If you are an artist, you are likely familiar with the struggle of selling your work. There is so much competition nowadays, particularly in online settings.
It can be tricky to figure out where you can sell your art online to turn a profit, especially with such a vast and extensive market available on the internet.
Keep on reading to learn more about a few places you can sell your art online. With these locations, you should be able to start making a profit by using your incredible talent.
It shouldn’t be hard for you to make a living with the skills that you have mastered. These websites will make everything that once seemed impossible possible.
How Do I Start Selling My Paintings?
If you have never sold paintings before, you might be a little overwhelmed with the idea of beginning the process. It can seem impossible to get your pieces online, ready for selling.
It can even seem impossible to figure out a location to get people to consider your creation for purchase.
There are a few steps that you should take before listing your piece online for the whole world to see. These include:
- Networking: Networking is vital when selling art. The more people you know, the more likely you will get professionals to know about your art. Intrigue is vital.
- Showing off: You should post your art on social media and build a solid following before you start to sell. This step means starting Instagram and Twitter account specifically for your art, drawing in people with your unique designs.
- Doing commissions: Commissions are pieces that people request from you. They might be free of charge at the beginning. But you can raise your prices as your reputation grows. This process can help set your costs when you sell online.
- Finding a site that works: Next, you should find a website that will work best for your art. We will talk about these items next.
All of these will help you to get started in the art world before you post anything online.
Once you have a fanbase, selecting an online place to sell your work is vital. We will go over a few of the best locations next. You can make a choice based on your personal preferences or the style of art that you sell.
Like the creative process, this is all up to you. Selling your art is a huge move. By using one of these sites, you should have no trouble getting started.
15 Places to Sell Your Art Online
Now, we will go over fifteen locations that you can sell your art online. There are many options, no matter what style of paintings that you create. You can learn all about these items and see if there are any that will work for you.
If you do not find anything that you like here, there are plenty of other options online. Hopefully, however, you will find something beneficial for your art after you finish reading this. You should have a way to make a living from the things that you love to create.
Etsy
Etsy is a platform that has existed for a long time. Almost everybody knows about it. The site is full of all types of creations, from clothes to earrings to stories.
Selling your art will work perfectly on this site. Though it is a very saturated place, Etsy is a reputable place to sell if you can establish a solid platform.
To get started on Etsy, all you need to do is:
- Set up an account by putting in some personal and financial information
- Specify the services that you offer and types of art that you sell
- Pick what you want to sell and set it off to the side
- Advertise your items to the public, writing accurate and intriguing descriptions
- Ship your pieces out, choosing whether they pay for the shipping or you
Soon, your art will be hanging in someone’s home, and you will have cash in your pocket.
Etsy is a well-known and trusted platform. It’s the first place that many consumers go when they are on the lookout for something new.
However, that isn’t appealing to every artist. We’ll go over some other options in case this one does not work for you.
Society6
Society6 is unique because it allows you to take your print and transform it into many items. A painting of a landscape can become a mug, clock, and even a poster.
Society6 is frequented by those who are on the lookout for bedroom décor. College students use the site for dorm decorations, so art that appeals to the young will succeed here.
To get started on Society6, you will need to:
- Create a working account on the Society6 website
- Put in personal and financial info
- Upload your pieces to the site using quality images
- Activate the products so that the site can transform them into other products
Once these are done, people will be able to buy your stuff without trouble.
If you have always desired to see your artwork in formats besides a painting, Society6 is the site for you. Select this if you want a simple and easy way to transform your pieces. This site has been around for a long time, so you can feel secure using it and allowing the site to shift the artworks that you upload.
Fine Art America
The next option on this list is FineArtAmerica. This site is a large marketplace, existing solely online and resembling a classic gallery in appearance.
Here, you can sell prints of your original pieces. Like Society6, they also offer the option to transform the works into iPhone cases and greeting cards. It’s classy customization.
To start the selling process on FineArtAmerica, you should:
- Create an account with personal and financial information
- Upload pictures of your pieces onto the site
- Select the items that you want to feature on your page
- Pick the prices that you want others to pay for your work
All of these will permit you to sell your original pieces directly on FineArtAmerica.
FineArtAmerica is an excellent choice for those who want to sell the items that they create. It is critical to note that this site has a few fees depending on what you are selling.
However, these will not have a detrimental impact on your overall experience. It is an excellent site.
Amazon
Everybody has heard of Amazon. This massive platform has taken over the world in recent years, dominating the market with its ease of access and fast shipping.
Though it is not an art-dedicated site, it is still an excellent platform that reaches a massive audience with minimal effort. Believe it or not, you can also sell your art on Amazon with a few simple steps.
To sell art on Amazon, you will need to:
- Get approved through the site after submitting the required information
- Pay a fee per sale, often around ninety-nine cents
- Post images and descriptions of your pieces
- Ship the art to the buyer that invested in the work
These steps will allow you to complete a sale on Amazon without any trouble.
With Amazon, you will need to use social media and a few advertisements to get consumers to click on your page. You’ll be a little fish in a big pond.
However, if you succeed, you will make it big. Amazon is an excellent site, and many are already familiar with its structure.
eBay
eBay is a lot like Amazon in that it has been around for a very long time. Since the early 2000s, people have been using this site to buy and sell a million different items.
These things can include art. From this site, people can bid on the piece. You can watch as the price goes up, giving the sale to the highest bidder or selling for a flat fee.
To get started on eBay, you should do the following:
- Create a free account on the eBay website
- Take quality and effective pictures of your pieces
- Clarify what you are selling and set a price
- Sell to the highest bidder
These items will permit you to make a profit on eBay.
With this site, you need to make sure you are not being fooled by scammers. Sometimes, fakers will bid a high price on a piece and pull it out at the last minute.
When this happens, you have to start all over again. Avoid this by being reasonable. If a price is massive, it’s probably too good to be true. Be smart with your selling decisions.
Shopify
Shopify is not a site tailored directly to art. Its central function is to help any business get started. As an artist, you are starting a small business of your own for the creations that you have made.
Your site can be made beautiful in a few simple steps. This platform will draw people to purchase what you are selling.
To sell on Shopify, you should:
- Create an account on the Shopify website
- Pay the first monthly subscription fee, typically about $29 for the basic platform
- Create your site and advertise to your audience
- Ship the pieces to the buyers
These steps will give you your very own site to work with as an artist.
By using Shopify, you will need to do everything on your own. Shopify takes the selling process and puts it in your own hands.
You will be responsible for everything, so if this sounds like too much work, you should pick a different online source to post your items on for selling.
TurningArt
TurningArt is unlike any of the sites that we have discussed on this list. Rather than dealing with individual buyers, TurningArt provides pieces to buildings they can display on their walls.
This purchase happens through leasing, sales, and even commissions. The owner of the building or space decides what they want.
To make an account, a new user should:
- Make a free account on the TurningArt website
- Advertise pieces to potential consumers
- Grow who they are on the platform
These steps will permit you to advertise your talent on TurningArt.
Typically, this kind of art is more professional than the other places. There is a chance that you will be working for a large corporation rather than yourself.
Those looking to expand their painting into an actual career might enjoy the opportunities and professional strategies that TurningArt lays out for them.
Casetify
Casetify is a site that specializes in customized phone cases. Artists that specialize in patterns and characters will have a fun time advertising their pieces here. This platform allows for a sustainable design that many people can use, no matter where they are.
You can begin your journey on Casetify by:
- Creating an account on the platform for free
- Uploading your designs to the Casetify website
That’s it. It’s that simple to earn money on Casetify as an artist.
Casetify does not steal your rights. You will still have full ownership of your design, even after being posted on the website. A profit will be in your pocket, and you will make many people very happy by putting your art out into the world for their use.
Redbubble
RedBubble is another fantastic platform that has been around for a long time. They support only original pieces, so anything stolen from another site will not be sold on the website.
This restriction is excellent for creators of all kinds. RedBubble has been around for a long time, so many know that it is a trustworthy site.
To get started on RedBubble, you should:
- Make a free account on the Redbubble website
- Upload designs to your shop so all can see
- Bring in income that you can use to support yourself
These simple methods allow you to become a seller on RedBubble instantly.
You don’t need to worry about the shipping or handling with RedBubble. All you need to do is create the art, post it, and you can earn profit from your bedroom.
Some of the most popular items that people buy on RedBubble are stickers and t-shirts. It would help if you were tailoring your work to a younger audience with this site.
UGallery
UGallery is ideal if you aspire to be an artist that works with pieces exhibited in fine art museums. On UGallery, artists worldwide sell items such as sculptures, prints, and even photos that are curated meticulously and intentionally.
All of the art comes from mid-level artists in their careers, so it’s excellent for those starting.
To begin your career on UGallery, you should:
- Submit copies of your pieces with an application, a fee, and an artist statement
- Wait to see if you have been approved by the site
- Post your items to the website for viewing
- Make the first sale to a consumer and ship the product to them
These will allow you to become a selling artist on UGallery.
When you sell something, this site takes half of the funds that you make. UGallery sends a custom box to you when this is done.
They will take care of the costs when shipping and packaging the item, so all you need to do is make sure it is packaged safely and get it out to the buyer.
ArtPal
ArtPal is not a massive site, but it has enough of a following that you can be a successful seller on this platform. It’s unique because those who use the website can sell their pieces in the format they wish.
Or they can turn the art into prints. They can also select to sell both at the same time.
To get started on ArtPal, you will need to:
- Create a free membership on the ArtPal website
- Set up your profile and financial information
- Post your art or transform it into prints
- Create a free gallery to sell your pieces
All of these steps will permit you to sell your creations on ArtPal.
This site does not charge any membership fees. Almost all of its services are free for artists to use. You can get your pieces to stand out by defining your target audience and tailoring your work to them.
Email lists can also permit beginning artists on ArtPal to start making a profit from the things they make.
Zazzle
Zazzle embraces the print platform, allowing artists to turn their pieces into items that can be purchased. Many people use this site to invest in decorations, just like Society6. If you sell here, you will need to tailor your pieces to a younger audience for maximum profit.
To get started on Zazzle, you should:
- Create an account with personal and financial information
- Upload your pieces to the site
- Select the products you want to sell to consumers
- Advertise them on the site so that customers can see them
These simple actions will allow you to become a professional seller on Zazzle and earn from what you do.
When you sell items, you are allowed to set your royalty rate on the marketplace. This means that it can be anywhere from 5%-99%. You need to be strategic about this to not drive customers away with a massive cost.
It would help if you were smart about what you do to make the most of your craft.
CafePress
CafePress is great for selling merchandise. You can put your art on anything, including tote bags, water bottles, and even t-shirts. CafePress allows for a wide range of creativity that businesses and individuals alike can embrace.
It has been around for a long time, so you know it is a trustworthy place to buy from as an artist.
You can get started on CafePress by:
- Creating a free account on CafePress
- Uploading your design to the website
- Choosing the products that you want to sell to consumers
You will be supported and protected by selling your items on CafePress.
CafePress does charge a commission on sales, but you will still get a profit from your art. Everything happens securely, and they have an excellent support team if you run into any issues along the way.
Imagekind
Imagekind is another site that capitalizes off of wall art. You can make an original piece, and they will transform it into something that a buyer can display in their home or place of business.
Imagekind supports all styles, so you don’t need to worry about the form you create.
You can get started on ImageKind by:
- Creating an account
- Adding in personal and financial information
- Uploading your pieces to the website
- Posting them on your account
- Setting your commission
After following these, you will be able to sell your items on this site.
ImageKind works best when you use marketing tactics on the side. The more support you have, the more you are going to sell.
Many people flock to this site to search for décor that is going to go in their homes. You have the potential to turn a profit with ImageKind.
Saatchi Art
Saatchi Art is the last site on this list, but it is certainly not the least by a long shot. Many have not heard of this site before.
If you are an artist that wants to sell your pieces online, you should know more about this unique advertising platform. It has a massive market of individuals that use it every single year.
To become a seller on Saatchi Art, you will need to:
- Create a profile with personal and financial information
- Take quality pictures of the pieces you have created
- Upload the images to the site for all to see
- Package and ship the art to the person who invested in it
These steps will permit you to take advantage of Saatchi Art.
When selling on this site, you only need to package the piece. Saatchi takes a 35% commission, but they also handle any of the shipping that takes place. Saatchi makes selling art simple and easy for any artist to do, beginner or expert.
Sources:
https://artprof.org/pro-development/how-to-sell-your-art-online/
https://www.savethestudent.org/make-money/ways-to-sell-art-online.html
https://www.domestika.org/en/blog/5410-7-websites-to-sell-your-art-online