No matter how many pieces you sell, it’s always an amazing feeling when a piece you put so much time and care into finds a new home.
After that initial thrill subsides and before too much celebration begins, there’s one little detail you need to worry about: the sales transaction.
And, we admit, it’s a pretty big detail.
It’s extremely important for the transaction process to go smoothly, so you can get paid and make a living off of your work, while your collectors can walk away happy with your art business.
Are you making the right calls when it comes to finalizing art sales? Take these three steps to make sure your sales transactions go off without a hitch.
1. Record the Sale in Your Inventory
First things first, you need to update your art inventory. And, when you use an art inventory software like Artwork Archive, you can keep track of your art sales online with the click of a button.
That way you’ll never make the awkward mistake of selling an artwork twice or losing track of who bought what.
After marking your pieces as sold, Artwork Archive automatically updates your Public Page with the sale, bolstering your image as a professional artist, while secretly helping you stay organized on the business front.
The best part?
Recording your art sale on Artwork Archive makes the next two steps of a smooth sales transaction so easy.
2. Make an Impressive Invoice
This next step is crucial for any artist trying to make a living from their work—sending art buyers an invoice.
Presenting a clean, professional invoice illustrates how seriously you take your art business, reassuring buyers that you’ll handle their money with care. But that’s not all! You can’t find a more important document when it comes to keeping track of your costs and making sure you get paid for your hard work in the studio.
When you mark your piece as sold, you can easily generate an invoice right from Artwork Archive!
How does it work?
It pulls all of the important information needed for an artist bill of sale right from your account, including the piece’s image, title, inventory number, medium, size, price, and both parties’ contact info. Then, all you have to do is fill in the blanks with a title, desired payment date, invoice number, etc.
You can even add a sales tax percentage for your state, shipping costs, or an amount already paid, and it will automatically update the total and list this breakdown of costs for the buyer.
No more fiddling endlessly with your own templates. No more worrying if the numbers add up. Your invoice downloads right to your computer, so all you have to do is send it to get paid!
3. Create a Certificate of Authenticity
Do it now or you’ll regret it later. We’re talking about a Certificate of Authenticity.
COAs help collectors immensely when it comes to tracing your piece’s history and proving it’s the original, which can greatly increase the value of your art. Plus, it’s the perfect place to establish copyrights.
That’s why it’s becoming the standard these days to include a COA with every purchase of your art.
To do this in Artwork Archive, simply fill in the details you want to include, such as price, an image or logo, and notes where you can express copyright protection or special care instructions. Important details like medium, dimensions, and title will automatically be included from your piece in Artwork Archive. Learn more here.
In a matter of minutes, you’ll have a professional Certificate of Authenticity ready to include with the sale of your art.
What’s the bottom line?
You need sales transactions to go smoothly, especially if you want to make a living as a full-time artist. And, by following these three steps during a sales transaction, you take care of both your art business and your art customers.
With an invoice and a Certificate of Authenticity, you elevate yourself as a professional and add an extra level of legitimacy to your work. Then on the back end, you stay organized with an easy way to get paid for your artwork.
Record all of your sales in one place for tax purposes, keep track of interested buyers to turn to in the future, and even pull up insights to inform your art selling strategy. The possibilities are endless with Artwork Archive.
Sign up for your free 14-day trial today. No strings attached, no credit card required.
