What is tattoo flash, and how do you sell it online?
Flash is as old as the tattoo shop itself, and it is having a second life online. Here is what flash is, the difference between one-off and repeatable designs, and how to sell it from your own website.
What tattoo flash is
Flash is a pre-drawn tattoo design. Traditionally, shops hung sheets of flash on the wall: swallows, roses, daggers, panthers, lettering. A client walked in, pointed at a design and got it tattooed, often the same day. The word is usually explained by how fast it was: you could choose a design “in a flash”.
Today flash ranges from classic traditional sheets to fine line, blackwork and illustrative designs. Many artists draw flash in their own style between custom projects.
Why clients like flash
- They see exactly what they get before they book
- It is usually quicker and cheaper than a custom design
- Size and price are clear up front
- A one-off design is unique: nobody else will get it
One-off versus repeatable
This is the most important choice per design.
One-off means the design is tattooed once. As soon as someone claims it, it is gone. That makes it exclusive, and it is why flash drops can sell out quickly.
Repeatable means the design stays available. Several clients can get the same piece. Classic traditional designs are often repeatable; artists may vary the colours or details per client.
Make the choice visible on every design. Clients who pay for a one-off expect to be the only one wearing it.
How to sell flash online
Selling flash through DMs goes wrong at the busy moment: three people ask for the same one-off, and someone has to be disappointed after already planning it. A flash page on your website solves this:
- Put each design online with a price or starting price, a size and suggested placement
- Mark it as one-off or repeatable
- Let clients claim a design by paying a deposit
- Mark a one-off as claimed automatically, so nobody else can book it
- Turn the claim into a booking request so you can agree a date
Flash drops
A flash drop is a new set of designs released at a set time. Announce it a few days ahead in your newsletter and on Instagram, publish the sheet at the announced moment, and let the claims come in through your site. The page shows which designs are still available, so you don’t have to answer the same question all evening.
Prints of your flash
Some artists also sell their flash sheets as prints. That is a separate product — a print in your webshop — and it doesn’t affect the tattoo claim on the design.
Photo: Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels
