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Best Sites For Selling Your Art

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As time goes by we are increasingly moving into a more digitalized environment, and the art world is no exception to this rule, unfortunately. This can be a good or bad thing depending on how you made your art sales before.

Auction houses and private sales are moving online, and even galleries are seeing more than half of their sales happen via websites in some cases. This trend shows no sign of slowing, and online sales are increasing year after year.

Whether you sell reproduced prints, high priced paintings, or you like to see your art printed on apparel, there’s guaranteed to be the perfect place available for you to sell your work online. But, with so many options out there, it’s important to find the right websites for your brand. Here is a list of the 10 best websites to sell your art online. They are not in any particular order. 

9. Artplode

Created in 2014, this site is designed for galleries and art dealers to buy and sell, as well as for artists and private customers. With an estimated inventory of over $10 million currently for sale, you’ll face stiff competition but you’ll be reaching a network of potential buyers from over 40 countries around the world.

Artplode lists all kinds of artwork, from sculptures and paintings to photography and digital art, and they require a $60 flat fee per listing rather than a commission when the piece is sold. So, as long as you manage to sell your artwork, this is a great deal. You can also choose whether you’re happy to cover the cost of shipping on your sold pieces, or pass it on to your customers.

And, if you’re new to the world of art selling, Artplode can match you with a specialist art consultant who will ensure that you’re targeting the right market and selling your piece for the correct price.

8. Shopify

If you already have a strong following, you may just want to sell directly from your own website instead of via a third party vendor. Shopify is a great choice for e-commerce software, and is flexible and easy to use. It can also be fully integrated into your website, so customers won’t be able to tell that you’re using Shopify CMS.

There’s no limit on the number of products you can list on your site, so you can start small and (hopefully) expand year on year.

There are currently over 600,000 businesses using Shopify technology, and over 1 million active users resulting in a total of $55 billion in sales, so you know you’re in experienced hands with this software.

7. Artfinder

With offices in London and Miami, Artfinder displays work from over 10,000 artists in over 100 countries. Every one of the 400,000 pieces of art is original, and there are no posters or reproduction prints allowed. In terms of the mediums they’ll accept, a broad range is covered, including collage, printmaking and digital art.

This site, which was founded in 2011, is fairly exclusive, and there is a selection process before you are allowed to join. Simply submit your best work and a supporting statement, and if you’re accepted you can set up your online shop. If you get in, you’ll love the company’s focus on authenticity and community.

Artfinder goes by the ethos that buying and selling art doesn’t have to be a pompous affair, and they deliver a truly refreshing take on the art market.

6. Saatchi Art

Having the opportunity to sell your art on a website under one of the biggest names in the art world might seem like an impossible feat, but it absolutely isn’t. The site was founded by Charles Saatchi’s company, and although they sold it in 2014, it still bears the name and the accompanying credibility.

Their audience is huge, and they have over 1 million followers on social media. Add to that another 1 million people that receive their printed catalogue, and you’ve got a lot of potential eyes on you creations.

You can set up a shop for free on the site and can list originals and prints. Pieces listed on the site range from artwork under $500 to one off pieces priced at over $10,000. The downside is that Saatchi Art will take a pretty significant 35% cut of your sale, but they will arrange a courier to collect your piece and will ship it for you in return for the fee. 

5. Artnet

Artnet markets itself as a modern way to collect contemporary art, so if you work in that field then this site might be for you. Artnet was founded in 1989 with a mission to improve communication between buyers and sellers of art, and they added their online services in 2008. The company now has the largest database of art sales, so this is a must have resource for serious artists who want to sell their work for a serious price.

Art can be put up for auction on the site with guide prices, for a fresh take on the classic auction house vibe. Potential buyers can also contact dealers and galleries directly, which creates a more human experience than some of the other sites on our list.

Artnet also provides useful additional paid services such as the Price Database, which is a fantastic art market research tool that lists prices for over 1,700 auctions dating back to 1985. This is designed to help sellers and buyers determine the worth of art, so you can ensure your pricing is on point.

4. Amazon

You probably haven’t considered Amazon for art selling, since that’s not what it’s predominantly known for. But, since the world’s biggest e-commerce site opened its Amazon Art section in 2013, it’s a legitimate way for artists to get their work out there.

The guest curators give the site more of a gallery feel, and the homepage is helpfully sectioned up into several searchable categories including the main color and medium.

If you want to sell on Amazon Art there is a preapproval process, and it’s worth noting that only certain mediums are permitted to be sold. 3D art is prohibited, so sculptors will need to find an alternative method of selling their art.

It costs $39.99 per month for your online shop and there are additional selling fees, but the reach of this retail giant is unparalleled so you can potentially make a lot of sales from their site.

3. Society6

If you’re looking to see your artwork printed on lots of different products, Society6 is one of the easiest ways to do so.

You can set your own royalties on art prints and canvases, so you decide how much money you make on top of the flat selling price that’s provided by Society6. For any other items, they set the profit, which can range from $1.50 up to $13.90.

Your items can also be selected to feature in the site’s main shop, which means that customers have more chance of discovering your designs without searching specifically for your shop. Order fulfilment is all covered by the site, so you don’t need to worry about dealing with customer service which is great if you’re a hobbyist and don’t want that hassle.

Some big artists choose to use Society6, including Andreas Lie and Evie Seo, which gives the site real credibility. It also means you’ll be facing some stiff competition, so it’s probably worth listing your art on several sites until you start growing your own following here.

2. Redbubble

This Australian company was founded in 2006 and is another print on demand service like Society6. The free online marketplace connects artists with an international client base via an incredibly simple to use website. As well as printing your artwork on a huge range of products, you can also create reproduction pieces which is great if you want to keep hold of your original artwork for the time being (or sell it on another site in our list).

You can set your own profit margins on your sales, so you can decide how much you make. The average margin is 17%, but you can increase or decrease that according to factors like the time of year and the traffic your product pages are receiving. Like Society6, Redbubble covers payment, printing and delivery, so it’s completely hassle free for you. In-depth traffic analytics are great for artists who are running their shops as a business rather than a hobby, but you can use this tool as much or as little as you want to.

1. ArtFire

Similar to Etsy, this staple art selling site has been operating for around ten years and has almost 300,000 unique monthly visitors.

ArtFire is designed to take the hassle out of building a selling website, and the site is incredibly easy add your products to. They also have great customer service, should you be new to selling and need some assistance. They also put emphasis on creating connections with other artists so that you can learn and share skills with other people working in your field, which is especially handy if you’re new to the art selling world.

SEO is taken care of too, and ArtFire ensures that your creations are shared to all the major search engines. They take care of the API’s, and every shop on their site is designed to rank well so you can focus on creating more art instead of trying to work out how to get it seen. If you open a standard shop you’ll pay $4.95 per month and 23 cents per listing, but there are other packages designed for larger and busier online stores, so the site will grow with you.

Wrapping it up

With so many online selling options available to artists, there’s never been a better time to get your art out there. The easiest would be to set up shop in Shopify but at the same time the biggest traffic is Amazons. Whatever you do Society6 is a solid choice.  What is your favorite place to sell your art? Let us know in the comments.

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