounting.html?_r=0

I am staying the course with my long time policy of never running sales during the holidays.

But my situation is a little different than those that have bills to pay. But the policy served my well all the years I did have bills to pay.

Never seen this before. Merriott is selling sheets, pillows and blankets under the Marriott name. They are also selling their entire beds! Foam Mattress & Box Spring set for $950-$1500.

They have their own online store. Shop Marriott, selling lamps, coffee pots, nearly everything you can find in their rooms including Canvas Wall Art....

https://www.shopmarriott.com/index.aspx

"Louise this might be the year for you! Took me at least three years of constant building to see some real progress. Get those views up!"

I've been here since 2009!

Weird is that last two three months are good at microstock too. I had one dowload here last month but that is a rare think ifor me so really no rush for me.. But I had few big sales on micro this month.

Floyd...It's another mattress scam. You DO NOT get the same products that are in their rooms. I almost fell for it once, but when I called and questioned them further, they said the discounted products were "similar" to the one in their rooms. Nope. Pass.

It just surprised me that Marriott would feel the need to get into the retail business this way. I am thinking they licensed it to someone and are just lending their name. But you never know.

Historically I've seen a ramp up in sales that tends to be smaller items (with some large prints) that runs through January and sometimes February. This year it is the opposite. Summer was consistent and nothing in just over two weeks. There were days over the summer with as many as 5 sales so maybe one or more of those will happen for the holiday season and the end of the year will be better than summer.

the optimist in me says that the fewer sales there are, the fewer returns. often i'll get more sales after the holidays. i guess santa gave money or something. or they returned the junk they didn't want and well, as my poem goes - bought art.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Macy's isn't the first giant retailer to find themselves falling out of the top spot. Just ask Woolworths, Caldors, Ames, Bradleys etc etc. These brands all have a shelf life that expires when a smarter retailer comes along. I wouldn't use an old timer as an indicator of success this year. Should be a record year over all. Especially online. People have been penny pinching for years and are tired of it. Low gas prices put money directly in their pocket. Who captures those sales is another question.

I have never sold a thing in the 4 holiday seasons I have been here, but sold a shower curtain today!

I think I just had my first Christmas rush. lol

Valerie - we all start with a big zero. Congrats!

Ha, one tote bag sold :D

Thanks, Edward, for the encouragement. ; )

What Edward said is spot on.

When I started I was ecstatic with a sale or two. One is a great start and hopefully it ill continue to grow. Congrats!

sold a phone cover and a shower curtain. i wouldn't call them big items, but they are pricey, just not from my point of view. oddly i've been selling things to england and australia of all places.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Yikes! WTG Mike! England and Australia.... now, with the shipping thread in mind, Australia shipping is really expensive. The last go around with the Post Office rate hikes, they readjusted that whole Asian/Australia corner of the globe and raised the rates more than just a little.

I am finding this year really herkey-jerkey. I sold the 7 items in the first 36 hours of this payperios and then nothing for three days. Now I snagged 4 sales in the last what looks like 18 hours. Just strange.

This is like my golf game.... par, triple bogey, par, double bogey, birdie, double bogey. Every swing is like a different golfer... Yesterday I scored one of my best rounds in some time if you don't count the 21 strokes I took on the four 3-pars. 21 strokes!! I have been playing golf all of my life, never ever even came close to that on four 3-pars.

I am ahead by about 20% (products sold) over this time last year for the month of November which is lower than the increase I saw over the Summer by leaps and bounds......Still waiting for a "rush"....

right now any sales i get are "smalls" but i guess 24" isn't really small. and shower curtains aren't really that cheap, this site just doesn't leave a lot of profit for us. i'm surprised they do pay that price though. i think right now people are watching "the game". others are camping in front of stores. others are traveling or stuck in an airport. often the moment they unbuckle their pants after dinner, i get the sales. its like phew the dinner argument is finally over, i can't wait to start buying things. and i suppose depending on the level of argument they had during dinner, that's the gauge they will use to spend on buying art from me. or i assume that's how its done.

the thing to australia i think was a shower curtain, so i guess its cheaper sending one of those. i can't imagine anything more than an envelope to send that.

---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

We do print some things in Australia BTW.

In the past the true Christmas rush hasn't started until after Thanksgiving for me.

i was hoping that because hanuka is early this year that we would get extra sales, but maybe they don't give art. or maybe those early sales were for that holiday. i think people just like the rush they get getting everything at the last second. its like a race. they beat the crowds, avoid dying at walmart to get a cheap tv. then they get over to the mall, because they love crowds. then they rush over online and hope shipping doesn't fail them.

---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

I don't know if I would call it the start of the Christmas rush, but it looks like started just before Halloween and then it has picked up since then. This is the first time I've really noticed it. Really, I am thrilled with how things have gone for me this year, even if it is small potatoes compared to many.

Really there is no such things as small potatoes to me. I am still thrilled at selling a card as it means someone likes my art enough to pay the ultimate compliment; parting with their hard earned money to buy it.

My painting/commission rush has begun...I am already slammed when I get back from T-day...Prints rush? not yet....I hope after T-day it begins! Or today...today would be good too...LOL

November started off great by my standards but it's been silent since around the 11th. Really hoping it picks up before the holidays are over. I pretty much stocked the crap out of my shop anticipating holiday sales to prop me up for next year, although I definitely lack categories that might be selling now such as Christmas and winter photos. I need to work my arse off this year to build those up.

I had my christmas rush on the weekend - my first sale in 6 months. Now to see if anything else pans out.

With one notable exception my seasonal/winter scenes very rarely sell, even this time of year.

Steven I am shocked you could go six months without a sale... Amazing photography.

Interesting JC... Do you find that you sell a lot of the same things stuff regardless of time of year, or does it vary/ever get seasonal?

Winter scene - just sold one!
http://pixels.com/saleannouncement.html?id=8a1f9636597b065ee1db6fe93ad6a5e1

I'm doing pretty good with winter scenes. Sold six boxes of cards with winter scenes in the last couple of weeks.

Of the ~200 images I have that have sold more than once, about 4 are obvious winter scenes. Make that 5 if you include a black and white conversion that is the same as one of the 4 except BW.

Now, I sell winter scenes here and there but they do not sell at the same rate as less seasonal images. (Same applies to my fall colors btw.)

For me about 80% of my sales first sale of the image. 20% are the repeat sellers. The stuff that sells this time of year follows the same general pattern as the rest of the year except I sell more small items along with the large ones.

i usually sell 1 winter scene. always that one single one. one day it was snowing a bit and i left work, there is a house that looks like a barn. i parked there and carefully walked down a snowy hill. pulled out my pocket camera and shot that in the snow. and that's the one that sells. not the ones with a bigger fancier camera. go figure. i think if it reminds them of christmas then it might be in. but if it reminds them of horrible winters, then probably not.

but i don't have enough of them to really make a comparison.

---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

One of my best selling "winter" shots was a cheat. A freak October snowstorm gave us just enough snow to cover the leaves.

I have a few snowmen and Christmas trees...But there are just no winter scenes here in Florida to shoot! LOL

I agree winter scenes don't sell well except for the one that sold (http://fineartamerica.com/saleannouncement.html?id=5c30d4105d16871586943e17f36d70e8). This is the first time it sold on FAA; it's my biggest seller on etsy. It gets a lot of attention at art fairs, and regular, but not spectacular sales - as people here in WI don't want to be reminded of winter. A lot of sales, i believe go to people who have moved away from WI, to remind them of what winter is like. I took another photo looking the opposite way, which I thought would be a big seller, especially here in WI - the dome of the Capitol lit up in Green Bay Packer colors after they won the Superbowl - alas it doesn't sell as well.

My sales have increased every year I've been on FAA, but I've never had a Christmas rush. Things usually pick up after the first of the year. I suspect people are buying for themselves rather than as gifts.

Steven, your link gets me to the home page of FAA...

JC, I look at it the same way. It really is the ultimate compliment.

Snow is the necessary ingredient in winter images. Two boxes of Christmas cards yesterday so its not too late for those. Sold my first Christmas themed box of the year in July.

Now, I usually sell a pack of cards with this image during the Christmas season.



And this is the one image that is an obvious winter scene that sells a LOT but it is not just a winter Christmas season seller.



Conversely, I have a LOT of images that were shot in the winter but are not at all winter scenes. Specifically I get most of my beach shots in the winter because there are no crowds and fewer footprints etc in the sand. Below is one of my better sellers but it doesn't exactly scream taken in January.