How To Sell Art Online – The Complete Guide You Want

Selling art online is every bit as cool as social media makes it seem. The online marketplace is blossoming, taking up a fair share of the global art market. This gives room for individuals to flourish in the art industry. Artists get to create works and sell their art on these sites, most times for more money than they would have ordinarily. It also one surefire route to engaging in e-commerce.

The industry is vast, employing thousands of artists, ranging from artists photographers to those who create original art for home decor or even those who make fine art. As long as you have a skill and want to see your creations in people’s homes, you should go smiling to the bank at the end of every other month. 

Selling art online is not difficult, especially when you learn the ropes. Before you start selling, you need to know what challenges you will be facing in the field. It will also be important to know what platforms offer the best rates and incentives. Thankfully, all of that will be discussed here. 

So if you’re looking to learn how to sell art online successfully, let’s get started!

Where to Sell Art Online

When it comes to how to sell art online, one key area to consider is the places you can sell your art. Everyone knows eBay and Amazon, but there are several other options you can explore when it comes specifically to art. You can sell in an online art marketplace. Again, there are a plethora of them that exist. You can also sell on website platforms such as web stores specifically created to serve the needs of online artists in the art world.

Every online gallery and website discussed here has its unique features. This includes what artists sell, the perks of each space, as well as other considerations. First on the list is Fine Art America. Others will follow accordingly. Here goes:

Fine Art America

Fine Art America is arguably the world’s largest online art marketplace. It offers a wide range of products, such as art prints and have thus become a darling of art lovers. You will find thousands of artists and art collectors on the space. Thus, if you are venturing into the business as a newbie, you will have a wide range of mentors to choose from.

The process of setting up and selling products are quite straightforward. Artists get to upload their works, put the appropriate price tag and create stellar descriptions of the products right from the comfort of their homes. Fine Art America then fulfils any order that comes in.

Saatchi Art

Saatchi Art is also another place you can sell your arts online. The website gets over 12 million visits every month, with a mammoth following on Facebook and Instagram. This provides artists with a global market to advertise and sell any artwork.

To get started on this space, you need to create a profile – that is entirely free of charge. You upload images of your products on to the website afterwards. When you make any sales, you need just package it. Saatchi takes care of the shipping while earning a 35 per cent commission on it.

ArtPal

ArtPal is an online art gallery you ought to consider if you are looking to sell art. You can sell your original artwork personally or use ArtPal’s print-on-demand option.

One great thing about this platform is that there are no membership fees and no limit to the number of artworks you can put up. Artists also get help when they encounter any challenges related to using the platform. The experienced customer care personnel on the space are always on hand to help out any way they can.

Etsy

Etsy is also one of the most popular websites to sell your online art. The platform is open to artists who want to sell original artwork, commissions and paintings, etc. Basically, Etsy is one of those art marketplaces that make room for you whatever your speciality is. You can sign up for free. However, you will need to pay a small fee when you upload any of your products.

Zazzle

Zazzle is one of the most attractive spaces if you are looking to sell art online. This is because it offers a wide range of products and thus provides a market for any artist.

Sign up on Zazzle is free. However, your sales will have to be above their markup price to make a good enough profit. You can decide to integrate your account with any social media platform to reach a wider audience.

Tips for How to Sell Art Online

First off, it’d be great to point out that it isn’t all of these tips that would work for you –nor would they be necessary, even. Different artists have different approaches to their work. Thus, some of the tips will be helpful to you, while some others may not. In all, it is important to learn them from the start. If you are going into art marketing or are looking to open a gallery to sell your art, here are a few things to note. 

Choose a Niche

The first thing you need to know when you set out to sell art is that the field is quite vast. Art is taking up such a huge space in the online marketplace, causing e-commerce to thrive. Therefore, you will find that the different forms of art, what is even considered art, has changed over the years. For instance, specific artworks are considered ideal for use in home decor, and others less eclectic and hence considered appropriate for demure settings such as an office. 

If you are not making your own art and still want to sell online art, you could either go with reprints or digital downloads. For reprints, you will be selling the works of others. Basically, you will be the middleman. You curate different works of art from different artists and then sell them to end-users. Typically, in this case, your popularity on social media comes into play. Basically, to sell art online, you need online visibility. However, for someone looking to sell others’ works, you need the credibility that a large online following brings. 

Finally, you may also want to consider digital downloads. A lot of folks find this preferable because of its reduced costs. Here, you won’t have to bother about shipping costs or any other incidental expenses involved in transporting the art products.

Do bear in mind that the starting point in learning to sell your art online is deciding your products. 

Showcase Properly

Here’s a secret: your artwork is only as remarkable as you make it appear. If you’ve seen online art like the ones you see on Fine Art America, you must have noticed how great the descriptions are. Artists go out of their ways to make sure their products reflect the hard work they put in. You may even be surprised that some of these beautifully described artworks do not come close to the quality of yours. It all comes down to one thing: proper showcasing. 

If you intend to sell art online, you need to master the art of writing great descriptions. Also, tag your art properly. This is one reason why you need to understand your art better. If you want to sell your art to a select niche, you should make sure that your products fit. If possible, categories your works by years or periods, etc.

Leverage Social Media

Social media is one of the sales tools that will certainly not get outdated any time soon. Generally, asides from the fact that you are looking to start selling fine art, the fact that you are engaged in e-commerce means that you cannot disregard social media. Social media introduces you to the art market. You get to connect with your customers on a one-on-one basis. You get to know them, understand their peculiarities, and serve them better. You also get to connect with other artists like you. You cannot underestimate the help a community of artists can make available for you. You could learn anything from the best art gallery to use to even the best framing options to consider. It is also great that you have several options to choose from. To make sure your online art gets to as many people as possible, utilize social media. 

Get Your Pricing Right

No matter how many art lovers you have in your corner, if you aren’t making sales, there is no point to it. However, making sales depends on the price you put on the work. Imagine it to be a little like walking a tightrope. A misstep and you (and your work) come crashing down. Thus, you need to master how to place the right price tag on your products. 

What is the correct amount to sell your art? Artists consider some factors when looking to sell their art. To get started, you need to factor in whether it is an original artwork or not. Also, factor in your experience in the field as well as your niche. Your target customers should also be a top priority for you. You certainly can’t be making products for college students and expect them to pay thousands of dollars.

The idea is to strike a balance so that your work is neither too exorbitant nor too cheap. As an incentive, you could consider allowing payments by installments. Maybe the customer pays in some money every month. You could also institute a money-back guarantee period. This is a window within which the customer could return the piece of art and request a refund. 

Keep Up with the Industry

The art industry is ever-evolving. Different kinds of original art are created periodically. Also, what is considered appropriate and acceptable keep changing by the day. You must make sure that you keep up with the news in your space. This way, you will be in the know if anything pops up. It would certainly be a shame if your client asked you about a specific kind of art, and you are stumped for an answer simply because you haven’t been keeping up with the news in the art space.

Of all the tips discussed above, the most important is starting. As stated at the beginning, some of these tips would work for you while others will not. However, what is certain is that you cannot make any headway except you start. It might be scary, start anyway. It is possible that you do not know enough about how to sell your art; start anyway. You could make a few mistakes while starting out; just continue still. If you keep at it, you will come to experience the benefits in a short while.