#1 Ultimate Guide: Where & How to Sell Your Art Online

Anyone keen on selling art online has to consider their audience and the best way to connect with them. You need to maintain your integrity. Most of the artists will create commercially appealing artwork that suit display in galleries.

But the biggest issue is usually not in the design phase. Like any other business, the challenge comes in selling. The final product is not the only driving factor when it comes to making a sale, but what you do with it.

Whether you are trying to market your art through an online marketplace, random online art galleries, your art website, or any other platform, this guide will help you in maximizing your sales. And if you are yet to start, you will be good to go by the end of the article.

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How to Sell Your Art Online

Below is a comprehensive guide on how to sell artwork online.

Make use of Social Media

You cannot ignore the power of social media when selling your artwork on the internet. You will have an easier time if you implement its tools in connecting and engaging with potential buyers. However, they sometimes appear sensitive among artists. Will you find value when you put your efforts into expanding your reach via social media? Will your voice be heard amidst so many people making too much noise in the platforms? The answer is yes, although you have to use the platform appropriately.

Appropriate, in that case, means that you have to find the channels that work best for you. If you want your work to take the talk, you will use Instagram. Do you like accumulating interesting images? Choose Pinterest. If you wish to connect with other artists, then go for Facebook and Twitter. You need to discover the social network perfect for your personality and techniques while bearing in mind that each channel has strengths and weaknesses.

Social Media
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What You Need to Know When Using Social Media

If you intend to make sales through social media channels, you have to go beyond trying to sell. Before you sell any item, ensure you connect and build up trust with your audience. It involves engaging with the audience in a more compassionate way.

Most people will either snub or unfollow you if your posts appear to promote and force your sales. You need to treat everyone you meet courteously and kindly and not appear as a salesperson in your exhibition.

Remember, people are using their phones, computer, or tablets for connections and communication. Therefore, avoid overwhelming them with items and prices. You need to at least show them your inner person by sharing things you find interesting. Show them your workplace and your working process.

Art Marketplaces

You can use the online marketplaces, particularly for the less expensive arts and paintings. The advantage is their minimal commission fees and can still help you connect with people who purchase your work. The use of online marketplaces is a good initial step that will enable you to sell at an online gallery once you amass an audience.

An example of an online marketplace is Etsy. It is reputable for vintage commodities and homemade crafts, although it is progressively becoming an ideal shop front for selling artwork. The cost for listing your work is £0.20, while the commission fee after you make a sale is 5 percent.

Besides, there is an extra 4% fee (3% in the US) for processing your payments together with a £0.20. It is difficult to find a platform that will give such a reach for your artwork with a commission of 10% only. The market place also allows the buyers to have a closer connection with you.

Online Art Galleries

Online Art Galleries

When you are marketing your artwork online, there is a challenge in reaching those who love the artwork to the point of buying it. You create a website only to realize that few visitors are even not within your reach.

It is at such a moment that you realize how disappointing the whole enterprise can be. Your dream of earning a living from the sales of your work begins to dwindle from there. Use of online art galleries to show your work helps you expand your territory as you look for potential buyers.

You may hold to the opinion that the internet came to rescue the artists who only had galleries to depend on for their sales. However, are you selling the artwork on the internet by yourself currently? If you are making satisfying sales, then you can continue. But if you are not, you have no reason why you should not approach an online art gallery and let them make a sale for you.

Online art galleries will be selling the art on the internet just like you. However, they are closer to a large number of buyers and have the potential of reaching them with your work more than you can do by yourself. A report by Hiscox indicates that the internet is a lucrative market. In 2019, the sales for artworks went up by 9.8%, reaching approximately $4.64 billion.

Online art galleries with experience, payment security, and marketing skills will let you have a share of the amounts. However, there are art galleries that display artwork, regardless of quality. The best would be the one that earns through fees or commissions on sales.

Art Marketplaces

You can use the online marketplaces, particularly for the less expensive arts and paintings. The advantage is their minimal commission fees and can still help you connect with people who purchase your work. The use of online marketplaces is a good initial step that will enable you to sell at an online gallery once you amass an audience.

An example of an online marketplace is Etsy. It is reputable for vintage commodities and homemade crafts, although it is progressively becoming an ideal shop front for selling artwork. The cost for listing your work is £0.20, while the commission fee after you make a sale is 5 percent.

Besides, there is an extra 4% fee (3% in the US) for processing your payments together with a £0.20. It is difficult to find a platform that will give such a reach for your artwork with a commission of 10% only. The market place also allows the buyers to have a closer connection with you.

Crowdfunding Sites

Crowdfunding is a fundraising strategy by rewarding people who wish to offer financial support for your project. Creating a successful crowdfunding campaign does not require you to be a reputable artist. Ellis O'Connor, a graduate from Duncan of Jordanstone, collected over £1,000 a few weeks after completing her degree show.

Sponsors received her drawings and prints for a trip in Nothern Isles trip, and through that, she raised finance for the project and got connections, potential art collectors. The first thing is to place your work on the crowdfunding site.

However, you need to do connect with the collectors. It won't happen automatically, but you have to drive the campaign. Consider posting on your social media platforms. Use your Facebook page and reach out to friends and family. Tweet and approach people who can help you in spreading the word on twitter.

Do It Yourself

While you put your efforts into the online art gallery and online marketplace, you also need to have your site. Besides social media, your website will also allow you to connect with collectors and potential buyers directly. Setting a website to display your artwork and sell it from there is increasingly becoming cheap.

When you use BigCartel or Squarespace, you don't have to know a line of code. Squarespace is a convenient solution when you are building your site. Paying a monthly fee allows you to get a domain name, the template for your website, hosting services, and a fully furnished shop for selling your work.

You can get a subsidized fee if you pay annually. Furthermore, Squarespace has well-designed templates that add professionalism to your site. The responsive model of the website makes it suitable for both phones and desktops. The administrative interface is so convenient that you can add features on your page layout through drag and drop without using any codes.

Do It Yourself

You can also use BigCartel. They have been in operation for almost a decade specializing in building stores for artists. Of course, they must know the do and don'ts with such experience when it comes to selling your artwork online.

The starter plan for a maximum of five artworks is free, perfect as you test the waters before you commit to the annual plan, which starts at a monthly $9.99 for up to 25 items. You can as well use Shopify, although the costs are relatively higher compared to others. However, it comes with multiple options if you want a powerful product at the end.

You can build your website using WordPress, and you don't need to be a web design expert. However, you will be in a better position if you have some skills. You will need to purchase the domain name and look for a host. After setting up your site, the next thing is to choose your preferred theme. You can use ThemeForest to find some of the best themes for your WordPress site.

Print on Demand

Have you come across sites that print on your demand? Their popularity is increasing among artists who wish to sell artwork on the internet. The nice thing about them is that they pick up the task of marketing the artwork on your behalf.

You only have to upload your high-quality image and continue with your activities. They will print your work on items such as T-shirts, pillows to phone covers. Although not every artwork will suit the pillow or phone case, many artists use the print on demand to sell their work. Remember, you still have the task of promoting your work while it is on the site. Artists using print on demand site include Amy Hamilton, who creates animal artworks.

Society 6 is an example of a print on demand site. The platform attracts an international audience and ranks first when it comes to the number of guests. It allows you to speculate your profit for any item you sell. You will just determine your retail price and then include the profit you wish. You will earn higher amounts from art prints than items such as bags and T-shirts.

Art and Photo Book Publishing

The world of self-publishing continues to grow at a fast rate. Besides, the quality of the final product continues to improve as well. Artists and designers are taking advantage of the advancements and embracing photo book publishing to market their artwork.

Blurb from 2005 has advanced its software and methods to satisfy the needs of the artistic self-publishers. Their collaboration with Amazon allows you to sell your book directly on the ecommerce site.

You only need to determine your price and margin. As per this writing, Amazon charges 15% of the retail price and $1.35 for every copy. You should be aware of several book awards to enroll your finished photobook such as First and Aperture.

Photography Sites

Selling photos online is neither easy nor difficult. It is such a controversy because of the many stock websites around. While it is easy to choose one where you will sell your work, there are also too many photographs available, probably due to the abundance of top-notch cameras worldwide. While such a scenario is good for the buyers, the artists find an over flooded market.

Some sites sell royalty-free photos for one dollar, which hinders a photographer looking forward to making a living from their work. You have to pick a website with fair commissions and work hard to develop outstanding work. Then you will use your social media platforms to spread the word.

Google Ads

Advertise with Google Ads

Google Ads runs alongside search results as you use Google, Gmail, and other content sites. Although they may not top your list of strategies, Google Ads are powerful tools when it comes to sales and marketing. They simply allow you to show an ad to sell your work such that it only emerges in search results when a person types something that relates to your art on Google. There are no charges to display your advert, but you will pay in case of a click.

If a person clicks on your advert, they will have a high likelihood that they will have interests once they land on your website. You don't have to spend considerable amounts to attract a new audience and potential purchases when a click costs you so little. You can as well use the strategy to market yourself.

Besides, you can make the ad more specific such that a person who searches a particular region or city bumps on your work. You will then add more details by describing your style and materials, e.tc. You can also state whether you do commissions and portraits, attracting people to your advert and work.

15 Best Sites for Selling Your Art

More business activities, including the sale of artwork, are embracing the digital environment. It may be a positive or a negative, depending on how you used to sell before. As auction sales move online, galleries have not been left behind and see over half of their sales happen through their sites.

There is no sign that the trend may slow down, and online sales continue to increase now and then. Regardless of the form of your final product, there is always a perfect place to sell your artwork. However, with so many options available, it is crucial to choose the right website. Below are the best websites to sell artwork online.

Saatchi Art
1

Saatchi Art

Selling your work through a website with a big name in the world of art may seem unattainable. However, you can make it with Saatchi Art. Charles Saatchi's inc. founded the site but later came to sell it in 2014. However, the name and its associated credibility remain.

They have a large audience and more than one million followers on social media. Furthermore, another following of over one million people receive a copy of their catalog.

It is free to set up your shop. From there, you just list your original and prints. The items on the site have price ranges from $500 to more than $10,000. However, Saatchi Art charges a high commission of 35%, although they make courier arrangements to collect your artwork and dispatch it on your behalf.

2

Azucar Gallery

It doubles up as an art gallery and an online magazine. Azucar features artwork from beginner artists. It is a platform for selling artwork online is also reputable in organizing events for artists.

Azucar Gallery
Pixapp
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Pixapp

The app incorporates the features in Instagram and Redbubble and allows the users to connect with the users they like. Signing up and listing an item on the app, but artists will pocket 90 percent of the amount they make per sale.

Artists can have their designs feature on a wide range of products sold on the app, such as mugs, canvases, and T-shirts. The clients can then make direct orders from Pixapp. After selling your artwork online, the app will produce and ship on your behalf; besides, Pixapp is also responsible for customer services.

The app is suitable for both hobbyists and professionals as it requires low maintenance to get your artwork out there. On Google Store, Pixapp has over 5,000 downloads, and it continues to gain popularity.

4

Zazzle

Zazzle is among the online marketplaces that are on-demand in the world. Like other print on demand sites, they have an affiliate program that increases your possibility of earning. The artists are free to choose their royalty percentage between 5-99%.

Zazzle
Artnet
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Artnet

If you are in the field of modern-day artwork, then Artnet will suit you. It positions itself as a modern way of collecting the present-day artwork. The company has vast experience since 1989, and its establishment's objective was to enhance communication amongst art sellers and buyers.

In 2008, Artnet took its online services to another level. It has the most extensive catalog meaning it must have a reserve for serious artists who wish to sell their artwork at the correct price. People intending to purchase can directly contact the dealers and galleries, which leads to a more human experience, which is not common in most sites.

Artnet also features a Price Database, essential paid services that help you in researching the market. The additional service allows you to check the price for more than 1700 auctions from 1985.

6

Artsper

Artsper only partners with the best galleries in Europe and features high quality and original work. The prices equal those of the galleries. Artsper leads in contemporary sales in Europe.

The buyers can return the item in case of dissatisfaction after making a purchase.

Artsper
Artplode
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Artplode

The site has been operational since 2014. It is a platform for galleries and art dealers to purchase and make sales and private clients and artists. It has an approximate inventory of more than $10 million for sale at the moment of this writing.

Although it is competitive, you will reach an audience consisting of potential buyers from more than 40 countries globally. You can list any kind of artwork, including photography, sculptures, and paintings. You can also sell digital art. Artplode won't charge does not charge a commission, but you will need to pay a flat fee of $60 for every listing. It is a great deal if you are lucky to sell your work.

You have the opportunity to decide whether you will cater for the cost of shipping for sold items, or you will pass it to your clients. Besides, if you are a beginner in the sale of artwork, the website will link you up with a consultant who will guide in focusing on the right market and the correct pricing of your artwork.

8

UGallery

The site has been operational since 2006 and, over time, has amassed a vast following in more than 50 countries. UGallery differs from other galleries in that the artworks they sell are not on display on any other platform. They split the sale amount for each painting by half, and they usually cater for packaging and shipments.

UGallery
Artfinder
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Artfinder

Artfinder has offices in Miami and London. The site has been operational since 2011 and lists artwork from more than 10,000 artists in more than a hundred countries. Artfinder does not allow posters and reproduction prints, with each of the 400,000 items being original. It accepts several mediums such as collage, digital art, and printmaking.

Before you join the site, you have to undergo a selection process. You will tender your best artwork and a backup statement, and if Artfinder accepts you, you can go forward and put up your online shop. Once you join, you will come to accept how the company pays attention to legitimacy. Artfinder has a philosophy that the purchase and sale of artwork do not have to be a showy business.

10

Shopify

If you have a strong audience already, you may wish to make direct sales from your site without using a third party seller. Shopify is flexible and convenient to use, thus an excellent pick for e-commerce software. You can incorporate it into your artwork website in a way that your clients won't realize that you are using Shopify.

It has no limitation on the number of items you can list on the site, meaning you can begin with few pieces and upgrade with time. At the moment, more than 600,000 businesses use Shopify technology. Besides, active users are more than one million, which leads to a total sale of $55 billion.

Shopify
Amazon
11

Amazon

Amazon is not known for art selling, and there is a high likelihood that you have not considered it for that purpose. However, since the Art section's launch on Amazon, the e-commerce site has become a legitimate platform for artists to sell their artwork.

The guest stewards ensure a gallery-finish on the artwork website. The homepage comes with partitions of multiple searchable sets, such as medium and primary colors. You have to undergo through a preapproval process before selling on the Amazon Art section. Besides, you need to note that you can only sell specific mediums.

Sculptors cannot sell on the platform as 3D art is forbidden. The monthly cost is $39.99 for an online shop. Although there are extra selling charges, the audience you will reach with Amazon Art is unmatched, and you can sell a lot from the site.

12

Redbubble

Redbubble is an Australian company and has been in operations since 2006. It is a print on demand service similar to Society6. It links artists with a global customer base through a website that is easy to use. In addition to printing your work on various products, it's also possible to craft reproduction items an important if you wish to keep the original artwork.

Redbubble allows you to determine the amount you make by setting your profit margins. Although the average margin is 17 percent, it's possible to adjust it depending on factors such as the traffic your page amasses. The site will be in charge of payment, printing, and shipping on your behalf.

Redbubble
Society6
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Society6

Society6 is among the most convenient site if you wish to see your artwork on different merchandise. It is possible to determine your royalties such that you decide on the money you earn above the site's flat selling amount for canvases and art prints. For other items, Society6 sets the profit range between $1.50 and $13.90.

It is possible to select your artwork to feature in the main shop of the site meaning customers can come across your design without searching for your shop. The site covers order fulfillment, so matters to do with customer service are off your hands.

The site receives a credibility boost from prominent artists such as Evie Seo. Besides, Andreas Lie also uses Society6. That means that the artwork website is competitive, and you should probably list your item on several platforms until you begin to amass your audience on Society6.

14

Singulart

Singulart community is ideal for artists who had solo exhibitions and have got local and international acknowledgment.

The platform holds the opinion that there are no boundaries in art. It has more than 50,000 artworks from over 80 countries across the world. Singulart is reputed for paintings but also features drawings, textiles, photography, sculpture, etc.

Singulart
ArtFire
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ArtFire

The site has been operational for around ten years and has close to 300,000 unique visitors in a month. It eliminates the hassle of creating a selling website and allows you to add your products easily. Their customer service will assist you if you are a beginner in selling artwork online. Besides, they emphasize connecting with other artists. That way, you can now more and share expertise with other people in your field.

They take care of the SEO by sharing your artwork with significant search engines. ArtFire looks after the API's and design every shop on their site to have a good ranking. Therefore, it allows you to concentrate on the creation of more art. A standard shop requires that you pay a monthly fee of $4.95 and 23 cents for every listing. However, larger online stores have their specific packages, meaning ArtFire grows with you.

Frequently asked questions

It all depends on the value you put on your time and talent. However, you should not undersell your creative work. Customers will treasure your art according to how you charge it. If you sell it so cheaply, they will attach less value to it and might end up discarding it after a short time.

If you are a beginner, you won't set a price tag equal to a person who has over 30 years of experience. You should not promise something that you won't deliver. However, if you have the sought expertise, then you can.

If you arrive at a specific price for your art, it does not mean that you should stick to that. If there is room for negotiations, then don't lose the opportunity.

It is a duplicate of the original artwork reproduced on canvas or paper. Art prints are affordable and require less maintenance, thus ideal to purchase for those who wish to collect art.

You should not get rid of the artwork from your artwork website after selling it. You only need to label it as "sold." Letting the visitors know that your painting sells them have more confidence when they purchase.

You should avoid the attitude of thinking that you should target anyone for sale. Some art forms are appealing to a broad market, while others charm a small group of people.

The best way is through keeping in touch with the people who support you already. Besides, keep asking for referrals.

Conclusion

Selling art is an aspiration to any artist. However, amid a competitive art world, there is a need to on top of the game. The current trend indicates that the business is increasingly shifting its operations to the web. However, it may appear an easy thing to sell your art online, it’s until you post that ad and stay for months without any change that you realize the importance of a comprehensive guideline.