@KrystleColeArt

I have offered frames at shows and people love to buy them. Even if I don’t frame them for them at the show. If I just sell them a frame that they could take home and frame themselves as an upsell, I can sell them well. But the amount of money that I’d have to invest in the frames and then taking them to the shows, storing them, my minivan just really isn’t big enough. The profit margin isn’t enough on the frames to justify purchasing a bigger van at this point. Maybe someday when this van totally dies on me and I have to upgrade.

I love that idea of stamping the mats, it is such a fun touch. I didn't want to try larger framed prints because I've sold larger ones in the past; mine were 11 x 14" frames. They took up a lot more space to transport and store. I have a small minivan so I'm needing inventory that is small in space requirements. But maybe I should rethink it and try the 5 x 7 with the mats like you sell. Maybe that would be all that's required to get the people to pay $20 for them rather than $15. It would seem like a better value. Thanks for sharing this!

That’s a fair point, "print collection" does sound better than bin.

I’ve tried selling my prints (in larger sizes) in other colors of frames before, like white. Customers do like white. But what I found from customers around the Midwest is typically they want a basic looking frame. If I frame my work in, let’s say pastel colors that match the print which look really cool, most customers don’t want them because they won’t match their decor. So black or white are the safest bets because they appeal to the most people. You do make a good point though, and I should maybe try out white frames in another test just to see if that changes things any.

Yes, I make all of my prints myself here in my studio. I have a couple different printers, but the one I use most is my Epson Surecolor P900. It is a pigment ink printer made for printing high-quality artwork and photographs. There are a lot of videos on my channel about making your own art prints, how to do it, printers to choose, how to use the printers, etc. I'll link the playlist I think would be most useful to you if you wanna learn how to make them below. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6-RwCzCStOTOjqRJd0GO7m5nJj1XD9As If you're wanting to outsource, and you want to save money on prints, here are some resources for that as well. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6-RwCzCStOR9-ffW7uiBc0BY18P9pTMc

These frames are not from the dollar store, although they are very inexpensive. I actually have sold prints in dollar store frames before, these are much better quality...

You're so welcome ❤️

Thank you! The frames do really look nice, and they are surprisingly affordable.

I didn't think it was the frame because a black frame like this that looks decent quality is usually the status quo for a framed piece of artwork that someone is buying at an art fair. Black is the go-to color usually, either that or white. It matches most decor and people tend to like black frames. Lowering the price isn't always the first thing to try, but in this case, I think it was the right thing to do given where I was selling at.

That's cool that you sell three different sizes of framed prints, do you also have print bins with different sizes of prints in them? If so, are you experiencing a similar thing with customers choosing the loose prints over framed ones?

I've thought about trying a binder, but since I have 300 different prints, it would take customers a long time to get through them. I'd have to have different stations around my booth so that they could comfortably look through the binders. I'm just not sure how to make this work at an art fair. Because then I would have to keep all of the prints behind my counter somehow and be able to search and find them for people quickly. The customers at these types of events are usually in a huge hurry and don't want to wait long for you to find a print for them.

lol it's a common problem in my booth, it's like my print bin is a magnet for every person who has just bought some cotton candy or a full margarita without a lid 😂

Haha, don't be embarrassed, there are so many unique animals out there to keep track of and capybaras are an unusual animal. I honestly didn’t think anybody knew what they were until a couple of years ago when they went viral on Instagram and TikTok, all of the kids really like them because of that.

That’s a great idea, the holiday season definitely makes giftable items more popular! I will try them again.

Yes I definitely should

I have tried selling my work in white frames before and people do really love them. If I do another test of these, which I’m sure I will, I will buy a pack of the white frames because they are just a tad bit more expensive, but not enough to be meaningfully more expensive, and I will see if they sell better.

That’s an interesting strategy, and it’s so smart how that collaborative approach helps everyone's sales! :)

Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate you watching!

You’re very welcome, I'm happy you enjoyed the breakdown! :)

I have tried selling aceo cards online, but not at shows. I figured they'd just be too small. But maybe I should give it a try sometime.