Every few days on a art forum someone posts somewhat forlornly asking "if anyone is making sales on this or that site."
If anyone thinks they are going to make "sales" simply by uploading their work to a POD (print on demand) site they are going to be disappointed. The ratio of sales to artists is not good. As an example there are almost 100k "artists" registered at Fine Art America.. and over 2 million images.. lets say 100 pics sell on the site everyday.. I think it's less than that but it makes the maths easier. For example 100k "artists" divided by 100 PICS SELLING per day = 1 sale per artist per 1000 days.
Now bear in mind many artists on the site by their own efforts sell more than this so this reduces the odds further for anyone just uploading and "hoping" for a sale. And also those odds are increasing everyday because the number of artists registering on the site is increasing more than the number of sales. The more popular the site the harder it is to make sales because of this basic sales to the number of images ratio.
So the likelihood of making a sale for most is one sale per artist every 3-5 years. Of course there are many who sell more than this but if you simply put you work on a POD site and leave it at that then those are the basic odds.
The most the vast majority of artists will get from a big POD site is the occasional POD sale, some exposure.. and some interaction with other artists ! Most POD sites are social networking for artists, a place where they can gather with others and show their work, which is fair enough if that's what you are looking for.
You might also sell the odd original by having images on a POD site.. so you need to consider any POD site as a part of an overall online strategy to generate income. For the vast majority it is unlikely to ever be enough to live on. Uploading your work is only the first stage.
The plain fact is.. if you don't sell many pictures in the real world being on a POD site isn't likely to change that.
Sorry.
Andy Mercer's website
Showing posts with label print on demand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label print on demand. Show all posts
Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Saturday, 16 October 2010
Galleries and Internet based artists.
To a large extent I'm an internet based artist. I create certain works with a view to selling them online.
I’ve come across a bias against artists/work on POD sites recently among galleries. It seems like many gallery owners have decided to take a common stance against anyone with a substantial presence on POD sites. I think this is short sighted. The whole online selling thing has developed so far and so fast.. my view is that in order to survive galleries really need to adapt to this changed world.
So here are some arguments I've developed to deal with this entrenched "head in the sand" position.
First if I sign works for a gallery.. then surely the work signed has a greater value than unsigned POD’s sold via Red Bubble ? It may not be the way many galleries have operated in the past but I would honestly expect a commercially savy organisation to grasp the basic idea... that signed works are more valuable.
I’m uncompromising when it comes to this argument.. I say “if a gallery can’t see the potential in selling signed works on the back of POD popularity then I don’t think they are the sort of organisation I will have confidence in”. My view is that many galleries still think they can turn their back on internet art sales.. and survive. They should be using internet popularity as a way of establishing which artists works are selling.. as part of their decision to sell an artists “signed” works.
I support this argument by pointing out, I have no control over the final quality on a POD site.. and this basically puts POD prints into the same bracket as unsigned “wholesale” prints sold through IKEA or any other national store. Would they reject signed prints of a work that became popular through high street sales.. no they wouldn’t. So why should it be any different with POD’s ?
I also argue strongly that sales of POD’s will ultimately increase the value of signed prints, and any gallery owner worth their salt should be able to grasp this. For example if a POD image sells tens of thousand (I wish).. and is found to be very popular online then surely a gallery is going to benefit from selling the same work signed on the back of this already established popularity ?
As an example I have a POD print based on Manchester that sells pretty well.. so I am actively seeking an outlet for signed prints in Manchester. Its not rocket science is it ?
I also tell them that my marketing efforts will continue (including online marketing) even if they agree to sell my signed works, and that I see my them benefiting from my marketing efforts. I will often include the following “this work consistently sells well online as a POD” in my communications with galleries.
I have and will agree deals to withdraw specific images from POD sites with galleries.. but will try and argue against it. (politely)
I’m genuinely surprised so many don’t get it.. I suspect there is “control freakery” in all this !
I have also made progress with galleries by offering to embellish prints that I sign for them.. this can often be an area of extra colour or a few more lines added to a work. I don’t find this very difficult because quite often I get further ideas after I have finished a work.
Part of the reason I’m posting this is in the hope that gallery owners monitor blogs like this, and it gives them something to think about. Gallery owners should be getting smart and cashing in on the success of artists selling via the Internet.
I want to build up trust with those galleries I sell to.. so its important artists maintain a consistent approach. I also think it sounds good to tell a prospective gallery.. “I’m sorry I can’t do as you ask because it would unfair to my buyers and other galleries to change my policy at this stage."
I had a heated discussion with a gallery owner about POD sales a month or so back.. I stuck to my guns and a couple of days later she rang back and said she’d thought abou it.. and we made a deal. My thinking is that many gallery owners want you all or largely to themselves.. which is fine and dandy if they can provide a good income but in these difficult times we all (galleries and artists) need to be adaptable and try different things.
Think of one or more USP’s (unique selling points) ! Things that make you and your work different from the rest.. and push that at them.
But if a gallery hasn’t got the basic confidence to point out to a potential buyer the differences between a POD and a signed, authenticated and numbered print. Then I really don’t think they know their business… and I’m not sure they are right for me.
As for internet based artists all we can do is keep chipping away at it. if gallery owners are going to make restrictive demands on artists, then artists really need to have a common response.
There really is no benefit at all to an artist in agreeing a bad deal… if you don’t like the deal move on.
My Red Bubble - Art PrintsMy Zazzle Shop- Cards, Mugs T Shirts etc
I’ve come across a bias against artists/work on POD sites recently among galleries. It seems like many gallery owners have decided to take a common stance against anyone with a substantial presence on POD sites. I think this is short sighted. The whole online selling thing has developed so far and so fast.. my view is that in order to survive galleries really need to adapt to this changed world.
So here are some arguments I've developed to deal with this entrenched "head in the sand" position.
First if I sign works for a gallery.. then surely the work signed has a greater value than unsigned POD’s sold via Red Bubble ? It may not be the way many galleries have operated in the past but I would honestly expect a commercially savy organisation to grasp the basic idea... that signed works are more valuable.
I’m uncompromising when it comes to this argument.. I say “if a gallery can’t see the potential in selling signed works on the back of POD popularity then I don’t think they are the sort of organisation I will have confidence in”. My view is that many galleries still think they can turn their back on internet art sales.. and survive. They should be using internet popularity as a way of establishing which artists works are selling.. as part of their decision to sell an artists “signed” works.
I support this argument by pointing out, I have no control over the final quality on a POD site.. and this basically puts POD prints into the same bracket as unsigned “wholesale” prints sold through IKEA or any other national store. Would they reject signed prints of a work that became popular through high street sales.. no they wouldn’t. So why should it be any different with POD’s ?
I also argue strongly that sales of POD’s will ultimately increase the value of signed prints, and any gallery owner worth their salt should be able to grasp this. For example if a POD image sells tens of thousand (I wish).. and is found to be very popular online then surely a gallery is going to benefit from selling the same work signed on the back of this already established popularity ?
As an example I have a POD print based on Manchester that sells pretty well.. so I am actively seeking an outlet for signed prints in Manchester. Its not rocket science is it ?
I also tell them that my marketing efforts will continue (including online marketing) even if they agree to sell my signed works, and that I see my them benefiting from my marketing efforts. I will often include the following “this work consistently sells well online as a POD” in my communications with galleries.
I have and will agree deals to withdraw specific images from POD sites with galleries.. but will try and argue against it. (politely)
I’m genuinely surprised so many don’t get it.. I suspect there is “control freakery” in all this !
I have also made progress with galleries by offering to embellish prints that I sign for them.. this can often be an area of extra colour or a few more lines added to a work. I don’t find this very difficult because quite often I get further ideas after I have finished a work.
Part of the reason I’m posting this is in the hope that gallery owners monitor blogs like this, and it gives them something to think about. Gallery owners should be getting smart and cashing in on the success of artists selling via the Internet.
I want to build up trust with those galleries I sell to.. so its important artists maintain a consistent approach. I also think it sounds good to tell a prospective gallery.. “I’m sorry I can’t do as you ask because it would unfair to my buyers and other galleries to change my policy at this stage."
I had a heated discussion with a gallery owner about POD sales a month or so back.. I stuck to my guns and a couple of days later she rang back and said she’d thought abou it.. and we made a deal. My thinking is that many gallery owners want you all or largely to themselves.. which is fine and dandy if they can provide a good income but in these difficult times we all (galleries and artists) need to be adaptable and try different things.
Think of one or more USP’s (unique selling points) ! Things that make you and your work different from the rest.. and push that at them.
But if a gallery hasn’t got the basic confidence to point out to a potential buyer the differences between a POD and a signed, authenticated and numbered print. Then I really don’t think they know their business… and I’m not sure they are right for me.
As for internet based artists all we can do is keep chipping away at it. if gallery owners are going to make restrictive demands on artists, then artists really need to have a common response.
There really is no benefit at all to an artist in agreeing a bad deal… if you don’t like the deal move on.
My Red Bubble - Art PrintsMy Zazzle Shop- Cards, Mugs T Shirts etc
Saturday, 12 December 2009
The Future for POD sites ? (Part 2)
As a lot of my recent work has been digital, I've been including a message in the image description about the availability of limited edition prints direct from me.
I've kept my POD prices low.. simply because I think they are unsigned reproductions. I would hate one of my unsigned POD buyers to contact me in the future and ask me to explain what the difference is between their unsigned POD they paid $100 for and the unsigned print they have just seen in Walmart for $15. (Ok I don't sell through Walmart but stranger things have happened)
I get a steady stream of Limited Edition sales from several POD sites.. and have made more money from selling LE prints online than POD's in the last 12 months.
I get quite a lot of contact from people thinking of buying POD's who maybe want to know which paper I recommend.. in my experience these people can often be persuaded to buy LE prints.
But I know other artists have different pricing strategies.. and I really don't think there is just one route.
I think traditional artists really do have to get over their reservations about online and computer generated art sold as prints. In my opinion it can only a good thing that new buyers are buying POD prints and IMO this expansion of interest can only add value to traditional forms of prints.. like lithographs etc. With print sales it is very obvious that there is a correlation between rarity, artists approval and the amount a buyer will pay.. at the moment there is no limit on the number of POD's a site could sell of any artists work and this makes them more like Walmart and less like a way of buying genuine ART print with a long term value. If an artist sells a million POD's and makes $100 per print essentially these POD's will be worthless to collectors... you may be happy artist.. but your likely to have a lot of not very happy buyers.
I think that many buyers on POD sites are not "savy" art buyers.. just people who like a work and want to buy it. Crazy as it seems I don't think that many YET understand that the authetication and a signature adds hugely to the value. But I do think they will learn, so for me its important they don't feel in the future they have paid too much for what are basically unsigned prints.
I think the question is "how can POD sites effectively add value for the buyer.. and provide extra income for both artists and POD sites ?"
I think POD sites are missing a trick in simply selling basic POD's.. they have generally settled for a relatively low cost low margin product. I do believe if a POD sites became a supplier of "authenticated, numbered and approved reproductions of an artist" it would have some extra value for the buyer in the long term. This authentication and numbering could all be done in house. I currently provide authentication written on a small b&w art print.. and many buyers say they are delighted to get two art works for the price of one and all this could be set up via POD sites. The signature is the only problem. I wonder if artist signing tours might be possible in the future.. in the same way that authors have book signing tours.
I think the following would be worth trying for both POD sites and artists..
The POD site becomes "an approved print reproduction supplying site for artists" and in addition to normal POD's offers.. a numbered and authenticated POD which are essentially the same but with a certification of authenticity. The artist could then decide how many of these "authenticated prints" to offer for sale. None of this prevents artists from offering signed limited edition prints as well. I just see it as a way of adding value for buyers.. and extra income for artists and POD sites. I think the POD site would have to make it very clear they are supplying "artist approved prints"
Online art sales are here to stay.. and we want POD's to be collected.. and traded. I think the next stage for sites like this will be need to start adding value for buyers.. and making more money per print for artists and POD sites in the process. I'm less interested in making $10-500 dollars on a single POD than building a relationship with a potential collector who I want to help build up a valuable collection, I want to profit from this long term relationship but I also want the buyer to profit from this relationship both in terms of accrued value and enjoyment. At the moment POD sites simply don't provide anyway of acheiving this.. POD's need to become approved online print sellers providing a complete service.
Anyway that will give everyone something to think about over Christmas..
Seasons Greetings to all creatives everywhere.
Andy Mercer
http://www.andy-mercer.co.uk
My Red Bubble - Art Prints
My Zazzle Shop- Cards, Mugs T Shirts etc urban greeting cards
I've kept my POD prices low.. simply because I think they are unsigned reproductions. I would hate one of my unsigned POD buyers to contact me in the future and ask me to explain what the difference is between their unsigned POD they paid $100 for and the unsigned print they have just seen in Walmart for $15. (Ok I don't sell through Walmart but stranger things have happened)
I get a steady stream of Limited Edition sales from several POD sites.. and have made more money from selling LE prints online than POD's in the last 12 months.
I get quite a lot of contact from people thinking of buying POD's who maybe want to know which paper I recommend.. in my experience these people can often be persuaded to buy LE prints.
But I know other artists have different pricing strategies.. and I really don't think there is just one route.
I think traditional artists really do have to get over their reservations about online and computer generated art sold as prints. In my opinion it can only a good thing that new buyers are buying POD prints and IMO this expansion of interest can only add value to traditional forms of prints.. like lithographs etc. With print sales it is very obvious that there is a correlation between rarity, artists approval and the amount a buyer will pay.. at the moment there is no limit on the number of POD's a site could sell of any artists work and this makes them more like Walmart and less like a way of buying genuine ART print with a long term value. If an artist sells a million POD's and makes $100 per print essentially these POD's will be worthless to collectors... you may be happy artist.. but your likely to have a lot of not very happy buyers.
I think that many buyers on POD sites are not "savy" art buyers.. just people who like a work and want to buy it. Crazy as it seems I don't think that many YET understand that the authetication and a signature adds hugely to the value. But I do think they will learn, so for me its important they don't feel in the future they have paid too much for what are basically unsigned prints.
I think the question is "how can POD sites effectively add value for the buyer.. and provide extra income for both artists and POD sites ?"
I think POD sites are missing a trick in simply selling basic POD's.. they have generally settled for a relatively low cost low margin product. I do believe if a POD sites became a supplier of "authenticated, numbered and approved reproductions of an artist" it would have some extra value for the buyer in the long term. This authentication and numbering could all be done in house. I currently provide authentication written on a small b&w art print.. and many buyers say they are delighted to get two art works for the price of one and all this could be set up via POD sites. The signature is the only problem. I wonder if artist signing tours might be possible in the future.. in the same way that authors have book signing tours.
I think the following would be worth trying for both POD sites and artists..
The POD site becomes "an approved print reproduction supplying site for artists" and in addition to normal POD's offers.. a numbered and authenticated POD which are essentially the same but with a certification of authenticity. The artist could then decide how many of these "authenticated prints" to offer for sale. None of this prevents artists from offering signed limited edition prints as well. I just see it as a way of adding value for buyers.. and extra income for artists and POD sites. I think the POD site would have to make it very clear they are supplying "artist approved prints"
Online art sales are here to stay.. and we want POD's to be collected.. and traded. I think the next stage for sites like this will be need to start adding value for buyers.. and making more money per print for artists and POD sites in the process. I'm less interested in making $10-500 dollars on a single POD than building a relationship with a potential collector who I want to help build up a valuable collection, I want to profit from this long term relationship but I also want the buyer to profit from this relationship both in terms of accrued value and enjoyment. At the moment POD sites simply don't provide anyway of acheiving this.. POD's need to become approved online print sellers providing a complete service.
Anyway that will give everyone something to think about over Christmas..
Seasons Greetings to all creatives everywhere.
Andy Mercer
http://www.andy-mercer.co.uk
My Red Bubble - Art Prints
My Zazzle Shop- Cards, Mugs T Shirts etc urban greeting cards
Friday, 13 November 2009
The future for POD's ?
Zazzle has been my best selling POD site for a couple of years now.. as far as I know I haven't referred one buyer there.. for starters they get a lot.. lot more visitors than any of the dedicated Fine Art POD sites.. because they sell a wide range of personalised products... in addition to everything a Fine Art POD offers.
They don't charge to open a shop.. and so actively attracting buyers is the ONLY way they make a profit.. and it shows ! I get the impression there is a lot going on behind the scenes at Zazzle.. to drive in buyers.
To this end they have an affiliate program that resells products via non art specialist sites.. for example "Christian sites" These sites earn income when someone buys your product via their site.. and so the targeting is very specific to buyers with a particular interest. But Zazzle also attracts art buyers.. I regularly sell prints there. So they have developed niche market buying.. as a way of bringing in buyers for whom price is not the most important thing. Zazzlers themselves can also earn by reselling other peoples products.. if they have an audience. Lets say I recommend someone else's "unique" Christmas cards on my website.. I can earn from any sales I generate.
A Fine Art POD site is largely a "one trick pony" just selling "Fine Art".. sites like Zazzle sell all sorts.. from "T shirts with famous sayings" to products made by the visitors themselves. I get the feeling with many FA POD sites they are more interested in making income from artists.. rather than working to attract buyers. For me Fine Art POD sites have not really moved forward.. I think they really should be acting like global galleries..representing artists as an online version of the real world gallery.
I also believe Zazzle is a company benefiting from the fall in the dollar.. as all their products are much less expensive to foreign buyers than they were two years ago. Its been noticeable to me how one comparable non US based site's sales have tailed off.. while Zazzle's have grown and grown.
I believe you rise up the searches as you make sales at Zazzle.. I ordered some of my own Christmas cards from them a couple of years ago.. and it may be co-incidence but sales kicked started shortly after. I would describe my income there as "useful additional income" I maybe spend a two or three hours week uploading and creating products.
Unlike one or two sites out there.. I get the feeling their sales reporting is much more accurate.. for instance you see folks debit debit/credit cards not being accepted and then they come back and use another. That never happens on any other site I'm listed with. So my level of trust in Zazzle is much higher than other sites.
I do have serious reservations about the reporting of some FA POD sites out there. At Zazzle I get reasonable numbers of visitors.. but the ratio between visitors and buyers is much lower.. at one FA POD I have one image with 3500 visitors in the last 9 months but not one sale.. (that really does strike me as "sus".. why would so many people look at the image but then not one follow that interest up and buy ?) At Zazzle I have no product with more than a thousand hits in 3 years but the sales keep coming. I find that a very interesting and curious comparison !
The forum at Zazzle has almost no small talk.. everyone post seems focused on business and making money, I think that says something in itself. There are certainly folks making decent income at Zazzle. Some folks have literally tens of thousands of products at Zazzle... they produce simple designs and plaster them over loads of products like mugs.. skateboards,, shoes.. so Zazzle is as much about designers as it is about artists.
http://www.zazzle.com/apmercer*
If you follow my link and buy, I get paid via that "star" at the end of the URL as someone who refers you to Zazzle (I think) for a period of a month.. so even at this basic level Zazzle is encouraging buyers and sellers. I know plenty of artists who happily point links at Zazzle simply because there is always the possibility of a sale
If you think about it the Fine Art market is quite specialist and restricted.. and visitor interest is limited.. "design" on the other hand is a huge industry with almost everyone on the planet wanting designed goods. Zazzle is a design and art site. Folks interested in design are just as likely to be interested in Fine Art.. so the audience is right.
There is much less commenting and rating by fellow artists at Zazzle in my experience.. for me that indicates that most folks don't want to be distracted by this.
I see FA Pod's as being squeezed.. by ever more competition.. in this scenario the biggest sites offering the biggest range of products will survive.
The future for FA POD's in my opinion is to specialise and to replicate the real world gallery model. They should be competing with real world galleries.. I might be persuaded to look at a site specialising in say "urban art" or "American landscape photography" or whatever but on a general POD art site its often really hard work to find what you are looking for ?
I think FA POD's will have to specialise or die ! I've been quite uneasy for awhile about the emphasis certain sites put on Fine Art when they actually sell unsigned reproductions.. the serious art buyer is not going to be taken in for long.
I think this site is an example of the way Fine Art POD's will have to go to.. selling LE prints etc. I believe its a real world gallery but it seems clear they are replicating their specialisms and skills online and restricting the number of their artists based on quality. It's online gallery representation !
http://www.silverburngallery.co.uk/
My Zazzle Shop- Cards, Mugs T Shirts etc metropolis prints urban art drawings
They don't charge to open a shop.. and so actively attracting buyers is the ONLY way they make a profit.. and it shows ! I get the impression there is a lot going on behind the scenes at Zazzle.. to drive in buyers.
To this end they have an affiliate program that resells products via non art specialist sites.. for example "Christian sites" These sites earn income when someone buys your product via their site.. and so the targeting is very specific to buyers with a particular interest. But Zazzle also attracts art buyers.. I regularly sell prints there. So they have developed niche market buying.. as a way of bringing in buyers for whom price is not the most important thing. Zazzlers themselves can also earn by reselling other peoples products.. if they have an audience. Lets say I recommend someone else's "unique" Christmas cards on my website.. I can earn from any sales I generate.
A Fine Art POD site is largely a "one trick pony" just selling "Fine Art".. sites like Zazzle sell all sorts.. from "T shirts with famous sayings" to products made by the visitors themselves. I get the feeling with many FA POD sites they are more interested in making income from artists.. rather than working to attract buyers. For me Fine Art POD sites have not really moved forward.. I think they really should be acting like global galleries..representing artists as an online version of the real world gallery.
I also believe Zazzle is a company benefiting from the fall in the dollar.. as all their products are much less expensive to foreign buyers than they were two years ago. Its been noticeable to me how one comparable non US based site's sales have tailed off.. while Zazzle's have grown and grown.
I believe you rise up the searches as you make sales at Zazzle.. I ordered some of my own Christmas cards from them a couple of years ago.. and it may be co-incidence but sales kicked started shortly after. I would describe my income there as "useful additional income" I maybe spend a two or three hours week uploading and creating products.
Unlike one or two sites out there.. I get the feeling their sales reporting is much more accurate.. for instance you see folks debit debit/credit cards not being accepted and then they come back and use another. That never happens on any other site I'm listed with. So my level of trust in Zazzle is much higher than other sites.
I do have serious reservations about the reporting of some FA POD sites out there. At Zazzle I get reasonable numbers of visitors.. but the ratio between visitors and buyers is much lower.. at one FA POD I have one image with 3500 visitors in the last 9 months but not one sale.. (that really does strike me as "sus".. why would so many people look at the image but then not one follow that interest up and buy ?) At Zazzle I have no product with more than a thousand hits in 3 years but the sales keep coming. I find that a very interesting and curious comparison !
The forum at Zazzle has almost no small talk.. everyone post seems focused on business and making money, I think that says something in itself. There are certainly folks making decent income at Zazzle. Some folks have literally tens of thousands of products at Zazzle... they produce simple designs and plaster them over loads of products like mugs.. skateboards,, shoes.. so Zazzle is as much about designers as it is about artists.
http://www.zazzle.com/apmercer*
If you follow my link and buy, I get paid via that "star" at the end of the URL as someone who refers you to Zazzle (I think) for a period of a month.. so even at this basic level Zazzle is encouraging buyers and sellers. I know plenty of artists who happily point links at Zazzle simply because there is always the possibility of a sale
If you think about it the Fine Art market is quite specialist and restricted.. and visitor interest is limited.. "design" on the other hand is a huge industry with almost everyone on the planet wanting designed goods. Zazzle is a design and art site. Folks interested in design are just as likely to be interested in Fine Art.. so the audience is right.
There is much less commenting and rating by fellow artists at Zazzle in my experience.. for me that indicates that most folks don't want to be distracted by this.
I see FA Pod's as being squeezed.. by ever more competition.. in this scenario the biggest sites offering the biggest range of products will survive.
The future for FA POD's in my opinion is to specialise and to replicate the real world gallery model. They should be competing with real world galleries.. I might be persuaded to look at a site specialising in say "urban art" or "American landscape photography" or whatever but on a general POD art site its often really hard work to find what you are looking for ?
I think FA POD's will have to specialise or die ! I've been quite uneasy for awhile about the emphasis certain sites put on Fine Art when they actually sell unsigned reproductions.. the serious art buyer is not going to be taken in for long.
I think this site is an example of the way Fine Art POD's will have to go to.. selling LE prints etc. I believe its a real world gallery but it seems clear they are replicating their specialisms and skills online and restricting the number of their artists based on quality. It's online gallery representation !
http://www.silverburngallery.co.uk/
My Zazzle Shop- Cards, Mugs T Shirts etc metropolis prints urban art drawings
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