Personal experiences?

Recommended sites?

Enquiring Caedesians want to know. :o)

Lauren has been gushing in my ear about RedBubble. She even told me that another member *poke poke you know who you are* of ours here sold a canvas over there the other day. Both of them previously tried DeviantArt's print service and found it um… lacking.

Do you know how hard it is to get gushing out of your ear?

Personal Experiences.. get off the computer and go around local gift shops, cafe's, interior design stores etc.. (I've sold quite a few things at places like these..)

Recommended sites.. Redbubble (I've sold stuff and so have a couple of other Caedesians)

Hows that.. so do I get a cookie now??

Hmm, think that the print that actually sold by this 'other member' was actually on dA ... not Redbubble.

Forgive my sounding jaded here ... I am somewhat aware of some of the sales made over on Redbubble and on a couple of other sites. And if I understand correctly the terms of agreement ... it seems to me that until you reach a certain level of sales revenue ... you don't see any money.

Would really ... really ... not like to think that some are being baited into upgrading their 'plans' by such a practice.

That is why I started this thread.

So far, I think what Jacqueline is suggesting seems to be the one sure way of putting money in your pockets ... not someone elses.

But ... I could stand to be corrected ... and hope I am.

So ... some more shared experiences and discussion would be helpful to those that have not as yet made that leap of faith.

Annnnnnd ... perhaps if it is viable for the site here, allow for some autonomous expansion into that area.

*leaves behind a plate of cookies ... pot of tea at the ready*

Help yourselves. :o)

I think it would be a great idea if you could sell on here.. but thats a lot of work for the boss.. it would mean he would have to do the printing and the mailing.. so i can't see that happening in the near future..

The only way to sell your work and actually make money out of it.. what I said previously, and that is hard work sometimes.. what I have been doing is printing out a few index sheets (9 pics to a page) of all my work I want to sell, then go for walks into the stores, don't be scared to approach the sales staff and ask for the purchasing officer or the manager, you'll be surprised how many will be interested, leave copies of the index sheets with them then call back in a week... ALWAYS have your price list with you.. Now's the perfect time to start getting your name out there, gift stores want something different to offer customers.. so get your shoes on and off you go.. or if you have a weekend market, hire a site, have a couple of each pic you want to sell... GOOD LUCK

Nope, the canvas was sold on RedBubble (noted in their journal there), payment terms vary depending on how you ask to be paid. See here. Doesn't seem unreasonable to me for them to put a minimum cap of $20 worth of earnings.

Also, I know that unlike most large sites of this type, you can set your own profit margin. You can even set different prices for different pieces, making it far more in your control than most other sites. (scroll down the previous linked page to find more explanation of that).

Of course, it is not unreasonable to put a set amount on earnings before pay out to the artist.

I made mention of this so those that do pursue this avenue of sales ... and hopefully born out by some real experiences ... will not be rooked into putting out more money to 'upgrade their service', based on false expectations through some nefarious business practices.

I am aware, however ... of other sites where if a request is made on the part of the selling artist ... monies in any dollar amount from sales proceeds will be forwarded to them.

Let's try and keep the hype out of this discussion ... would be my counsel, simply put.

I'm hoping I sell on RedBubble..at least they don't take a HUGE chunk of everything you sell! (DA)

In the future when I've improved I intend to find myself a printer/company that can supply T-shirts etc and see what I can do.

Contact the advertising department of local companies. Especially if they advertise in magazines. I was paid 400 for an image advertised in Architecture magazine for a single issue. Get on the blower and market your talent if you have it;-)

I suggest you don't create your art for its resale value. If you do you'll never be satisfied with your work. Also very few people can earn a significant amount of money from art. As a programmer/database administrator who does photography for fun I can say it's best to have a money-maker already in your pocket before you spend time on art. Customers always want a DEAL when they buy art. They never are willing to pay what it really costs to create. If you really want to distribute your art, do so in a person-to-person venue. That way you can talk to the people who like your work, and both you and they can be enriched (figuratively) by the exchange. You won't make any money, but you'll have fun.

I am on RedBubble and Imagekind.com, I have only sold 1 print on Imagekind for a net profit of $7.00. It is free to post about 20 photos, then they want you to upgrade for $7.99 a month for more space. Is very similar to RedBubble, you set the markup and the buyer picks a print, matte, frame and glass. I am also on a waiting list at an Art gallery where they rent you space for $20.00 a month and take 20% of any sales. I have not been there yet to check it out, heck, I don't even have any of my photos in frames yet. Does anyone know the best place to get your photos enlarged, matted and framed? Takes 2 cookies and wanders off....Click on my link below if you want to check out ImageKind.

Ummmmm.... Cat... ummmmm he sold it on DA, but has it on his RB journal.. click the link and it takes you to the DA shop..

*puts up hand* I surrender! and about time he got something out of time and money he put into DA.

Hmmm... this mystery person certainly sounds intriguing... and very handsome... not to mention talented...

;-)

It is unfortunate that DA now charges an annual fee rather than a one off... that certainly makes their print setup much less appealing in my eyes... I was lucky to get in there early and avoid that. As I have mentioned in the past I find their level of service less than satisfactory, but as long as you don't come across anything out of the ordinary you should be fine. Currently I am having an issue where I cannot select my most popular print to be "featured" on my storefront page, which is a nuisance... supposedly they are "looking into it"... Redbubble is a better option as it costs you nothing and the people there are very supportive and more mature than on DA... it's a bit like the caedes community (although it needs more time to develop) except you can have the fringe benefit of selling some work... def. more about a warm fuzzy feeling than saving up for a deposit on your next house though.

I plan to create a portfolio of my cards.postcards/bookmarks and some photos of canvas prints I have had done for myself and take it around to some of the gift shops, nurseries and florists around Brisbane and try my luck to see if some of them might stock my stuff for sale... since I already have a bunch of them from my unsuccessful market attempts. Got other business dealings on my mind though which have the potnetial to be more profitable so they take priority right now but when I have time it should be interesting to see how they are received...

Rereading my own words above ... I don't wish to give the impression that I am indicting any site where online sales are a possibility. Just hoping to inject, via your anecdotes and posts here on this thread ... some reasonable expectations for those looking to pursue avenues such as these.

Thank you to all of the above who have contributed thus far. From what I have read in 'your' above words there are good ideas, as well as some honest feedback from your experiences.

And best wishes to all of you.

Hmm ... *takes a look at the empty plate of cookies* ... starving artists? Or cookie fanciers like moi?

:oP

*replenishes cookie supply*

Believe it or not, restaurants are also a good place. Here in NY, there are a number who are happy to use your art as their decoration and offer it for sale. I've seen the practice expand to a few other business, but it's usually the restaurants that the lil tiny price sticker in the corner.

I am having that emotional crisis known as "sittin on the kid's head getting the schoolwork done".

*absconds w/the cookies*

Seen that practice a lot around here as well Cat.

Seems to me, that in those instances ... it is a situation of leaving your pieces on consignment, so to speak ... where the artist absorbs all costs of printing and framing prior.

A good avenue though ... and at the bare minimum at least a visible opportunity to advertise yourself and your works in a place with some good traffic.

Perhaps, adding a business card could be added to the list of 'what should be in your bag' with regards to your approaches to establishments like these, as well as other businesses.

Anyone have any thoughts on Gregg's question referencing printing, framing and so forth?

I tend to go with canvas prints myself. I just think they are more stylish and probably lighter and easier to handle. I found a good website that will print and deliver to just about anywhere in the country for cheaper than I can get it done locally, I suggest you try a google search and see what you can find.

Re: printing, framing, canvas prints, etc. for US & Canada (unsure about world wide), I've had very good luck with Mpix !!

I'm on Shutterpoint and have only sold 2 photos. Kinda of disappointed with the site, but, I haven't put forth a ton of effort on it either so I guess 2 is OK. Member since April '07.

On imagekind you can pick which photo you want to feature on your store front page for each of your galleries. Thank you for the info on printing.

Randy on Shutterpoint do you put your % on it?

% ??

Shutterpoint simply sells the digital image I've uploaded. I charge $ 20.00 USD and after the fees get like $ 17.00 profit...selling 3 pics would net me a very, very small profit as there's a charge to use the site. It's like $ 50.00 USD for 200MB of space for a year...sumpin' like that anyway. Other than that, people pop in and rate pics as well as leave comments.

Is that another American only site?
I'm looking for other outlets..never know someone might want one of my better works later..