Fine Art Discussions

Ethan Richardson

Hey guys, im new to this site, just wanted to know roughly how much people are making good sales? and is there anyway to find out how much people are viewing your pictures???

Abbie Shores

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Ethan Richardson

Thanks :)

Mike Savad

it's always going to be slow in the summer, but i know i make good sales. no one will tell you how much they make. but partly it depends how much they charge. i do know i got my $30 back many times over.

you'll want many shots that aren't that common, with plenty of keywords. you also might want to set your default prices so all the work is the same amount. and you won't have to fill in the blanks each time.

---Mike Savad

Ethan Richardson

Thanks both replies have helped a lot

John Rizzuto

Is it slower in the summer for you Mike or everyone?

Wingsdomain Art and Photography

How's it been for you this Summer, John?


-W

Nicholas Evans

On, FAA I made only 3 sales in one year. Just enough to pay for premium services again.

Ginny Schmidt

no sales yet, only a member less than 2 weeks at the moment ... but crossing my fingers.

Philip Sweeck

Been here a month and made a card sale in the first few days, who knows how long the next sale will take...It takes work. But it is nice, that you never know when that email will arrive saying that you sold an order, and which can be at any moment any time!

Bill Cannon

I don't think Summer has been slow at all. I've consistantly been doing better than Xmas......

JC Findley

July was slower than May and June but Aug is starting nicely. ( well the end of July technacly.)

John Rizzuto

Let's see.... May is up 1,000% as compared to 2011. June up 15%. July up 66%. This past May totaled 50% of what I made for the entire year of 2011. The sum of may, June and July are more than the entire 2011 year.

None of this matters as it is just one example. But, from looking at the recently sold pages it appears there has been quite a lot of sales over the summer months and visits to FAA has also been going up. So I would say summer is actually a good time for sales.

JC Findley

On the same page as Big John almodt exactly. When I say July was slow it is relative to my current goals.

Mike Savad

i don't have percentages, but i know it started getting "slower" around march and april, made sales, but it wasn't as good as the months before. i think it was due to taxes. the sales come in surges. then in may it was good up to the middle then slowed, i think due to college graduations. then again in june for highschool. typically it's better the first 2 weeks of the month. on average i make less sales july and august in zazzle, lowest being in zazzle. i've only been here a year though so i don't have solid stats. i am making more than last year this time though.

i think it depends who the buyers are. many of the things on the front page (i don't visit that often) seem to be bright and colorful. while mine are a bit more somber. it may just be the type of things i sell, those people are on vacation. i made sales this month, i'm hoping for the same turn out or better in august.

according to my stats i made twice the amount of images this month this year than i did last year. according to 2011 i did make more sales in august than july, so maybe the summer won't be bad after all. it's hard to tell the sales come in surges. i guess we'll see. i can mostly speak for zazzle but it's a different crowd. and i have like twice the stuff as i did last year. i just can't wait till christmas that's always the best time.

---Mike Savad

Wingsdomain Art and Photography

My numbers are exactly as JC's which is exactly as John's. Later half of July was definitely pitiful. These last two days of July have been better, and hopefully it will extend into August and so on. I did notice when peeking at the recently sold page at logon during the July period, and based on my less than scientific analysis, they were mostly of paintings, maybe photography/paintings are seasonal as well?

EDIT: I just revisited John's percentages, my June/July are flipped from his.


-W

Mike Savad

right now my goal is to make generic kind of images that can yield to other people. i have a ton of specialized stuff, but i need a more non-specific audience. if i could just go to europe and get stuff there it help a lot. but for now i need to make more flowers and country scenes. and i'm trying for those really bright colorful things that seem to sell.


oddly and it seems to becoming less and less coincidental, when i push an image here, or post it in the forum, i seem to sell something at zazzle of the same thing. like i posted a country thing the other day and sold cards on zazzle. it's weird.


---Mike Savad

Harry Lamb

Signed up in Feb. and sales are consistent - $=0=.

Mike Savad

@harry - just as an experiment, try replacing your avatar with your own face. your bio has a spelling mistake in Delaware, and scenic, i would remove the lord stuff, (it turns some people off), the copyright should have the current year. remember to vote for your own images and join groups that vote for that. i'm seeing some of your images only have 12 views on them. this tells me that your not putting them in groups or pushing them very hard. the site doesn't sell for you, you have to push them yourself. it wouldn't hurt to toss these into contests so more eyes can see them.

---Mike Savad

Sebastian Musial

I have signed up in the middle of 2009. So far my sells are doubling each year. This year I have already sold little more than last year. I decided to raise my prices a little few days ago, and I made another sell few days after. We will see how the second part of the year will look like. I'm not selling enough to have a month to month comparison yet.

Nicholas Evans

I have no shame in telling people what I make. My very first print I received $45.05, and a few more after that. The same photos I sell outside of FAA for $250 for the same sizes. It is all in where you want to sell and how much you are willing to charge. The ones that I sell outside of FAA I sign, and I noticed that people are more apt to purchase them for the higher price if they are signed. I also offer them with COA's that I had professionally made, but I do not offer those photographs here on FAA, they are usually limited editions that I sell directly to collectors/businesses.

Richie Montgomery

nothing yet.... other than an original. I think there are a lot of us who havent had any business though.

Phyllis Beiser

Only been here a few weeks, have sold nothing as of yet, still hoping! Have however been veiwed a bit more than I thought.

Mike Savad

one of the most important things about this site is keyword usage, and to remember to name everything they see in the scene and give it a keyword. so if you have a bird say bird, feather, avian, etc. the more you have the higher your chances are at being seen. and sponsoring words helps as well.

---Mike Savad

Donald Maier

I have been using the print-on-demand for 3 years+ now and I have sold about 120 prints and tons of cards, mostly in the last year or so when I gave the whole process some thought and figured out a good statigy to sell. Here it is: you can't just upload your work and then sit back waiting for the checks to start rolling in. First your work needs to be good enough to sell. If you don't have a style or ability that attracts the buyer's eye, then it will not work for you. The key element is to stay in the public's eye. How? Post one new work everyday. It will show up on the page that has the work that is new or uploaded that day. When a buyer comes on, I assume that this is where they go first. They scan the page and if a small icon size image looks interesting, they click and enlarge it. As they do this they are whisked away to your gallery page where they can see the rest of your work and no one else unless they go back to the orginal page where they started. If you don't have anything new, then remove the oldest piece and replace it as if it were new. Do this everyday, or at least on Thurs, Fri., Sat. and Sun. Try this for a few weeks or a month and see if you don't sell. Also if it take more than 3 pieces to pay for the program, I think your markup is too low.
good luck

Mike Savad

don't erase anything or you will kill your place in the search. it's better to edit and add to new groups each day then to erase. since all your votes, comments, links etc - will also be gone.

when you edit, update all keywords, and after that make you vote on your own stuff, push it in google and twitter each time. always add hashtags to the send.

---Mike Savad

Michelle Frizzell-Thompson

Mike, how do I push my work on google?

Mike Savad

i'm using google plus. it's like facebook and twitter together. but since it's ran by google it also shows up in google better (i think). i usually shorten it to google instead of google+ because the plus mark is on the other side of the keyboard and my fingers are lazy.

make sure add hashtags #landscape #orchid etc and if you have artist website i add that too. in my case http://www.MikeSavad.com i bought my name. more people see me on google then other places.

---Mike Savad

Melissa Petrey

I have been a member for over a year but only recently became a paid member. I have not made any sales and would love some help if anyone is willing to help me out.
I don't want to take anything away from anyone, just really need some income right now.
If anyone out there is willing to help me out, point me in the right direction, or tell me what in the world I'm doing wrong, you can privately email me if you like.
I need any and all help I can get.

--Melissa Petrey
(Mel)

Thanks!

Tisha McGee

I think Mike is very informative...he may be harsh at times and likes to poke fun and is arrogant somewhat, lol...He however does not have to spend so much time giving others such advice... but he does and I don't think he gets paid for it...kodos to you Mike!!! I'd definately take the things/suggestions he has into consideration. I have :D

I personally have been here 3 months and have had two sales. I have bought a couple b-day cards myself which are very nice quality BTW. Thank you FAA

The hardest part is the networking here...as far as time on your hands goes. However It's a great experience to support all the fellow members/artisits and you can get more from that in ways then from money. Good Day and much luck!

Mike Savad

@melissa - some people really like the third person biography but i can't stand them. it makes it hard to read. especially when it's about yourself... and it kind of goes on and on and on. i would snip it to a paragraph first person. describe what you do, what you make, who your stuff is for. leave out the family stuff, leave out the blessings it turns people off.

you only have 30 images here - that isn't even close to enough to be seen. fill it up with the best stuff you have and start people in the gallery.

you have to advertise yourself. if your waiting for a sale it won't happen. you have to push it anywhere you can. vote for yourself, get involved with the forum get people to watch and fav you.


this could sell as it catches the eye. and while i'm an atheist i can see christians buying this. i would add keywords in their plural - and add christian related, people, person your name, stuff like that.

make sure to add things to groups, as many as you can find that fits you.


this one shouldn't be here. you only want to show your best. and while you got the kill, the bird is out of focus and really small in the frame, shows aberation and noise. there's a good chance it wouldn't print here.


this doesn't thumbnail well. if you can't really see what's going on in the first 6 seconds, then for me it's a fail. i can barely see the bear in there. and that weed is a bit distracting. i don't see the word animal used on it's own in this.


this shot is colorful and nice, but for a person that's never been to london, i can't tell where you are because there are no distinct landmarks.


i think this could sell, but i would soften and fog the background a bit, it has a lonesome journey thing going on. and would add words to that effect. however the upclose quality on this is quite low, low enough that the site may not print it at all. they have a standard here.

overall you have to push the work on at least google plus and twitter. and ask yourself - can you figure out the story in this shot? and who would this image go to? knowing that can help you decide who to market it too, and what kinds of images should sell. there were a few in there like that dew drop - i have no idea who that would be for. you should also increase your prices, your too low and people may look down on your work because it is too low.


here's another - who is this for? benches are everywhere, there's a garbage can in the background which kills nostalgia. basically if you have to explain why you took something, then the story is lost. now if there was an interesting person sitting on that bench with a loaf a bread under one arm, and a small dog wearing a hat in her bag - that could be more interesting. but a shot like this can really be taken by anyone - if you are the photographer, people are buying from you because they couldn't get the shot. not to sound harsh or anything. plus in this shot since it's only a bench in the picture, putting words like trainstation and the location is kind of irrelevant, since it's just a bench.

any way that's my assessment.

Melissa Petrey

This is exactly what I was hoping for. An honest opinion. I get way too many "oh this is really great", "I love this shot", and so on stuff from twitter and facebook.
I needed a "real" opinion. I will work on all of these things.
Thank you so much Mike.

David Morefield

I have sold three prints in my first month on FAA.

It's already paid for itself a couple times over.

Jovica Kostic

Only one :
http://fineartamerica.com/controlpanel/accounting.html?tab=sales