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Here is a conundrum: “Should art go on sale?”  “Should I give discounts?”  “What do I do with the art that won't sell?”

On one hand, art should have intrinsic value, and it can feel cheap to put it on sale. On the other hand, human beings love a sale. Plus, you can sell much more of something when it’s on sale!  However, there are both pros and cons to discounts.

The Cons of art sales

If someone is selling their art for $1000 and then one day it's $700, the value of the art in the buyer's perspective may be impaired.  Someone who has bought a similar piece for $1000 might feel like their piece isn't worth what they paid. 

Some collectors are buying art as an investment, so art that goes on sale is likely to be less respected. If your collectors think your work will be discounted in the future, they may wait to buy when it's cheaper.  I personally don’t go to Michael’s unless I have a 20%-off coupon.

And finally, putting your art on sale may look kind of Walmart-y, or slightly desperate. Art is generally purchased because of vision and authenticity, not affordability

The pros of discounting your art

Sales get people to act now.  Offering a discount or bonus if someone buys immediately drives scarcity and urgency.  It's a fact. 

Often, there is work that just WON’T sell, but you might have a chance of moving it at a discount.

So what is an artist to do?

After a lot of trial and error, this is what I do personally:

To capitalize on scarcity and urgency, I don’t allow my work to be available all the time.  This means it’s all or nothing.  My work is literally “on sale” (or available) every five to eight weeks. Otherwise, it isn’t sold at all.

Sometimes I offer limited-time sales that don’t sell at the original price. I’ll usually rotate some artwork through a few sales cycles, then decide what to do next.

Any business owner knows that having dead inventory is not great.  My options are to store it, which is annoying because art takes up physical space, and I don’t have extra!  I can give it away to someone, or offer a contest of some sort. Another option is to throw it away or recycle it, both of which I have done. And finally, you can discount the price.

I have used all the above options… every. bloody. one. If you do decide to discount your art, I have some tips to make sure it’s not too cheesy or “salesy.”

How to offer sales without feeling cheap

First, I seldom offer specials and discounts, maybe once or twice a year.  An email notification only goes out to my email list, so it’s only for people in the “inner circle.” These special “studio clearance” sales have resulted in some of my biggest revenue days. There’s also the added benefit of clear everything out! Having an annual studio clearance sale works best when you already have an email list, or a regular clientele, that will appreciate what you are offering.

I also capitalize on Black Friday & Cyber Monday. I offer special art, packages and bonuses to people who purchase at this time of year.

Meanwhile, I know exactly what my margins are. I never make it cheaper than break-even!

I never sell something I'm not proud of, even if it means I have to recycle or discard it. Sometimes there is irrevocable damage or an experiment that didn’t come out awesome. If someone owns it, it will live forever and that could damage my reputation.

Besides conducting very rare sales events, I occasionally offer discounts to repeat customers and friends & family. However, I’m always well within my margins.

I only talk price over email, especially when negotiating, because my brain kind of shuts off. It’s much better for me to say, “Hmm, let me check my notes on that and shoot you an email!”

Other options are giving a coupon for signing up to your mailing list, or offering a percentage discount when someone spends more than certain amount.  You could include a physical coupon inside shipments for future art purchases, or offer free shipping, which is a cash reduction that isn’t linked to the art itself.

In summary, though I do see drawbacks to offering sales, I strongly recommend creating some kind of system to introduce scarcity and urgency into your art offerings. Having “sales” that aren’t exactly sales is a great way to do it.

Does pricing your art accurately sound difficult, or even impossible? Well, have no fear! My awesome pricing guide, Pricing Your Art Made Easy is here, and it’s completely FREE! You can check it out HERE, or by clicking the button below.