Table of Contents
There may be no perfect way to sell art online. This guide will cover some of the best methods for selling your artwork with varying levels of success and help you make a decision that is right for you.
If you’re looking to sell your art online, this is the tutorial for you. This will teach you how to create a website and use it to sell your artwork. Read more in detail here: how to sell art online and make money.
On your own website, online art galleries, social media, and digital stock sites, you may discover how to sell art online. Each strategy may even assist you in developing new revenue streams via the use of internet-based technology. The selling opportunities for the astute artist are limitless, and the future seems bright in today’s burgeoning internet art industry.
The Best Ways to Sell Art on the Internet
There are two primary methods for selling art on the internet. The first option is to sell your artwork online through your own website. The second option is to use a third-party website or channel to sell your artwork.
The majority of artists need their own webpage. It might be the most important weapon in your armory. Squarespace, a self-hosted WordPress website utilizing Bluehost as your hosting provider, and Shopify are three good website options for artists. FASO, Other People’s Pixels, and Artist Run Website are examples of artist-centric website builders that some artists prefer.
The second approach to sell art online is via a third-party platform that allows you to expose your creative works to a bigger audience of potential consumers. You may sell your art online via a variety of artist networks, markets, and social media outlets. Online art markets include Artfinder, Artplode, and Fine Art America. Throughout this text, more possibilities will be covered.
The Fundamentals of Selling Art on the Internet
While there are numerous methods to sell art online, the ideal location to advertise your work relies on a number of criteria, including the style of art you make and the type of consumer you want to attract. As a result, various online selling venues are suitable for different purposes. The graph below provides a brief overview of the top venues to sell various sorts of art online.
What Are the Best Places to Sell Different Types of Art?
How to Make Money Selling Art Through Your Website
Experts in the art industry have a variety of ideas on the best sites to sell art online. Most people agree on one thing: every artist should have their own website that is more than just a showcase. It must be a fully functional internet shop.
Your website is the home of your own brand, and you have total control over it. You’re also less exposed to rival listings, expensive commissions, or sudden art marketplace or online gallery closures when your artwork is front-and-center on your own website.
Best of all, anybody with no web design or programming skills can establish a beautiful, contemporary online business. You have the abilities to construct a full-featured online shop using several top web platforms if you can log into a website. To develop your website, you may select from a variety of website platforms and site builders. The table below lists the most common and effective choices.
The Best Platforms for Creating a Website
With Squarespace, you can sell art online.
More artists choose Squarespace than any other website platform. Personal accounts are just $12 per month and are ideal for online portfolios. Plans start at only $18 per month if you want a site with complete ecommerce features so you can start selling your artwork right away.
Who Is Squarespace Appropriate For?
You don’t need to buy separate hosting providers since Squarespace is an all-in-one platform. If you’re searching for a quick and simple method to start selling your artwork on your own website, Squarespace is the way to go.
Squarespace’s sleek, sophisticated design templates attract artists. Squarespace takes care of all the technical aspects of website creation, allowing you to create a site that focuses on your creativity in a fraction of the time it takes on other platforms. Squarespace is ideal if you want to build a great website with minimum effort.
How to Create a Squarespace Website
Squarespace makes it simple to create a website. Visit Squarespace and sign up for a free trial by clicking the “get started” button. The Squarespace website then guides you through selecting a template and customizing your website.
The Drawbacks of Selling Art on Squarespace
The one disadvantage of selling art on Squarespace is that, although the templates are beautiful, they aren’t really adaptable. Squarespace may not be the ideal choice for you if you want greater freedom in your website layout. Fortunately, you have a variety of different choices, such using Bluehost to create a very versatile and adjustable WordPress site.
On Squarespace, here’s an example of an artist portfolio template.
With WordPress, you can sell art online.
WordPress is the most popular blogging platform, and it’s also quickly becoming a popular online selling tool. When it comes to style and functionality, the sky is the limit with a WordPress site. Although the WordPress platform is free, you will need to pay for hosting. Bluehost has options beginning at $2.95 per month to host your website. Learn how to use Bluehost to set up a WordPress site.
Who Is WordPress Appropriate For?
WordPress allows you to show and sell art in almost any manner you can think of. WordPress, out of all the online shop solutions, gives you the most creative flexibility. WordPress is the ideal option if you want complete control over the look and feel of your website.
WordPress is also a great option for artists who wish to use a blog to convey news, new releases, and other details such as forthcoming gallery exhibits. Of all the selling platforms, it features the most sophisticated blogging capabilities.
You may use WordPress to create stunning web galleries, sell single completed works or mass-produced items, accept commission orders, offer bespoke pieces, distribute digital downloads, and even sell your photographs via print-on-demand services like Printful.
How to Create a WordPress Website
Setting up WordPress may be a challenge. Even first-timers can establish a gorgeous online shop with WordPress with a little patience and assistance from Bluehost.
The three major stages are as follows:
- Use a web hosting service like Bluehost to set up your WordPress site. To get started, use a WordPress tutorial.
- Select an ecommerce plugin that allows you to sell products online.
- Select a theme (design), then set up your shop and add your items, as well as blog material if desired.
The Drawbacks of Selling Art on WordPress
WordPress allows you to accomplish whatever you can think of, but it has a steep learning curve. You won’t have any problem putting up a WordPress site if you’re tech-savvy. WordPress is not the greatest choice if you want to develop a website quickly.
Shopify was used to create the website for artist Nick Mayer.
With Shopify, you can sell art online.
For small businesses, Shopify is the most popular full-featured ecommerce platform. Selling art online is, after all, a business. Shopify combines display, marketing, online selling, social selling, order administration, and customer follow-up features into one simple platform.
Shopify allows you to open a shop for as little as $29 per month. Each transaction will also cost you 2.9 percent + 30 cents.
Who Is Shopify Appropriate For?
Shopify is an excellent solution for artists who sell in large quantities or who want to do so in the future. Because Shopify is a leading ecommerce platform, it’s jam-packed with features that make online selling a breeze. Installation pieces, mass-market works, bespoke products, print-on-demand commodities, and digital downloads are all simple to sell on Shopify. Shopify also makes selling on Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon a breeze.
How to Create a Shopify Website
To begin, create a free Shopify trial account. Then, using Shopify’s new shop tutorial, you’ll be guided through each step. You’ll have set up everything you need to get started, from collecting payments to shipping methods to your initial product listings, by the conclusion of the course. Find out more about how to sell on Shopify.
The Drawbacks of Selling Art on Shopify
Because Shopify is geared for high-volume sales, it has a higher monthly charge than the other options on our list. However, if you require Shopify’s volume-selling tools, it’s well worth the money. Another minor disadvantage for most artists is that Shopify’s blogging capabilities aren’t compatible with WordPress, although they are enough for basic blogging requirements.
Create your website with the help of a website builder that caters to artists.
Artist-centric website builders are ecommerce systems that are specifically designed for artists. Artist-centric site builders, like the other three website-building alternatives previously discussed, enable a variety of services, such as presenting your work, receiving online purchases, promoting on social media, and blogging.
Here are three well-known artist-focused ecommerce sites:
- FASO: This platform provides a 30-day free trial and monthly rates ranging from $8 to $35. More than 12,000 artists sell their work via FASO websites, according to the organization’s website. FASO also provides marketing assistance, allowing you to reach out to over 39,000 collectors.
- Other People’s Pixels has been helping artists for over ten years. There are two website plans available from Other People’s Pixels. The basic plan is $16 per month, while the multimedia plan is $26 per month. There is a two-week free trial available.
- Artist Run Website: If you’re looking for a simple approach to build an art portfolio and sell your work, Artist Run Website is a good option. There are free 30-day trials available, and yearly subscriptions start at $14.99 per month.
Ecommerce options in artist-centric website builders are often less extensive than ecommerce powerhouses like Shopify, Squarespace, and a self-hosted WordPress site. Artist-centric site builders provide design elements that are targeted to an artist’s specific demands, which is a huge bonus for certain artists. This is one of the reasons why these platforms are becoming more popular.
FASO makes it simple for artists to set up a website and increase their revenues.
For Whom Are Artist-Friendly Website Builders Appropriate?
Artist-centric platforms are created with the goal of assisting artists in selling their work. Each platform has its own set of capabilities for selling and promoting art online. If you’re thinking about doing this, you should look at each platform’s website to determine which one best suits your art marketing and selling requirements.
Creating a Website with an Artist-Friendly Platform
For explicit instructions on how to set up your artist website, go visit FASO, Other People’s Pixels, or Artist Run Website. Keep in mind that all three of these services offer free trials, allowing you to get started without paying any money.
The Drawbacks of Artist-Friendly Website Builders
Each artist-centric website builder has its own set of features. It’s critical to put each choice to the test to guarantee you obtain the creative variety and flexibility you want.
Artist-centric platforms provide the same fundamental selling and marketing options that conventional website builders provide. Artist-focused site builders often lack the quantity of features, flexibility, and integrations seen on platforms like Shopify, Squarespace, and Bluehost-hosted WordPress sites.
Artist Run Website allows artists to create their own websites.
5 More Ways to Sell Art on the Internet
You may sell art online via a number of online markets in addition to your own website. These are huge websites where independent sellers may create an account and post their works for sale in a variety of ways. The advantage is that they do all of the effort to bring in clients so you don’t have to. However, the disadvantage is that you’re just one of many sellers competing for consumers’ funds.
Some, such as art-specific markets, cater to certain art-buying demographics. Others, like as Etsy and Amazon, make your work available to the general public. There are also niche marketplaces where you can sell digital photographs as downloads, as well as print-on-demand sites where you can have your images printed on garments and household products. Don’t underestimate the value of selling on social media platforms such as Facebook and Pinterest.
Other Options for Selling Art on the Internet
When seen as a whole, the table above might seem intimidating. To sell art online effectively, you don’t have to employ all of these ways. The ideal approach to sell your artwork while still having time to produce new artwork is to focus your efforts first on your own website, then on one or two relevant routes.
Now let’s look at all of the several methods you may sell your work to massive internet audiences, such as:
- Online art galleries and markets
- Etsy, Amazon, and eBay are examples of large seller marketplaces.
- Vendors that provide print-on-demand (POD) dropshipping
- Houses that sell digital art
- Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram are examples of social media platforms.
1. Use online marketplaces and galleries to sell your artwork.
Art markets are the internet equivalents of art galleries. Some encourage just certain types of employment, while others allow anybody to publish ads. Like a gallery, most art markets handle the sale for you. The customer puts the purchase online, you send the item and give evidence of delivery, and the marketplace reimburses you after deducting their fee. These charges might range from 5% to 35%.
The purpose of art markets is to sell art. They earn more money if they sell more artwork. Your paintings are exposed to a large audience of paying clients since many are destination sites for serious art buyers.
You could profit from the visibility you gain on these marketplaces in addition to the sales you earn there. Customers may search your name and locate your website, where they may make a purchase, after seeing your listings. In addition, your work is featured alongside those of other notable artists. It’s always pleasant to be surrounded by decent people.
Saatchi Art allows artists to showcase and sell their work to a worldwide audience.
On the internet, there are a number of well-known art markets. As you traverse the internet art scene, you’ll see that there are a slew of smaller, independent galleries that also sell online.
The following are some of the most popular internet markets where artists may sell their work:
- Artfinder: You may post artwork for free on Artfinder, but you’ll have to pay a 30% fee on any purchases. Artfinder is a company that advertises and sells the work of over 9,000 artists in over 100 countries. You mail the work to the consumer after a transaction is finished.
- Artists, galleries, individual collectors, and dealers are all invited to list their work on Artplode. Whether or whether your art sells, you must pay a $60 listing charge for each item posted. There are no hidden fees or charges when you sell your home.
- ArtPal: Create an art gallery and sell your artwork for free with ArtPal. You may sell artwork that you personally mail or offer print-on-demand artwork.
- Art Licensing Show: This website provides companies with access to 36,000 artist pictures for licensing. You can maintain and submit your art licensing portfolio here. You deal directly with your customers and retain 100% of the profits. Create a free account to choose the best hosting package for you.
- This site concentrates on selling art to companies and is called Artwork as a Service. You may rent your artwork here, or make money by selling original artwork or licensing print rights to your artwork. Commissioned projects are also available via Artwork as a Service.
- When you offer your artwork on Saatchi Art, you’re joining a site with over 12 million monthly visits and collectors from more than 80 countries. There are no listing costs, however you will be charged a 35 percent commission on each item sold.
Singulart and Ugallery are two more online markets to look at. To sell their paintings on these platforms, artists must go through a rigorous screening procedure. Not all artists are eligible to have their work included on these websites.
Post your artwork to ArtPal and sell it for free.
2. Use large seller marketplaces to sell your art.
Other options for selling art online include major online markets like Etsy, Amazon, and eBay. These services, like online art galleries, take care of the selling procedure for you. They receive and handle an order’s payment, you ship it and give proof of delivery, and they pay you less a commission.
The commission charges are substantially reduced as compared to art-focused markets. These sites, unlike art markets, do not cater to art-buying consumers.
Etsy is recognized for its artisan-crafted items and draws purchasers who are searching for something different, but not necessarily collectors. Amazon is a terrific place to sell mass-market things in large quantities. eBay is a hybrid of the two. You may rapidly auction or sell a single item or hundreds of similar items there. However, eBay listings need a little more attention than the others. Furthermore, eBay customers are usually seeking for a good offer.
Etsy is a great place to sell art online.
All products sold on Etsy are subject to a 20 cent listing fee, a 5% transaction fee, and a 3% + 25 cent payment processing fee. The Etsy artisan marketplace is a terrific method for artists to get their work in front of millions of buyers each month thanks to its affordable listing and commission rates.
Etsy allows artists to sell any form of artwork.
Amazon is a great place to sell art online.
Because Amazon is the world’s largest online marketplace, you may wish to explore selling paintings there. If you’re delivering a lot of mass-produced items, you can even use Fulfillment by Amazon to handle the shipment (FBA).
You may get your artwork in front of millions of prospective consumers with Amazon, but the costs can be substantial, ranging from 15% to 40% depending on the sort of artwork sold. You’ll also have to pay a 99-cent listing charge each item, as well as referral fees and variable closing costs, for a total of $39.99 every month.
eBay is a great place to sell art.
eBay is another popular consumer location where you can sell single or many things. You may sell art online for a specified price, at an auction, or even take bids, all of which are good possibilities. The first 50 things listed on a monthly basis are free, with extra goods costing 30 cents apiece. All sales will be subject to a 10% commission.
3. Use print-on-demand vendors to sell your artwork.
Print-on-demand art is a common way for artists to make money. Artists, graphic designers, and photographers may submit photographs to be printed on a range of marketable items via print-on-demand (POD) providers.
You may monetise your works on mass-market items as you like with POD merchants. Most suppliers, such as Printful and CGProPrints, integrate directly with ecommerce systems such as Shopify, allowing you to sell your artwork without incurring any upfront production or fees. You’re the one in charge of sales and customer service.
CGProPrints works with Shopify and other ecommerce platforms.
Fine Art America is another excellent POD alternative. This print-on-demand art marketplace promotes your work to millions of people while also handling sales, production, and customer care.
POD, in general, presents practical solutions for you to generate money with your creativity. However, there is a word of caution. Wholesale prices might be rather high, leaving little possibility for profit. The majority of on-demand items are under $50. It’s very uncommon for artists to earn just 10% to 20% profit on each transaction.
“While I feel that working with an on-demand firm is a terrific method to evaluate interest in goods and particular designs without making a large upfront commitment, I don’t believe it is a very practical way to earn money in the long term.” Building an audience and creating items that people desire is a better chance. You may earn a lot more money if you take control of the production process. Every year, for example, we sell out of our calendar. We earned more money selling the calendar this Christmas season than my wife did teaching kindergarten for a whole year. Of course, making your own items entails greater risk, and cultivating an engaged audience is never simple, but it’s the only way to construct a sustainable company.”
—Jason Kotecki, Escape Adulthood’s Chief Creative Guy
4. Use Stock Houses to Sell Your Art
Many speciality markets, often known as stock houses, allow photographers, illustrators, and graphic designers to sell their downloaded works online. Your images may be bought and downloaded for use in a variety of channels, including commercials, websites, and other marketing materials, on these markets, which cater to the commercial user.
Stock agencies sell your photos and pay you a commission depending on how many times they’re used. They do so through enforcing different license agreements, which the customer agrees to upon making a purchase. Because some contracts need acknowledgment, this may also be a great method to get your name out there.
Here are a few prominent stock exchanges to look into:
- Bigstock: You may join up for a free account to sell photographs on Bigstock. Your revenue per download will be determined by the price the consumer pays for the picture, which may vary depending on its size. You may make anywhere from 50 cents to $3 per picture on average, but you can make up to $25 per image if buyers purchase an extended license.
- Envato: On Envato, you may sell a variety of digital assets such as pictures, graphic design elements, website themes, and more. Author fees on Envato vary from 12.5 percent to 37.5 percent.
- Shutterstock has paid out more than $500 million to its contributing artists since 2003. Artists’ revenues per user download often vary from 25 cents to $2.85. Enhanced licensed photographs might earn you anything from $80 to $120.
Bigstock allows artists to sell their photography, drawings, and other creative work.
5. Use social media sites to sell your artwork
It’s possible that selling art on social media is a misnomer. Listing products for sale on social media platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram usually necessitates the use of an ecommerce platform that feeds your listings into these sites and then takes orders and payments.
Many popular online shop systems, such as Shopify, easily interface with Facebook, allowing you to set up a Facebook Store and sell straight to your social media followers. You can also sell through Buyable Pins on Pinterest and Shoppable Posts on Instagram on various platforms. The best part is that the majority of social selling features are free.
Selling Art on Facebook and Instagram using Shopify
A Facebook Shop is available in all Shopify ordinary online store plans at no extra charge. Shopify’s Facebook-only subscriptions start at $9 per month, while Shopify’s web store options start at $29 per month and include social selling.
Setting up a Shopify Facebook Store is simple. Customers may now purchase straight from Instagram posts and stories using Shopify.
BigCommerce for Facebook and Pinterest Art Sales
Another ecommerce platform that allows you to sell directly on social media networks is BigCommerce. You may sell your artwork straight on Pinterest using Buyable Pins or via the store part of your Facebook profile. When bought yearly, BigCommerce plans start at $29.95 per month.
Using the BigCommerce platform, you can sell straight on Facebook and Pinterest.
A Final Word from the Experts on the Market
When selling art online, one of the most crucial things for artists to remember is that bright, lively, and striking pictures are required. You’ll have a hard time selling your artwork online if your photographs don’t adequately depict the beauty of your work.
“One of the most difficult issues we have when selling art online is that art works are typically more lovely in person than in photographs.” At the same hand, it is immoral to make adjustments to photos in order to “beautify” them more while selling art. This is especially true in painting, where you must be very exact with colors, details, and brush strokes.”
—Snazzy Bazaar’s Niam
How to Sell Art Online: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The following are some of the most often asked questions by artists on how to sell art online.
What is the finest website to sell paintings on the internet?
The greatest site to sell art online is determined by the sort of art being sold. The majority of artists sell their work directly via their own websites. Listing artwork on online art markets and galleries, on the other hand, is a popular approach to sell art online if you want to reach a bigger audience.
How can I monetize my artwork on the internet?
While it is possible to make money by selling art online, the amount gained varies widely amongst artists. Fine artists, which include painters, sculptors, and illustrators, make between $21,590 and $102,540 per year, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average annual salary for multimedia artists is $72,520.
What should I charge for my artwork?
The amount you should charge for your artwork is determined by the quality of your work and market demand. It’s wise to perform some market research before pricing your work. See what other artists charge for their work by visiting other online galleries and huge online general markets. For artists just getting started, a reasonable rule of thumb is to price your work between 10% to 25% of comparable artists’ work.
Conclusion
The easiest way for artists to start selling their work online is to create their own website. Artists could consider putting their work on online galleries, general internet markets, and social media to attract a wider audience. Print-on-demand networks and stock companies that sell pictures and other images are also successful for certain artists.
The “best websites to sell art on” is a question that has been asked for over 100 years. The answer is still the same, but there are many new and old websites that have popped up in the last few years.
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