ellenmillion (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ellenmillion) wrote2008-07-06 10:41 pm
ellenmillion) wrote2008-07-06 10:41 pm
So... the economy.
This weekend, I did my twice-yearly task of artist pay. Having 188 artists now, this is usually a bit of a chore. I always read through the complete invoice summary printouts to check for oddball anomalies - and also because I am a geek who likes to watch trends and pick out patterns. This year, despite a record number of artists, I was done with the task in a record amount of time.
Some of this is improved tools - I've only had parts of my pay software for three pay periods, and there are always bugs to work out the first few times you use something. This year, it all played nice and I didn't discover any exciting new ways to break anything.
But most of the ease of the task this year was that there wasn't really that much to go through.
My first inclination was to despair that I'd FAILED my artists and was a worthless merchandiser and should give up the business and sell encyclopedias door to door. But, in talking to other artists and creative types, it isn't just me suffering slow sales. Ysabetwordsmith asked me to cross-post here about how slow I was finding business, as an encouragement to others finding the market pretty brutal right now - it really does help to hear that other folks are facing the same struggles.
Here's what I've personally noticed about the first half of 2008:
Most of the orders were small, even wholesale orders tended to push their limits when it came to hitting their minimums. (Many retailers ordered just less than my $100 limit and used shipping to push it up over the cap. I let them get away with this.) Most orders were just one or two items.
Most of the business I did do was on sale items. So, sales do still help! People always like to feel like they're getting a deal!
Despite not raising my shipping prices (which I would be totally justified in doing), more people are complaining about it this year than previous years.
A higher percentage of sales than usual were the pre-cut artist supplies I offer, not printed goods. Since these are sales TO artists, they are generally business expenses for them, not luxuries like most of my line.
Webpage hits look fine. They've been steady and/or steadily going up for the last several years. People are still finding EMG. (I ran some advertising near the beginning of the year that was pretty fizzle-y stuff; not a lot of traffic gained, and no sales that I can for-sure attribute to them. Word of mouth and artists advertising their own work continue to be my most reliable traffic-drivers.)
For myself, as a consumer, I can understand.
At the very beginning of the year, I was gainfully employed and happy to spend dollars here and dollars there on art and funding cyber-creativity. $10 a week to keep an artist creating seemed like nothing. But gas is nearly $4.50 a gallon here now, my very stable job has dissolved in a drama-storm (the office I worked for closed at the 'end of June'), and while I have some freelance work lined up and some severance pay, freelance work is feast and famine, and severance pay goes away. I have, regretfully, cinched up my own personal pursestrings for a while.
My "professional" prognosis? The first half of 2008 has sucked, economically. People aren't buying what they don't need. And they don't feel like they need art.
x-posted to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
cyberfund_creat.
Some of this is improved tools - I've only had parts of my pay software for three pay periods, and there are always bugs to work out the first few times you use something. This year, it all played nice and I didn't discover any exciting new ways to break anything.
But most of the ease of the task this year was that there wasn't really that much to go through.
My first inclination was to despair that I'd FAILED my artists and was a worthless merchandiser and should give up the business and sell encyclopedias door to door. But, in talking to other artists and creative types, it isn't just me suffering slow sales. Ysabetwordsmith asked me to cross-post here about how slow I was finding business, as an encouragement to others finding the market pretty brutal right now - it really does help to hear that other folks are facing the same struggles.
Here's what I've personally noticed about the first half of 2008:
Most of the orders were small, even wholesale orders tended to push their limits when it came to hitting their minimums. (Many retailers ordered just less than my $100 limit and used shipping to push it up over the cap. I let them get away with this.) Most orders were just one or two items.
Most of the business I did do was on sale items. So, sales do still help! People always like to feel like they're getting a deal!
Despite not raising my shipping prices (which I would be totally justified in doing), more people are complaining about it this year than previous years.
A higher percentage of sales than usual were the pre-cut artist supplies I offer, not printed goods. Since these are sales TO artists, they are generally business expenses for them, not luxuries like most of my line.
Webpage hits look fine. They've been steady and/or steadily going up for the last several years. People are still finding EMG. (I ran some advertising near the beginning of the year that was pretty fizzle-y stuff; not a lot of traffic gained, and no sales that I can for-sure attribute to them. Word of mouth and artists advertising their own work continue to be my most reliable traffic-drivers.)
For myself, as a consumer, I can understand.
At the very beginning of the year, I was gainfully employed and happy to spend dollars here and dollars there on art and funding cyber-creativity. $10 a week to keep an artist creating seemed like nothing. But gas is nearly $4.50 a gallon here now, my very stable job has dissolved in a drama-storm (the office I worked for closed at the 'end of June'), and while I have some freelance work lined up and some severance pay, freelance work is feast and famine, and severance pay goes away. I have, regretfully, cinched up my own personal pursestrings for a while.
My "professional" prognosis? The first half of 2008 has sucked, economically. People aren't buying what they don't need. And they don't feel like they need art.
x-posted to
cyberfund_creat.
no subject
For conventions? The things that I made money on were all the tiny things I sell. Miniprints for a few bucks, bookmarks, magnets, everything *small* went like mad. Most of the people I sold to were teenagers using allowances/money from summer jobs so they honestly don't have bills to pay and like to buy lots of cute little random stuff. The kid walking around with his entire body covered in buttons was my best friend, so to speak.
Very small originals went ... okay. Larger originals are admired, but very few people are saving up for them anymore.
When I did my list of limited edition prints, pretty much everything earlier then 2006/early 2007 was sold out regardless of size. *small* prints for late 2007/2008 sold out while large prints I'm still fairly early in the print run. It used to be people were 'eh' about small prints and thought they were cute, but jumped for the large prints. Not this year.
And going through my client database, I went from roughly 90% american clients, to nearly 80% international clients. The majority of them from sweden, france and the uk. A half dozen from australia, since the post office seems to have gotten more reasonable about shipping fees to australia (at least for the weights I've checked), they've been more inclined to buy.
It makes me anxious, knowing how unstable and just... craptacular our economy is right now. I would much prefer hearing politicians say it's crappy while I'm living snug, then knowing intimately just how horrible it is.
no subject
I wish there was some way we could turn it around and get people buying art products again, but I've got a feeling there's not much we can do...
If nothing else if my business starts going into the red I can move out of Sydney (which is a stupid place for me to live really, being one of the most expensive in the world...).
no subject
but that said, i was actually surprised by my pay this season. i was expecting less, given how sales at my website have plummeted.
and you know, people's minds are funny things. just a personal experience from my website - if they see an item for $10, and the shipping is $10, they get pissed off. the shipping is as much as the item. stupidely, they don't think "well, $10 is a total steal and so $20 is still really reasonable", they just know they're paying as much for shipping as the item and ditch it in the cart.
when i changed the prices of my items to $17 or so, and had $3 shipping (balancing it out kinda), people committed themselves to $17, saw $3 and thought they were getting a bargain.
not sure if that applies generally, but i actually saw a lot of sales go up when i repriced that way. not sure if it all comes down to that either, or if there were other factors, but it certainly gave me something to think about.
no subject
I doubt they appreciate that distinction!
2008 has been a bust
no subject
no subject
I really hope things get better soon too!
But yeah Ellen, you're definitely not alone.
no subject
Everyone's tightened their belts and it hurts. A lot.
no subject
no subject
no subject
*HUGS TIGHT*
no subject
I did sold a liiitle bit of art, and it was overseas. The folks that have been willing to trade art with me and mail each other the originals have been in Europe as well, but that might be because I just have a few European friends going on. Based who on hang out with, not so much the economy.
no subject
no subject
no subject
Speaking as an artist (or crafter really), I'm all like buy buy buy I need to buy food too! But it's just not going to happen right now.
no subject
(Anonymous) 2008-07-07 07:08 pm (UTC)(link)The economy in general is so wierd anyways, and I think it's greatly influenced consumer perceptions (how safe they feel). I'm not saying that it's false that things are tighter. The "cheap" price for gas here is $4.59. But you got to remember that people still have birthdays, anniversaries, baby showers, and holidays. And while they might not be buying up a storm, be a "card warrior" (sorry not sure if that's exactly the clever phrase Ash Evans used, but it's a good one!) Small sales still add up and have saved my hinny at a show many a time.
no subject
no subject
Prints sales were really really slow from winter to spring and have gone back up again. There are less on my own site though. I am selling a lot of aceos rather than larger prints.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
We've had record sales, but not necessarily record profits - hike in shipping costs, fees all around, exchange rates... just, ouch. Plus, Featherfall is definitely a luxury industry -- and like you pointed out, people aren't really spending on luxuries at the moment. Art, sadly, is not an essential.
Another thing we've noticed at least - its the increased need for layaway, or credit. Frankly - I'm very conservative on that, and I have a limited cash flow and operated budget. I can't offer long term credit, since I'm left fronting the cash -- and in some case, stuck holding the products, even though the deposit is non refundable. Right now, to give you an example, there were several people outright whining about how unreasonable we are by only giving 2 months layaway. *cough*
I think part is the economy crunch, the other people's obsession with 'charging' everything to credit. Sooner or later, it catches up, and for several of our customers lately that's exactly what's been happening. ;)
Its not just internet business either -- all the local retail shops are going nuts with sales -- the upscale ones around my parent's neighboorhood were having sales of 50%-70% and even so the staff was complaning about how low the sales have been.
Its definitely needed a change in strategies for us - more going for the sure sale items, rather than trying out new artisans and products, which is one of the things I love to do at FF. We simply can't take the gamble at the moment!
Feast or famine indeed - and now we've got a mortgage to worry about too, so certainly curtailing pretty much any personal spending.
*L* about my pay notification, thank you for the laugh m'dear. XD I probably should put up more updated things, haven't had the time. and its definitely NOT that you're failing, its just the way things are at the moment. <3
no subject
no subject
As an artist, my con sales have dwindled to mostly nothing, my Etsy sales have been limited to a few cat-related non-fantasy ACEO originals, and the group trunk show I did a few weeks ago was so dismal, they refunded our space rental fees.
As a consumer, I'm stunned by what I'm spending on gas and groceries, I don't pleasure-shop anymore, and I'm ever-so-thankful that I currently have a day job. (And hope with every fiber of my being that my employer stays strong enough to keep this lowly marketing chick gainfully employed.)
Jenny Heidewald still forgot her LJ password...
(Anonymous) 2008-07-10 01:29 pm (UTC)(link)