Selling your art online

[Sora]

Hey. I'm new to this forum, so I'm not completely sure which questions go into which category. Do excuse me if I make any slips!

For many months now I have been thinking of putting my art work for sale over the internet, but I'm not very sure how to go about it. I don't wish to start a full fledged business yet, and would like to begin with minimal investment, just to see if there are takers for my kind of paintings.

Do you think the common populace still buy art? Any ideas on which site I should begin, or how I should go about it? I'm not a resident of USA so platforms like Etsy are unavailable to me. I thought of starting by showcasing portfolios in a blog and promoting it through social media. Would that be a logical start? Or are there any better alternatives? Any suggestion would be greatly welcomed!

 

[Vinaya.Ghimire]

If you have set high price for your art, I don't think you can sell it online. You must first build reputation. However you can sell low priced art or art prints online. A site that I can recommend you is called Fine Art America. It is free to join, you can create your portfolio for free and earn good commission from art or art print sales.

 

[remnant]

Welcome to the forum. I hope you will learn the ropes as you get acquainted with the forum. When it comes to selling artwork, attractive pieces will definitely attract customers. I would recommend that you sell them online on the site called Etsy and Olx.

 

[djentre]

Start using instagram and dominate it! Don't wait for any other idea, just do this one thing. Instagram is exploding and is exactly what a person like you need. Build a fan following first. Then, when you tell people about your art being on sale, they will buy it. Very simple.

 

[dyanmarie25]

Hello there, @Sora! Welcome to the forum. It's great to have you here. I really think making a blog portfolio showcasing your artworks is a good idea. You can also make use of other platforms such as ArtPal, Vango, and Deviant Art. All the best!

 

[setupdisc]

I would probably lead in with Fine Art America or Deviant Art, and then have people redirect to your main web site where you show the other items you want to sell. Be sure to make paypal and bitcoin payment options so that you can have the ease of use with paypal from anywhere, but can still get sales from anywhere in the world unrestricted that you deliver your art to digitally or physically.

 

[Sora]

Start using instagram and dominate it! Don't wait for any other idea, just do this one thing. Instagram is exploding and is exactly what a person like you need. Build a fan following first. Then, when you tell people about your art being on sale, they will buy it. Very simple.

Of course! Why didn't I think of this! Yes, this could be a really good option. I have seen budding writers accumulate a large fan following and then selling their work eventually. Thanks a ton for the suggestion @djentre !

 

[Sora]

@dyanmarie25 Thanks a ton. I will have a look at those sites soon. Deviant Art has been on my mind, though I hadn't heard about the other two. Do you know if they are available to Asian countries?

@Vinaya.Ghimire Not a high price at all! Though I have been drawing and painting for many years now, it is only recently that I thought of trying my hand at selling them. I realize that a high price tag will act as a "turn off" for even art loving people. I'm planning to set mine very low, especially at the beginning to see if anyone wishes to buy them at all!

 

[onlinecashcity]

What kind of art? Definitely use instagram to generate interest.

If it's physical painting/drawing, use Etsy. Few of my friends make candles and homemade stuff on there and sell it. For digital stuff, try DeviantArt.

That's about all the knowledge I have, but people are doing it so decent research should help you!

 

[Sora]

What kind of art? Definitely use instagram to generate interest.

If it's physical painting/drawing, use Etsy. Few of my friends make candles and homemade stuff on there and sell it. For digital stuff, try DeviantArt.

That's about all the knowledge I have, but people are doing it so decent research should help you!

Yup, physical art, mostly acrylic or oil on canvas and a few water colour paintings as well. I don't live in the US and Etsy isn't available where I come from, so I'm looking at a few other options that many have suggested here. I'm considering DevaintArt, and a couple of other places I've narrowed down from my research. Thanks for the heads up on Instagram.

 

[FreelancingQueen]

I would use all the social media resources I could find to advertise your artwork. Even Twitter and Facebook would be great for getting the word out to the public about what you have available for sale. Once you have made some sales, ask the buyers to post reviews of the products they bought from you on the same social media sites you are selling your artwork on. Before long, you may be able to set up your own website to link to your social media pages and reel in even more customers.

 

[harpazo22]

Etsy is a great place to start. I've seen people sell quite a bit on there with their creative art. I know a guy that my husband works with that makes picture frames by hand out of wood and also takes photographs of the beautiful mountains of Colorado where we live, and sells them for $700. So anyone can be successful if you have a good idea. Wishing you the best!

 

[bria1]

If I were you I would utilize the many fantastic social media sites. Build a fan base using these great free sites. You can show your pieces just like you are advertising them. I would even say get a blog about your art and post to your social media feeds. This is a free way to gain followers/friends..who turn into customers.

 

[MeshBean]

Hey. I'm new to this forum, so I'm not completely sure which questions go into which category. Do excuse me if I make any slips!

For many months now I have been thinking of putting my art work for sale over the internet, but I'm not very sure how to go about it. I don't wish to start a full fledged business yet, and would like to begin with minimal investment, just to see if there are takers for my kind of paintings.

Do you think the common populace still buy art? Any ideas on which site I should begin, or how I should go about it? I'm not a resident of USA so platforms like Etsy are unavailable to me. I thought of starting by showcasing portfolios in a blog and promoting it through social media. Would that be a logical start? Or are there any better alternatives? Any suggestion would be greatly welcomed!

Welcome to the forum!
@Sora I would create an attractive page in Facebook just for this purpose and try to sell it there( you also can use your own network e.i.ask your friends in Facebook by sending them a fb link ) , Create a customize Instagram page for promoting this. Also I would use Pinterest.

I am not sure if you can use Kijiji,etc to sell your product.

 

[Stacie Woodland]

Hi @Sora! How has your art been going? Did you find one successful method to sell or have you been doing a mix of many methods?

I know you've been selling physical art, but have you considered selling your most popular pieces as prints on notebooks or apparel? I know many artists use RedBubble and sites like it to promote their art on multiple types of media. I have been looking at it for my own business (just logos and such), and it has been simple to set up!

 

[digitalmoneypro]

Hey. I'm new to this forum, so I'm not completely sure which questions go into which category. Do excuse me if I make any slips!

For many months now I have been thinking of putting my art work for sale over the internet, but I'm not very sure how to go about it. I don't wish to start a full fledged business yet, and would like to begin with minimal investment, just to see if there are takers for my kind of paintings.

Do you think the common populace still buy art? Any ideas on which site I should begin, or how I should go about it? I'm not a resident of USA so platforms like Etsy are unavailable to me. I thought of starting by showcasing portfolios in a blog and promoting it through social media. Would that be a logical start? Or are there any better alternatives? Any suggestion would be greatly welcomed!

It is very difficult to be an artist period. But the internet has allowed you many new avenues to capitalize on your craft. The best suggestion is to create a narrative and become more personable with your work. This way your audience and soon to be potential customers will feel a stronger connection to you and your art brand.

 

[Gin]

I had read in another site, please don't ask, there's an App for art sellers linked to a website, for artists. Never undersell your art, just find a competitive range and raise as your reputation grows. Some people view high price as acceptable too. Do your research is the best start. Good luck!

 

[Suman Verma]

Selling online is not a new concept for sure. You just simply contact the website/ecommerce site where you want to sell your art piece.
I think after that the site will let you know how to proceed as this process might vary business to business.

 

[Alla Taff]

Art is different, you need to be able to properly present and sell it.

 

[okanda]

Try to sell on social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Youtube. Create some good posts to get people and the doors will open in many ways to sell your Arts.