There was a time when turning your art into a viable source of income was something only a few people could dream of. Nevertheless, the advent of the internet and the evolution of social marketing have enabled artists to succeed in ways they could have only dreamed of before.
If you are passionate about creating art and want to make a living, this article is just what you need.
In this article, we’ll share with you three excellent tips to start selling your art online and the best marketplaces you can choose.
3 Tips to Sell Your Art Online
You’ll have to go over many steps to start selling your art online, from choosing the right marketplace to determining the pricing of your items and figuring out how to market them.
However, the following three tips are essential when it comes to successfully selling art:
Discover Your Style
It is essential to identify your niche and your unique style before you begin to sell your work online. This will help you stand out from others and show your potential clientele what your art is all about. Choosing a specific theme, medium, or style will give you a much higher chance of success than if you go broad with your art style choices.
Create Your Online Store or Website
Your work can be sold on your website or online art portfolio if you already have one and do not want a third-party marketplace involved. Whether you sell your work through an online gallery or elsewhere, having an online portfolio or website is still essential. You should design your website in a way that reflects your artistic style and serves as a showcase for potential buyers and fans of your artwork. In addition to showcasing your best work, it should also virtually reflect your brand.
Sell your art through multiple channels
Using different online platforms or art marketplaces when selling your art online is essential. Start with one platform, learn and correct your mistakes before moving on to other platforms where you can list your art.
There’s a possibility that your art doesn’t sell well on a particular website, but it might do better on another. Diverse marketplaces are a great way to increase your income sources. Sell your artwork in various ways, with higher and lower price points. You can sell original art pieces, prints, t-shirts, cards, mugs, or anything else. However, be careful not to sacrifice quality when choosing products to sell your art on.
You could, for example, try:
- Your website or online marketplace for selling art prints and originals
- Create your products with print-on-demand such as stickers, stationary, t-shirts, and mugs
- Launch a course or a workshop to teach your artistic skills
- Auction your art online
- Participate in local craft fairs and art markets
Best Marketplaces to Sell Your Art Online
You can choose many different places to sell your art and many more for specific niches. However, the following three are excellent places to start for a wide variety of artists in all sorts of niches:
Etsy
There can’t be a discussion about art-selling sites without mentioning Etsy. Since its launch in 2005, this marketplace has become the de facto home for painters, artists, crafters, and designers looking to sell their work.
Artists find Etsy’s popularity both appealing and challenging. Through its online marketplace, you can reach an incredible number of people that are passionate about arts and crafts. On the other hand, it also has an equally large number of artists trying to sell their art. While Etsy assures you a large audience, it will come with a lot of competition.
Selling on Etsy
The first step to selling your art on Etsy is to open an Etsy shop. Once your shop has been created, take high-quality pictures of your art, list them, and begin marketing them. Etsy offers a variety of tools to help you promote your art.
Etsy charges a nominal listing fee. For each piece you sell, you’ll pay 5% in transaction fees and 3% + $0.25 in payment processing fees. In addition, you’ll have to pay advertising fees if you want your product to be promoted outside of Etsy.
FineArtAmerica
A global online art marketplace like FineArtAmerica is one of your best options if you’re looking for versatility. In addition to its traditional gallery model, FineArtAmerica offers extensive print-on-demand options. You have the option of selling original art pieces, or turning them into greeting cards, t-shirts, or iPhone cases.
Selling on FineArtAmerica
You can sell art on FineArtAmerica by opening an account, uploading pictures of your art, choosing which products to feature, and setting the prices.
For each product, FineArtAmerica chooses the base price. You then put a markup, which is what you’ll keep once the product is sold. As far as digital downloads are concerned, you get to keep 100% of your asking price. A 30% markup is required by FineArtAmerica, which they keep as a commission. How about if you sell an original piece of art? The sale is yours to keep 100%.
Saatchi Art
Saatchi Art might be a good place for you if exposure is what you’re looking for. Thousands of people visit the online art gallery and marketplace every day. Their website has approximately 1.6 million visitors and 12 million page views each month, and they have almost 500,000 Facebook followers and over 650,000 Instagram followers. You can also sell globally with Saatchi Art. Collectors in over 80 countries worldwide have bought items on the platform.
Selling on Saatchi Art
Saatchi Art requires creating a profile, taking a picture of your artwork, and uploading it to get started. The only thing you have to do when selling a piece of art is package it. The sale is handled by Saatchi Art, which takes a 35% commission.
Final Thoughts
As an artist, you want to focus your time and energy on creating pieces that show your passion, not on figuring out how to sell them. With a website and a variety of potential sales channels, you can make it easier to get your art into the hands of those who will appreciate it and pay for it. Etsy and Saatchi Art are excellent marketplaces if you are looking for places that can get you a lot of exposure. At the same time, FineArtAmerica offers a lot of versatility regarding how you sell your art. Remember, you must find your voice instead of just going for whatever you think will work better. People will resonate with you more quickly this way.
