Sales: What's Your Secret?

Nancy Riedell View Shop Posted 21 Feb, 2016 15:07

Hi! I'm fairly new to Artfinder and am curious to know what techniques you have used to get your

artwork sold. Does discounting your art work? How long did you wait until a piece sold? Do you promote

your work here on Artfinder elsewhere (like a blog or e-newsletter)? Does Artfinder do an adequate job

promoting your work? I have gotten a lot of activity here (as compared to Saatchi) and I would like to

get some work sold. Any advice you have would be appreciated. Thanks!

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Reply to Nancy Riedell

40 Responses

Phyllis Mahon View Shop Posted 21 Feb, 2016 15:37 Edited 21 Feb, 2016 15:40

Nancy hi... & welcome to Artfinder.

I joined in Nov 2014, sold a tiny piece a few weeks later then nothing at all. Even though I got plenty of

likes for my works, I felt dispirited and had been about to give up due to no sales / nothing being put

into the basket, but luckily I persevered. Then on Christmas Eve 2015 two pieces sold when I least

expected it _ I was over the moon. Two more sales in Jan 2016 & one this morning for a tiny little ACEO!

So even though I've sold reasonably all through my career, maybe it takes a while online.

Artfinder is good in that they sometimes Tweet when I put something new on (I believe they can only do

so many tweets per hour so I suppose they are limited - depends on how many people have put new

works on in the hour).

I greatly prefer Artfinder to Saatchi - I've been on there for a long time & very, very few 'likes' at all. I like

the cameraderie on here & the forum is informative & useful.

I use Twitter and Facebook regularly: I have a button on my Facebook Art page linking directly into my

shop on here but only very occasionally will I put a post on FB with a direct link to an actual piece for

sale on here, but I do so frequently on Twitter.

I've only done a 'Sale' on here once - not sure about it...? Might do one again.

I know artists list on lots of sites and even though I am fairly au fait with photographing my pieces and

listing them, it is still fairly time consuming so I prefer to limit my listings to here & Saatchi - I get

confused as to what is where but that's just me .

best wishes, Phyllis

Nancy Riedell View Shop Posted 21 Feb, 2016 15:55

Hi Phyllis. Thanks for the feedback. Congrats on your sales. I just went to your page and "liked" what I

saw. Your work is beautiful!

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Stephen Conroy View Shop Posted 21 Feb, 2016 15:55

Nice work, very interesting. Personally think your pricing is OTT for unframed watercolours. You are

charging gallery prices. Also, never liked personal statements in third person. Who are you trying to

pretend wrote it. Good luck!!!

Valerie Erichsen Thomson View Shop Posted 21 Feb, 2016 16:21

Hi Nancy, Welcome to ArtFinder. I enjoy the vibrant colors.of your paintings and their composition.

You'll sort out what works and what doesn't as you spend more time on AF, read the info posted on how

to be a featured artist, get on Art of the day, and so on in the Help section. Tons of great info there. You

might also do a search of the forum topics to glean some of the many ideas put forth by AF members,

including Jonas, AF's CEO and the Admins.

Good luck and happy painting.

Pragya Agarwal View Shop Posted 21 Feb, 2016 16:39

Hi Nancy, I like your work! I am fairly new as well, and have never sold online before now, so I am still

trying to figure all this out. The forum has been really useful, and you are right about the camaraderie. I

have been wondering about sales too. I sold 5 very quickly but then nothing since the start of this

month, but I believe that this is the norm, rather than my experience in the first couple of weeks. All the

very best! I am sure that you will have no problems selling your artwork.

Alfred Ng View Shop Posted 21 Feb, 2016 16:49

Nancy, my secret for selling is "time": time invest to produce the works, time to built up a following and

not waste time to worry about sale.

Nancy Riedell View Shop Posted 21 Feb, 2016 17:00

Thank you Valerie and Pragya! I am enjoying getting to know fellow artists here. I hope to be selling

soon. In fact, I'll be uploading more artwork today.

Steven, with all due respect, my questions center around selling artwork here on AF - none of which you

answered. You are implying that I am new to the art world. I'm not. I've been painting professionally for

10 years now. I'm just new to Artfinder.

Firstly, I was strongly advised by my art consultant to raise my prices. The industry standard, he said, is

between $2000 - $5000 USD. My prices are still lower than the industry standard. It was the tech

support here at Artfinder who strongly encouraged me to keep my prices the same across the board.

You are right, they are gallery prices - and my understanding is that Artfinder is an online art gallery just

without the bricks and mortar.

Secondly, before I retired, I was a professional writer for many years. The art bio is always written in the

third person. It is the art statement that is written in the first person.

Best regards, Nancy

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Stephen Conroy View Shop Posted 21 Feb, 2016 17:12 Edited 21 Feb, 2016 18:07

Nancy, if you are not new to the art world why are you asking such a stupid question. You seem to know

everything! And my answer stands. Your work is, as it is, overpriced for AF. But if all you wanted to hear

are compliments then just ignore me. Consultants always say increase prices. If they know so much talk

to them about how to sell on AF. As you are obviously a serious artist they would perhaps suggest AF is

beneath you.

As for the bio, who wrote it. You did. Don't talk about yourself in the third. It sounds pretentious and is

wrong for this site. You may know the 'art world' and have consultants feeding you rubbish but I know

AF. From me you will get the truth and not inane flattery.

And just to clarify. AF is not an online gallery and that is why your prices are too high. It is a marketplace.

You will discover this when you discover better work than yours, three times bigger and quarter of price.

Good luck

Lucian Richards View Shop Posted 21 Feb, 2016 19:37

Nancy. Hello. I was on AF for a year before I sold anything. Then, in the last 3 months, I've sold 5 pieces.

Just have patience, and keep putting new work on your site. As for pricing, that's always been a problem

for me. But, people surprise you all the time.

Just keep working on your art.

Regards, Lucian

Sales: What's Your Secret?

Nancy Riedell View Shop Posted 21 Feb, 2016 20:07

To Lucian and Alfred: Thank you very much for your comments. It's exactly what I needed to read.

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Peter Roberts View Shop Posted 21 Feb, 2016 20:07

Nancy, you (and a few others on here) will find Stephen annoying at times, but having been around

these forums a little while and having debated a few times with him I find the most annoying thing is

that he is quite often right, maybe not 100% right, but there will be an element in there.

The comment about the bio being in the third person is something that I also don't get but I do accept

that a lot of artists do it - I am not sure that it would be a big enough deal to affect a sale one way or

another.

I think there are several ways to get sales on AF. first be very lucky (always helpful) Then all the usual

come into play - style, subject, price, size etc. But the big one for me is visibility - the more people who

see your work the more chance of someone falling in love with it plug it everywhere you can and try and

drive people to your shop and let them decide :)

Peter Roberts View Shop Posted 21 Feb, 2016 20:08

lol Nancy your post just beat mine by 20seconds .....damn my one fingered typing technique lets me

down again!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nancy Riedell View Shop Posted 21 Feb, 2016 20:21

Thanks Peter. That's good advice. I must admit, I was so bummed by his comments that I lost interest in

posting in the forum. Your comments helped a lot!!

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Valerie Erichsen Thomson View Shop Posted 21 Feb, 2016 20:34

Nancy. I don't blame you. Stephen has that effect on forum contributors.

Stephen, come on. I thought you were trying on the gentler you? Don't be so hard on folks.Really, such a

turn off. It's so great when the forum is a friendly place to connect and exchange information.

Can't we all just get along and exercise intelligent kindness?

Stephen Conroy View Shop Posted 21 Feb, 2016 20:51

You see Nancy, 'exactly what you needed to read'. Not want you needed to be told. I have a manner that

grates but many on here are about being nice and too frightened to offend by telling you the truth. You

are overpriced but don't take my word for it. You will discover for yourself. That said, I always like to be

proven wrong so I look forward to seeing your first sale.

And Valerie I am not here to turn you on �

Nicole whittaker View Shop Posted 21 Feb, 2016 21:26

I sacrificed to Hermes!

lol seriously though, artfinder promotion and blind luck.

Alfred Ng View Shop Posted 21 Feb, 2016 22:59

Nancy, I also paint watercolor and my first two sales were unframed watercolor for $2,000 each. Yes,

many on artfinder sell for very little money However my pricing are base on sale history and how long i

been painting ( over 40 years). I been selling for years and the price are not different than what I sold at

galleries.. i do think artfinder attracts both high end and low end buyers. You can have a range of

different prices for different sizes works to test what will work for you. As for the Bio, I think online

selling it is like having a online store, one needs to communicate directly to the buyers so a first person

is better.

Karen Elaine Evans View Shop Posted yesterday, 14:05

Hi Nancy, I have been on artfinder since October 2013, so a while! I didn't sell anything for the first

couple of months but after that it has been fairly consistent but I do spend a large chunk of time

promoting and on social media.

I also offer work in different price ranges to cover all bases as I see Artfinder as a slightly higher class

etsy.. definitely a marketplace and not a gallery (having worked in a real life gallery ;-) )

I appreciate that Stephen can be a little forceful in his opinions but I have to say I am now used to his

slightly aggressive style and I find myself agreeing with what he is saying, if not his method of delivery.

As an aside, when I first joined artfinder my bio was written by a collegue in the third person, against my

better judgement might I add, as I hate pretension. I have had more interest and contact from

customers since I altered it to be in the first person as I have found customers are more likely to ask

questions if you appear friendly and down to earth.

Elaine

Jennifer Buerkle View Shop Posted yesterday, 14:38

I didn't write my bio so it is in third person, but I have been thinking of re-writing it and putting up a hot

young blonde for my photo and making my life sound way more chic and exciting.

Like: Retired Parisian runway model; cia agent; astronaut, Real Wives of Tallahassee, FL.....

And Stephen, you are a tad rough around the edges, but you are often right.

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Pragya Agarwal View Shop Posted yesterday, 14:41

Jennifer, it is worth a try! Made me smile :)

Valerie Erichsen Thomson View Shop Posted yesterday, 15:44

I am puzzled by the tolerance for and support by contributors for abusive and bullying content. Being

right once in a while does not ever make that ok.

Cally Lawson View Shop Posted yesterday, 18:06

If you put your head above the parapet .....

Stephen Conroy View Shop Posted yesterday, 18:49 Edited yesterday, 18:51

Sorry about my roughness - as a teacher when you are dealing with 30 kids an hour all day you learn to

not waste words, dispense with niceties and get on with it. I do not just throw out thoughts and

opinions. They come from 35 years in the art world, 12 years a full time artist, living in great poverty and

struggling everyday. I think very carefully before I speak and would not bother responding to artists like

Nancy if I did not respect their work. And you always have a choice - just ignore me!!

Valerie Erichsen Thomson View Shop Posted yesterday, 19:02

Now there is a Stephen contribution that I support. I sympathize with your personal difficulties and

support your perseverance. Trimming excess and getting to essentials can be effective. I don't subscribe

to the notion that what's left has to be bitter.Though I understand that those who eat meat find it more

palatable when it has some fat, so maybe there is some merit to not cutting away everything?

Stephen Conroy View Shop Posted yesterday, 19:21

Valerie - I am never bitter. I just subscribe to the belief that I am talking to intelligent, like minded

people who do not need everything sugar coated. To be blunt, many on AF aspire to being artists and

yet, due to thin skins, would not handle what is thrown at them' away from the relative comfort of AF.

Call it tough love, and I am not suggesting I am always right. I just ask that people read what I have to

say and reject or accept as little or as much as they choose.

Karen Elaine Evans View Shop Posted yesterday, 19:21

Stephen.. I admire directness and as I've already said, invariably find myself agreeing with you.

Personally, I would far rather someone gives me honest feedback, otherwise how else are you going to

improve. Perhaps for an artist I just have a thick skin but everyone can choose whether to agree or listen

to someone's opinions (or not). For the record.... Valerie, I abhor bullying and do think that some newer

members could be put off from contributing.....

Karen Elaine Evans View Shop Posted yesterday, 19:23

Looks like our comments crossed Stephen. Rather similar thoughts ...

Stephen Conroy View Shop Posted yesterday, 19:39

@Karen �

Therese O'Keeffe View Shop Posted yesterday, 19:43

Just thought I'd show this article I found about selling art I thought it made interesting reading

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/interiors/house-rules-buying-an-

artwork-1.2541195

Therese

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Anita Ives View Shop Posted yesterday, 20:12 Edited yesterday, 20:12

I remember when Princess Diana died and in the UK a kind of national consensus, sponsored by the

popular press, took hold which basically designated any person not showing public grief for the loss of

the "people's princess" was at best a bit weird. Standing out from the crowd to say, "actually, I thought

she was a bit of a self-centred leech along with all the rest of the Royal family" was looked upon as

nothing short of high treason. "You can't say that! Have some respect, the woman has just died in the

most awful circumstances - her poor boys!"

I see similar mini trends on this forum.

This is an open discussion forum. There will be views of many colours presented in a variety of ways - as

should be the case. Pointing out that a person with a different approach to commenting really ought to

change that approach because it's not very nice is no less bullying in my mind than the kids in the

playground who gang up on a child because he or she is a bit "other" and just doesn't want to join in the

games.

Stephen Conroy View Shop Posted yesterday, 20:27

Anita. Beautifully put as always!!!

Anita Ives View Shop Posted yesterday, 20:34

Thank you Stephen.

Valerie Erichsen Thomson View Shop Posted yesterday, 20:49

That is total nonsense, Anita. This forum is.not a.place for putdowns. That is not a discussion. That is

throwing mud and insults. To suggest that is ok is to condone the behavior. And I do.not. Differences of

views and opinions are one thing, personal attacks, put downs, insults, etc.,are bullying...a tactic enjoyed

by those who seek to.intimidate and establish their superiority via aggression. A new member of this

community should.not be subjected to that behavior to the point where she is so put off that she does

not want to participate.That's got nothing to do with being thick skinned or thin skinned...this is not a

shooting gallery for folks to take potshots at each other and where folks wait to.pounce on the next

victim.Sheesh.

Anita Ives View Shop Posted yesterday, 21:01

And this is "intelligent kindness" not a put down? Interesting.

Stephen Conroy View Shop Posted yesterday, 21:03

You can always tell Valerie when you are 'passionate' about something. Your punctuation goes to pot. I

think there is a distinction to be made here and it is something that has made me seriously consider

contributing to the forum. There are those that are artists, want to debate, argue, disagree and do so

with a forcefulness that would have led to fights in the salons of the past.

Then there are those who see AF as some sort of social gathering, only good for patting backs,

reassurance, praise. Nothing wrong with that but, no, not for me.

To be brutal, when someone comes onto AF, with all her apparent expertise, knowledge, experience etc

and then asks for tips on how to sell here on AF. Yes, for once I was annoyed and considering this I was

restrained and was still willing to give advise which was thrown back in my face, even though others

agreed with my sentiments.

And Valerie, lets be honest, I am direct but you are seriously passive aggressive!

Marina Davidova View Shop Posted yesterday, 21:10

My comment hasn't a direct attitude to the discussed subject. I won't die and I won't be offended if

someone doesn't want to read it. But I hope - nobody will be offended also - if reads my comment). I

admire Stephen and I appreciate his ability to tell the truth without addition of sweet sugar syrup. I am

sure - such person will be ready to support the friend in any hard moment, without paying attention to

secular manners. People often cover with politeness and the nice manners the indifference to problems

of other people. For me - Stephen is the real man having own opinion on everything, and he is not the

young tender lady of the 19th century, which was ready to fall any moment without breath from a tough

corset. I think - all of us too not those young ladies here. Life is not pink syrup). I respect you very much,

Stephen, and completely agree with your opinion and way of its expression. You are a magnificent man,

the gorgeous strong person and the talented artist with own opinion about the all things in this world.

And your character is a courage of Lion, confident in the forces and in the correctness of the point of

view. My admiration to you, Stephen!!!)

Valerie Erichsen Thomson View Shop Posted yesterday, 21:21

Stephen, how predictable that you then get personal. You know nothing about me. Yes.when I am on a

tablet my punctuation goes haywire.because the space bar is so close to the period.

I am passionate about standing against cruelty and have zero tolerance for that behavior. Beyond that, I

am done wasting my time here.

Catalin ILINCA View Shop Posted yesterday, 22:09

Madam Valerie, I'm sorry to hear that you have such thick fingers.

aside of that, just a humble question: -if you feel you are waste your time here, then why you are always

present on all the forums? I didn't see such an ubiquitous person so far. You really have nothing else to

do? it's very unpleasant and tiresome to see your face everywhere, anytime, believe me. But that's it, I

read the comments I find useful, interesting and I ignore yours. It's normal.

Seem I to be rude? Yes, I am, because I want to emphasize that this it's just the same thing you do.. Who

the spring flowers do you think you are, in order to pretend to patronize (almost) every forum? You

don't like other inputs. Ignore them. As I ignored you so far (a quite difficult mission, I have to face it),

and I know that later I will feel sorry for writing this.

Stephen Conroy View Shop Posted yesterday, 22:10 Edited yesterday, 22:12

Thank you Marina. What magnificent words. Such beautiful prose tonight!!! Perhaps I will take up the

challenge and, not change, but use the English Language in a more inspiring way as you, and Anita, have

demonstrated tonight.

Steve ❤

And Catalin. Wow!!!

Nancy Riedell View Shop Posted 58 minutes ago

To the people who actually gave me advice, thank you. I had no idea what I was getting into when I

started the thread. I am disappointed that there are people out there in AF land who seems to think

their rude, belligerent, and bellicose comments are okay. They're not. I also am disappointed to see how

quickly my thread got off topic to talk about artists' behaviors on this site.

Don't bother responding to this comment as I'm no longer following this thread. I doubt very much that

I'll bother with this forum again. I simply don't need that toxicity in this life. Have a good day.

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