SELLING YOUR ART ONLINE
A breakdown of online marketplaces and art sale platforms
Did you know that up to 50 percent of recent purchases of artwork by collectors have come from online selling channels and e-marketplaces? A recent survey reported this high percentage of sales coming from art sales platforms and social media sites. It used to be that clients were hesitant to purchase fine art from a website, not being able to trust the artist who is selling, nor having the technology to properly view the work. Today’s art market has come a long way, with over 200 successful online platforms through which to shop and purchase art. A few months ago, I wrote an overview on selling your own work and the different online channels one can use. In this Art Industry Insider, I will offer more information on a few of the most popular art browsing and selling sites.
The combination of having a brick-andmortar gallery, a strong online sales presence and a booth at one of the top fine art fairs, is still the ultimate recipe for success. Top galleries that have large budgets can touch all of these markets. However for the fine artist, working from home with a minimum budget, this is simply not feasible. With many artists now selling their own work directly to clients, having an online art sales platform, in addition to your own website, is more and more important for reaching new collectors.
The sites work by charging you a monthly fee, anywhere between $20 to $100, and may also take a percentage of the sale. Sometimes there are no monthly fees, and the sales percentage is higher. Be sure to read all the fine details before signing up for any of these sites as their percentage will take anywhere from 15 to 40 percent. Each platform and their software allows you to assign tags to your work to help the collector when searching for a specific artwork. You can put your work into categories that will then be tagged with those codes, so it will come up more easily for collectors in their web searches. Shipping varies from site to site. Some will come and pick up the work and do the shipping, and with others you will be handling the shipping yourself. Most require you to complete an application.
If accepted, you will need to spend time photographing all of your work and organizing the information including the title, size, price, dimensions and year created. You will upload all of the images and information one at a time into the inventory of the site. Make sure that you read through all the paperwork as well as talk to an online consultant from the company to make sure you understand all the rules. Who will ship, and what percentage will they take? Let’s
look further into a few of them, and just remember, there is never any guarantee of sales through any of these sites.
Many of you have heard of Artsy.net, which was a venture capital-funded start-up that has strong technology behind it and has gained a great deal of popularity and press. However, this is an invitation-only site and is for vetted longtime galleries. Artnet.com is also one of the most talked about and is a respected international site to sell, buy and research art, but is also only for galleries or existing famous artists.
Another is 1stdibs.com, which has become more popular these days and is available for use by artists, interior designers and more. It has a nice shopping type feel for collectors to browse. Since it includes fine antiques, contemporary paintings, jewels and the like, there’s a chance you might be able to attract a new type of client to your work. Clients may hop on, looking for a vintage ring, and then decide to look at landscape paintings. The art is divided up into genres, as most sites are. There are more than 6,000 sellers and galleries in this global e-commerce platform with over four million in sales last year. They have excellent data to help you find out who is buying your work and which ones. You can have conversations with your buyers. You must apply to be a part of it, become accepted and agree to the terms. You must show you are a professional artist and usually must have a strong working website where you can manage orders from your phone. You must first tell them what kind of business you are, what you are selling, etc., then they will reply with the percentage fees they will take, and if there are any monthly costs. All in all, 1stdibs.com is a very professional site and quite successful.
Saatchiart.com on the other hand, is geared directly towards artists and has been around for a long time, making it trustworthy. This is a good choice for beginning or mid-career artists who are having a hard time finding a gallery but want their work to be seen and to have a selling platform. Saatchi has a nice how-to section that walks you through everything from photographing your work, to loading it up, to sales. The art ranges from hobby art to contemporary masters and can be divided into various subjects and styles, which makes it easy for collectors to shop. Prices usually range from $250 to $10,000, making it a great solution for mid-range artists. Note however, that this is like having a gallery, with a big 40 percent take from their side on sales, and 60 percent to you, the artist. If you want to reach collectors, this is a great way to do so—but do keep in mind, the cut is similar to a gallery. This company also offers online advisors for beginning collectors. Additionally, they have a print on-demand service, where you can agree to have your work offered as a print and framed, then sold.
Artfinder.com also does a good job supporting artists, successfully connecting them with potential buyers. Boasting more than 450,000 buyers, the site only accepts original handmade art. If you apply with original art, you can later sell limited prints. This is another good place for beginning or mid-career artists that need a gallery-like showroom. Some 8 by 10" pieces are just $100 to $250 on this site, helping certain buyers feel like they can afford art. It might be smart to keep your prices low to start, then raise slowly. This company takes a 35 to 42 percent commission on sales, which covers marketing, free return of items, etc. The starter package has no monthly charge but takes 42 percent of sales. For an artist wanting to paint and not run a business, this is not a bad solution. You will need to do the actual packing and shipping of the work once your client has paid shipping, which is pre-calculated into the site. This is a very good site and has lots of how-to information, explaining how to ship, pack, write captions for your work and more. They teach you how to sell on their site and seem to be userfriendly for both collectors and artists.
If you decide that one of these art sales platforms might be for you, be sure to further research them to find which fits your genre and style best. A good idea might be to reach out to an artist on the site for their opinion to gain a clear vision of how it will work before you pay any fees or sign any applications. The main plus to these sites is that they are connected to buyers, similar to a gallery.