Open Studio Sales Checklist for Artists
An open studio can be casual and still be well run. Visitors should feel welcome, artworks should be easy to identify, prices should be ready, and sales should leave behind clean records. The goal is not to turn your studio into a shop. The goal is to make interest easy to act on.
Decide what is actually available
Before the event, walk through the studio and mark each work as available, sold, reserved, not for sale, or included for context. Do not leave that decision until someone is standing in front of you asking.
If a piece is not for sale, that is fine. Label it clearly or be ready to say so. Confusion around availability makes sales conversations awkward for everyone.
Make labels readable
Visitors should be able to connect each work to its basic details without interrupting every time. Labels can be minimal, but they should be consistent.
A useful open studio label usually includes title, year, medium, dimensions, and price or availability. If you prefer not to show prices publicly, keep a printed or digital price list within reach.
Prepare the sales path
If someone wants to buy, the next steps should be clear. Know how you will take payment, issue a receipt or invoice, record buyer details, arrange delivery, and provide a certificate if needed.
Do a small test before the event: payment link, card reader, invoice template, email receipt, and phone signal. The day itself is not the time to discover that your payment setup does not work in the studio.
Create a quiet contact system
Not every interested visitor is ready to buy. Make it easy to join a mailing list, request a price sheet, or receive a follow-up selection. A QR code can help, but a notebook or tablet works too.
Record what each person asked about. A bare email address is less useful than a note that they liked three small works on paper and asked about commissions.
Pack sold work with care
Have basic packing materials ready: glassine, sleeves, bubble wrap used away from delicate surfaces, corner protectors, tape, labels, and carry bags or boxes. If a work needs professional shipping, say so and arrange it after the event.
Do not let a quick sale become a preventable damage story. It is better to schedule delivery than to improvise bad packing because the buyer is excited.
Update records before the studio resets
After the open studio, update sold status, buyer contacts, payments, delivery notes, and current locations. Add follow-up tasks for anyone who asked about a specific work.
This final hour of admin is where the real value of the event gets preserved. Without it, the open studio becomes a blur of nice conversations and half-remembered names.
Make open studio follow-up easier
Artwork Codex helps you prepare labels, track availability, record sales, and keep collector contacts attached to the artworks they asked about.
Free plan available. A good open studio should keep working after the weekend ends.