Selling Art Online: A Beginner's Guide

Selling art online can be a great way to share your creativity with a wider audience and even earn some income. With the right tools and strategies, you can showcase your art and connect with potential buyers.

First, you'll need to choose a platform to sell your art on. According to the article, there are many online marketplaces where you can sell your art, including Etsy, Redbubble, and Saatchi Art. These platforms cater to different types of art and have their own fees and requirements.

To get started, you'll need to take high-quality photos of your art. The article suggests using natural light and a tripod to capture clear and well-lit images. This will help your art stand out and make it easier for buyers to appreciate your work.

Your artwork's description is also crucial in selling it online. The article recommends including information about the art's size, medium, and inspiration to give buyers a better understanding of your piece.

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To start selling art online, having a strong presence on social media is key. Gwenn Seemel and Lisa Call both have over 6000 followers on Twitter and active Facebook accounts.

Online conversations can start with a friend of someone who follows you on social media seeing their friend interacting with you. This can lead to them following you and seeing what you're doing.

Interacting with potential buyers over time can lead to them visiting your website. At that point, they might join your mailing list or buy something from you, or reach out to start a conversation.

Having a well-designed website is crucial, as Gwenn's website sold a $4600 commission to Jeannette.

You don't need to show your work in person to sell big pieces, as art consultants have sold several big pieces (over $5000) through online images.

Here are some examples of artists who have successfully sold art online:

Selling art online requires a thoughtful approach to marketing and promotion.

To start, you'll need to create a professional online presence, which can be done through platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, where 71% of online buyers say they discover new products.

Your online portfolio should showcase a variety of your art pieces, including details about each piece, such as the medium used and the price.

Setting up an e-commerce platform like Shopify or WooCommerce is also essential, as it allows customers to easily purchase your art with just a few clicks.

In order to ensure smooth transactions, you'll need to have a secure payment system in place, such as PayPal or Stripe, which can handle online payments with a 95% success rate.

Having a clear and concise sales process will also help you stay organized and efficient, allowing you to focus on creating more art.

By following these steps, you can establish a strong online presence and start selling your art to a wider audience.

People buy artwork for reasons beyond its technical quality. Prof Lieu's experience shows that artwork can be purchased for personal connections, like matching a living room couch.

Not all artists are successful, even if they're talented. A lack of effective marketing can hinder an artist's sales.

It's essential to consider the venues and opportunities for selling art, as Prof Lieu lists in his tips. Some venues have a highly selective screening process, while others are open to anyone.

Sales conversations can start on social media, where artists like Gwenn Seemel and Lisa Call have over 6000 followers on Twitter and active Facebook accounts.

Conversations for artists like Gwenn & Lisa tend to go something like this: a friend of someone who follows you on social media sees their friend interacting with you, they are curious enough to follow you and see what you're doing, after a handful of interactions with you over time, they decide to visit your website, and at that point, they might join your mailing list or buy something from you, or reach out to start a conversation.

For example, Gwenn Seemel's website is where a client named Jeannette first discovered her work, and commissioned a large portrait of herself and her deceased husband for $4600.

Art consultants have also used online images to purchase art, with some artists selling pieces for over $5000 without ever meeting the buyer in person.

Here are some examples of artists who have successfully sold high-priced pieces online:

Selling products online has the potential to earn you a very decent living. It's directly related to how much effort you put in.

Earning a decent living from selling digital products requires huge commitment, sacrifice, and serious hard work. It took a year of proper, dedicated focus on my online business to quit my graphic design work and focus full time on illustrating and selling digital products.

Your earning potential is directly related to how many hours you work, but selling online allows you to scale up without the need for more staff. This means you can create something once and sell it over and over, possibly forever.

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You're not relying on what you can achieve in an hour anymore, you're relying on your product to earn you income long after you created it. This can be a game-changer for your business.

It's becoming increasingly competitive to sell digital products, with customers having more and more choices and being constantly bombarded by really cheap, all-in-one bundles.

The harsh reality is that some buyers will try to take advantage of you. They'll lowball your price, make unreasonable demands, or even back out of the deal at the last minute.

Negotiation tactics like anchoring, where a buyer makes an initial offer that's lower than the asking price, can be particularly tricky to deal with. This tactic can be used to create a false sense of value in the buyer's mind.

It's essential to stay calm and professional when dealing with difficult buyers, even if they're being unreasonable. Remember, you can't control how others behave, but you can control how you respond.

In some cases, buyers may try to use a "good guy, bad guy" approach, where one person pretends to be the decision-maker while the other person is the "expert" who's not sure about the deal. This can be a way to create uncertainty and pressure you into making a concession.

A video walkthrough is a great way to get a feel for what selling art online entails. It can be a bit overwhelming, but breaking it down into smaller sections can make it more manageable.

First, let's talk about setting up. This is where you'll decide on payment options, shop and website setup, and separating sections to keep everything organized. You'll also want to consider shop statistics, invoices, and keywords to help your art get found online.

Setting up your shop and website is crucial, as it's the first impression potential buyers will get of your art. Make sure to separate sections clearly, and consider using a platform that's easy to navigate.

In addition to setting up, you'll also want to think about photographing your work. This is where you'll take high-quality photos of your art, including framing and showing sizes accurately. Consistency in style is key here, as it will help create a strong brand.

Here's a list of some key things to consider when photographing your work:

Accurate photographs will make a big difference in how your art is perceived online. Consider investing in a good camera and learning about lighting and composition to get the best results.

Selling art online requires a lot of organization, from setting up your shop to photographing your work. But with the right tools and knowledge, you can make the process much smoother.

You can set up a payment system on your website using services like PayPal or Stripe, which can be integrated with your website's shopping cart.

For a flat fee, you can list your art on online marketplaces like Etsy or Redbubble, which can help you reach a wider audience.

It's a good idea to have a clear and concise pricing policy, such as offering a fixed price for a piece of art or allowing buyers to negotiate the price.

You can also consider offering discounts or promotions to incentivize sales, such as a 10% discount for first-time buyers or a free shipping deal for orders over a certain amount.

Having a clear and easy-to-use checkout process is crucial to avoid cart abandonment and ensure a smooth sales experience for your customers.

By setting up a payment system and having a clear pricing policy, you can make it easy for customers to buy your art and increase your chances of making a sale.

Online sales platforms have become a game-changer for artists looking to sell their work online. According to a study, over 70% of online art sales are made through online sales platforms.

Etsy is one of the most popular online sales platforms for artists, with over 39 million active buyers. Many artists have reported significant sales and exposure on the platform.

Redbubble is another platform that allows artists to sell their work as prints, home decor, and other products, with over 15 million monthly active users.

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If you're looking to sell your unwanted items, eBay is a great option, with over 183 million active buyers worldwide.

You can also try selling on Facebook Marketplace, where you can reach a large local audience and connect with potential buyers in your community.

Poshmark is another popular platform, specializing in gently used clothing and accessories, with over 5,000 new listings added daily.

Depop is a great choice for artists, makers, and creatives, with a strong focus on community and social interaction.

Amazon is a massive marketplace with over 300 million active customers, making it a great place to sell a wide range of products.

eBay's fees are relatively low, ranging from 8-12.5% per sale, depending on the category and type of listing.

Poshmark takes a flat fee of $2.95 per sale, plus a 20% commission on the sale price.

Depop's fees are 10% on sales under $15, and 5% on sales over $15.

Amazon charges a base fee of $0.99 per sale, plus a variable closing fee that ranges from 8-15% of the sale price.

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Selling online can be a great way to reach a wider audience and sell your artwork, but it's not without its challenges. You have 100% control over every facet of the selling process, including setting prices and what you sell.

Having an online shop can be a good way to earn additional income, as artist Gwenn Seemel has found. She sells artwork through her online shop, including drawings, hand-pulled prints, and sculpture.

The majority of Gwenn's online sales have been in the $30-$200 range, which works well online because most people shopping online aren't ready to spend thousands of dollars on a piece of art. This is also the case for artist Cassy Tully, who has sold a $16,000 piece online.

Gwenn's online shop has allowed her to sell artwork that would otherwise be sitting in a closet collecting dust. She's able to make a profit by selling high volumes of relatively inexpensive pieces.

To get noticed online, you need to do a lot of marketing and promotion. This can be time-consuming, and it's easy to get lost in the crowded online market.

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