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Message 1
From: qbiccomm # comcast.net
Date: Wed, 06 May 2009 18:01:04 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38818] Re: selling prints on line
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I "handled" promotions for a sizable antiques show for several years. Expensive booths and expensive goods. The major dealers complained for several seasons about the antique jewelers on the theory that the less expensive merchandize claimed buyers who would have "bought up" had the little jewelry booths not been there. So they priced the jewelry specific dealers out. A year later, attendance and sales were off. Who knows how the mix works? They didn't.

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Message 2
From: Lana Lambert
Date: Wed, 06 May 2009 19:14:03 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38819] Re: selling prints on line
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Well, I do have to admit that if it weren't for Baren Forum I wouldn't have tried Etsy as fast as I did.  I was lucky enough to sign up in 2006 and grow with it as it developed.  I have found selling to be a learning experiece and I feel like I have better art/business sense for it but as we all know art is a capricious market to begin with.  I too don't sell as much as I initially did but I would like to think that the slowed economy has a lot to do with it because  many of my local downtown brick and mortar galleries have also gone out of business.  The way I view Etsy is that you have nothing to lose.
About a year after I started Etsy I sold a fine art book for 1,000.00 and was able to set myself up with a studio in our local art center.  I owe that to Etsy as the book was sold to Australia and I owe that to Baren Forum as I found out about Etsy through David Bull's post.  Have I had another sale like that since? No, but I still throw myself a little party everytime I sell a 15.00 print every week or so.  :-)
 
-Lana

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Message 3
From: aqua4tis # aol.com
Date: Wed, 06 May 2009 19:31:11 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38820] Re: selling prints on line
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marissa
are you still blogging? i never get notices anymore.
georga

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Message 4
From: Marissa
Date: Wed, 06 May 2009 19:33:34 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38821] Re: selling prints on line
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Hi Georga,

I haven't been much lately. It has been a hard year for me and I got out of
the habit. Caring for a baby/ toddler hasn't helped. I'm really trying to
get back into it and am blogging about once a month now. It just isn't the
same.

Thanks for asking! One more reason to get back into it!

~marissa

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Message 5
From: Amanda Miller
Date: Wed, 06 May 2009 20:59:44 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38822] Re: selling prints on line
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I have a shop on Etsy, too. I've been on about a year and a half, and I've
made a few sales. I'm always really happy to see my prints find homes! I
think it's a good opportunity with a relatively low investment, the fees for
Etsy are so low. I've also had people find me through Etsy for
various local art opportunities, so that was an unexpected positive
outcome.

Amanda Gordon Miller, EdamamePress.etsy.com

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Message 6
From: Barbara Mason
Date: Wed, 06 May 2009 21:54:56 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38823] Selling work on line
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This has been an interesting discussion.... to sell or not to sell, that is still the question, isn't it?
What about Dave Bull....he organized the Baren Forum and has sold a fair amount of work online with no help from anyone but himself.

Maybe Etsy is not the place for fine prints...

I do think the future of art sales are on line as well as in person. I went to see Andy English's display at a gallery in England online and ordered a beautiful little etching by someone I had never heard of...with the understanding I could send it back. The joy of visa, if you are unhappy they will help you. Of course I loved it. I think this happens all the time, the idea is to get more work online and get it out for folks to see, keep the sites up to date and work at selling the prints. I am sure it can be done, but like any sales it takes some effort. The Print Center of Philadelphia is a good example, every few weeks I get email from them and often with images attached imbedded in the email, very small files that load fast. I can then go and look at more if I like what I see.

I think it is like Craigslist...it just has not happened in a consistent way for fine art but as we all know, Craigslist has driven many newspapers out of business. No one advertises in the newspapers any more for stuff they are selling or real estate or autos. It is all on Craigslist.

I thought the Next Monet site was a great idea and they were successful at the beginning but did not have enough sales to really support themselves over the long haul. One day soon people will be buying a lot of art online...even if they cannot hold it first, if they are unhappy they can send it back. We have to be prepared as artists. We need to have our work photographed and ready to send off images at a moments notice. We miss opportunities all the time because we are not prepared or just overworked. We all need an agent, but then we would have to make a lot more work.

I am off to my opening tonight for my show that has no woodblocks in it, all solarplate and 28 pieces. It was enormously expensive to do this one person show, I think it was at least $3500 by the time I paid for everything. My husband says my ego is pretty expensive. I agree. This is why I only do it every other year or so. I will report on how bad the economy really is after this month. I would be happy to break even and want to send money to Italy to help with the earthquake aftermath near Colleen if I have sales. Cross your fingers for us.
My best to all
Barbara

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Message 7
From: Georgina Leahy
Date: Wed, 06 May 2009 23:27:44 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38824] selling on line
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thankyou everyone for your comments and your interesting and informed discussion.  I have learnt a lot, I think I will eventually set up a shop.  I have joined but have to read about how to sell first.  Thanks again
 
Georgina

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Message 8
From: "Nancy O"
Date: Thu, 07 May 2009 00:09:59 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38825] Re: selling prints on line
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I have only sold one print online, it was more of a 'happy accident', as the buyer saw a piece on the Barenforum! From Exchange 15.
i have not tried Etsy, am more a painter than printmaker. Re deadlines for exchanges, I believe we should stick to our deadlines, we have ample time to complete. The new Years exchanges are not so disciplined, and unfortunately I had a car accident recently, at thw time when I was just (finally) going to start printing my Ox. So it will be delayed a few weeks more.
Namcy O...the one armed bandit.

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Message 9
From: Lynn Starun
Date: Thu, 07 May 2009 00:24:12 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38826] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V47 #4808 (May 6, 2009)
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Oh doh,  I forgot to say the address for my Etsy shop.  Maybe this is part of why my sales are slowing!!  ¡~)Lynn 
  http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5178551  
 or just search for "artisanlyn"  Most of my work is cheaper but I've sold a couple of more expensive items so I guess if the item is just what someone is looking for they will buy it without much regard for the price.   
 

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Message 10
From: Andrew Stone
Date: Thu, 07 May 2009 04:55:20 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38827] Etsy accounts
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I just listed some of my smaller and more "accessible" prints on Etsy as of May 1. As my blog started as a vehicle to allow the baren members to see my prints when I posted about them most of my current readership comes from this group. Most of my friends and family haven't seen much or any of my work so I don't expect to sell much as random traffic unsolicited to my site must be miniscule. Still it was a valuable experience because it got me to go through my files see which prints are "saleable" both content-wise and attention-to-detail-wise (no smudges, clean edges, paper not creased etc. Similarly it's a stimulus to go back and try to finish printing lots of prints left in limbo that never got finished once I got ahead on a new project.

I see this as preparation. I'm trying to put together a decent number of finished prints (20-25) at which point I think I'll have enough to try to show the work somewhere (local gallery/cafe/art league, etc.) It's probably more coherent to line up exhibition space/possibilities first but looking over my work I don't feel I have enough finished pieces to warrant asking strangers to look at them.



Etsy is a pretty inexpensive way to put some work "out there" while I work away at making more prints.

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