As artists, we’re often told not to discount our work, and I am inclined to agree with that. However there are other ways to offer sales without devaluing your work. Something I tried one year as an experiment was so successful I now do it annually, and I call it the Secret Sale.
I often make paintings that perhaps aren’t part of any specific series, or were created for a course, or are one off experiments that have no ‘place’ amongst my usual work. Usually these are works on paper, which are easier and less expensive to ship.
The key factor of my Secret Sale is that I offer it as pay what you like. You do need to be very clear that you feel ok about anything you include being sold for very little! My rule of thumb is if I’d feel resentful if a piece went for £5 then it doesn’t go in the sale. And actually people are surprisingly generous when allowed to choose the price.
The beauty of the pay what you like arrangement is that it means I sell pieces that most likely otherwise would never have been sold, and the people who purchase them have access to originals by me where otherwise they might not have been able to afford them.
So how does it work in practical terms? I create a secret page on my website with a password, containing an explanation of how it works and a gallery of offered paintings. I mention the upcoming sale a few times in my Artnotes {email newsletters} and on social media, and on the day the sale opens I send an Artnote with the link and password, so that subscribers have first access. After a few days I send a final reminder to subscribers, then remove the password and open the page to a wider audience, sharing it on social media.
The page explains exactly how the sale works; step by step clarity is essential for keeping admin to a minimum! I explain that these paintings are offered as pay what you like because they are outside my usual work, not because I value them any less; and because people can feel awkward I make it very clear that no offer is too low, and I am grateful for all sales.
I ask them to email me the name of the painting, the price, and where they are in the world, so I can work out shipping. I then send them a Paypal invoice, and when it’s paid I remove the painting from the gallery. I pack and ship all the paintings at the end of the week. Lastly, I give a percentage of the income to Kiva, because I like to support other women building their own businesses.
Have you ever offered a sale like this? Would you consider it? If you have any further questions about how I do it please let me know in the comments!
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Tara Leaver is an artist and online art teacher, working from her attic studio by the sea on the south coast of England. Alongside her painting practice, she teaches online courses focused on helping others uncover and develop their own unique artistic self expression.
website: www.taraleaver.com
Thank you, that explain how does it work. Because I heard about this method from different artist, but can not understand correctly, what I should to do to make the same sale.
Glad it helped Ksenia! You just have to keep tweaking until it works the way you want. 🙂
I did a pick-your-price sale before moving a couple years ago, and loved clearing out some inventory while allowing people who normally couldn’t afford my art to collect some pieces! Definitely need to bring this back.
Since I will be moving house soon, this has been on my mind already as an option on how to reduce the number of paintings before the move. So far I had only considered a local “pay what you like” but your post helped me see, that I might also do it with shipping. It would also give me a better idea whether people in my country feel comfortable ordering online. So far this has rarely happened and I stopped encouraging it.