By Bogdan Rancea
Three decades ago, the average non-prominent artist would have a difficult time figuring out where, when and how to sell their work. There were significant barriers of entry, not least of which were the high fees. Securing space at an average art gallery was hard. That changed with the advent of the Internet.
Brick-and-mortar art shops and galleries remain an important forum for connecting artists and art sellers on one hand, and buyers and collectors on the other.
However, that interaction no longer has to happen face-to-face. Apart from creating their own websites, artists also have hundreds of art-centered marketplaces and ecommerce stores to choose from.
In fact, many conventional art galleries now have websites to showcase available works. The Internet has introduced access, speed, convenience, diversity and internationalization to art shopping and transactions.
To reach an engaged audience and get the optimal price on your art work, the following websites may be most ideal.
Top Websites for Selling Art
1. Shopify – Best Ecommerce Platform for Selling Art Online
Shopify is an e-commerce platform where artists can have their own online store to sell art directly to customers. Not exclusively for art but has lots of customization options and powerful tools for artists to have their own branded online presence.
With Shopify artists can design a professional website, manage inventory, process payments and ship all from one dashboard. The platform has themes optimized for visual products like artwork. Artists can also use apps from the Shopify App Store to add features like digital product delivery for prints or integration with print-on-demand services.
Pricing starts at $29 per month for the basic plan (when paid annually), transaction fees vary based on the payment provider used. This may be more expensive than some marketplaces but artists have full control over their store and customer data. Great for established artists who want to build their own brand and customer base without relying on third-party marketplaces.
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2. Art Storefronts
Art Storefronts is an e-commerce platform specifically designed for artists, photographers and art galleries. It’s a comprehensive solution to sell original artworks and prints online. The platform is art-centric with features like augmented reality previews that allow customers to see how the artwork would look on their walls before buying.
With Art Storefronts artists can have a fully customizable website with online store, portfolio and blog. The platform also has built-in marketing tools, SEO and integration with print-on-demand fulfillment services. This means artists can manage original art sales and print reproductions from one platform.
Art Storefronts is a subscription model with plans starting at $39 per month. This is more than some general e-commerce platforms but the specialized features and art-focused support can be worth it for serious artists looking to grow their online presence. The platform doesn’t take a commission on sales so artists keep more of their earnings compared to many marketplace sites.
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3. Amazon: The Best Place to Sell Art Online
Amazon is synonymous with ecommerce, and it has made significant strides in the art online selling space. It’s doing that in a big way. Artists would usually have two options to choose from:
- Amazon Fine Art – Provides a gallery-like experience of drawings, paintings, photography, mixed media works and art prints. Artists must be vetted and approved before they can start selling their work on Amazon Fine Art. The platform takes a $0.99 commission on each item sold in addition to a referral fee of between 5-20%.
- Amazon Handmade – Lists and sells handcrafted products from artisans around the world. Product categories include jewelry, clothing, handbags, accessories, stationery, home décor, toys and pet accessories. Sellers whose application to join Amazon Handmade is approved will have the standard $39.99 fee that Amazon professional selling accounts ordinarily pay monthly, waived. Amazon will take a 15% referral fee on any sale.
4. ArtPal
ArtPal is an online art and jewelry marketplace with works from more than 270,000 artists across all major art categories. ArtPal is one of the online platforms where you can sell original art, paintings, drawings, photography, prints, custom framing, sculptures, pottery, and jewelry. You can sell everything together under a single virtual store or divide your work into collections to make shopping easier.
Unlike many of its peers, ArtPal has no membership fees, listing fees or commissions on sales. It has a free print-on-demand service as well. For $0.99 your artwork can be highlighted on the site but this is optional. These factors make it a convenient entry point for starter artists trying their hand at selling online for the first time.
ArtPal does not require sellers to commit to exclusively selling on the platform – you can still promote and sell your work on other platforms.
5. ArtPlode
Artplode is one of the online galleries and platforms for artists, collectors, and dealers to promote and sell their works. Sellers pay a one-off $60 fee for each artwork, set a price and the work is thereafter advertised across the platform. Artplode does not charge a commission (whether on the seller or the buyer) on sales conducted on the site.
To sell an item, you provide information about the work and the platform will thereafter advertise it to potential buyers. Once someone orders it, Artplode facilitates the payment and handles the shipping. All listings stay on the website until the seller removes them. For an additional fee, art work can be included in a featured category.
Artists who prefer to maintain full privacy will like ArtPlode as it does not require they provide or include their full name on listings.
6. Creative Market
Creative Market is a large global online marketplace for user-generated digital art such as graphics, illustrations, icons, fonts and digital templates. It also has a section for digital assets designed for specific applications including Canva, Figma and Adobe InDesign.
Setting up an account and uploading products to the site is free. To get started, create an account, set up your store and then upload 10-20 works of digital art for review. Once you are approved and the shop goes live, Creative Market takes care of delivery, technical support, and any refunds, making it easier for online sellers to manage their shops.
Artists set product prices. The platform usually takes a 50% commission from listing prices but this varies by shop and by product. There is no exclusivity lock-in – artists with shops on Creative Market are free to sell their work on their own website or other marketplaces.
7. eBay – Online Marketplace
eBay is the number one virtual auction website and the second most popular ecommerce site in the US, making it a great place to sell art online. Drawing more than 670 million visits monthly, users can auction virtually anything including jewelry and art works.
eBay’s art section includes painting, drawings, posters, photographs, print and sculptures. Artists list their product as an auction item and set a minimum price, or have a ‘buy now’ price. eBay integrates with numerous ecommerce solutions such as Shopify.
There are multiple eBay fees that art sellers have to come to terms with. Listing fees kick in when a seller lists more than 200 items a month. In this case, the seller pays $0.35 to $2 per item for each item listed thereafter.
Transaction fees depend on the sale value and range from 10% to 12.85% but are capped at $750. While that ceiling may seem large, it can be an advantage for high value items.
8. Etsy
Etsy is one of the largest websites to sell art, facilitating the sale of vintage and handmade goods such as clothes, furniture, home décor, jewelry, and toys. With over 6 million active sellers and more than 90 million buyers, Etsy draws in excess of 430 million visits monthly.
This enormous audience provides great opportunity but also intense competition for drawing visitor eyeballs. Most sellers are craftsmen, artists, and collectors. As an established website with extensive reach, Etsy integrates well with other platforms.
There are multiple fees for selling on Etsy which is arguably the website’s biggest downside – listing fee, transaction fee, shipping fee, gift wrapping fee, payment processing fee, and currency conversion fee. This is in addition to the monthly subscription fees on paid plans.
However, its buyers are often not price-conscious as other marketplaces of similar scale. There is therefore a good chance of selling items at a substantial profit.
9. Fine Art America
Fine Art America is quite possibly the world’s largest online art marketplace with hundreds of thousands of artists, graphic designers, illustrators, photographers and global brands. Despite its name, the website has a sizable international audience.
It has grown to become the preferred platform for many artists keen on selling wall art, home décor, clothing, stationery, tech accessories, and fine paintings. Fine Art America has a print-on-demand service powered by 16 production facilities spanning 5 countries.
Creating a free account and uploading product photos is relatively easy. All accounts enjoy Shopify integration by default. Fine Art America sets the base price then artists indicate their preferred markup.
For digital art products, the platform imposes a 30% markup on top of the seller’s price. This is the website’s commission. However, no commission is imposed on original pieces of artwork – in this case, the seller retains 100% of the selling price.
Fine Art America takes care of printing, packaging, matting, shipping, payment processing and everything else required to fulfill an order.
10. Saatchi Art
Saatchi Art is a great place for newer artists looking for large scale exposure to art lovers and for selling art. It’s an online art gallery that currently has over 94,000 emerging artists. The website draws about 12 million views monthly. Saatchi Art’s buyers come from more than 140 countries worldwide.
To sell on the site, create a profile for free and upload some official photo ID. Once approved, upload high quality photos of your work. Buyers can use an augmented reality feature to see how the art will look in its intended space before they make the purchase.
When a buyer orders any of your art, you have to purchase the packaging materials and do the packaging yourself. Saatchi Art then picks the package from you and handles the shipping. You receive 60% on every sale with the platform keeping the rest.
Saatchi Art does not require exclusive rights to works uploaded to the platform – the artist can continue promoting their art on other channels.
11. Singulart
Singulart is a global online art marketplace that caters to over 12,000 emerging and established artists and designers. Prospective buyers can shop for original art by style or leverage the AI search to discover new art types, and artists can sell prints of their work. Singulart is a premium platform and only approves applications from full-time artists that have already demonstrated some national success or international recognition.
Once your application is approved, you can create a profile and start to build a portfolio. Seller plans start at €29.99 per month. Artwork is displayed to over 3 million buyers and collectors. The platform handles all shipping and payment. The platform takes a 50% commission on all sales. Singulart does not require exclusivity so artists can still showcase and sell their work on other forums.
Newer, non-established artists who do not meet the rigorous criteria for listing on Singulart can instead apply to its sister site Balthasart.
12. Society6
Society6 runs a print-on-demand service that’s ideal for independent artists that want their work plastered on diverse products such as wall art, home décor, apparel, bags, lifestyle goods, bed linen, furniture and tech accessories.
Artists can also promote their work on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook to drive traffic to their Society6 store. It is a marketplace where a community of hundreds of thousands of artists from around the world can showcase their work for customers to discover and print on everyday items.
Society6 determines the base price and artists set a commission on each sale. The total is the retail price that buyers see. By default, the artist commission is 10% but can be as high as 999%. Artists can increase their earnings by setting a higher markup on their canvas print, art prints and framed prints. Society6 takes care of the marketing, printing, packaging and shipping.
Products may be sold on third party websites such as Amazon but the transaction will reflect in the artists Society6 account.
Artists retain all rights to their work and need only upload a photo to the website and choose the most suitable category.
13. TurningArt
TurningArt refers to its business as artwork-as-a-service because it has a somewhat different model from most art marketplaces. Whereas it does sell art, it also rents out works to large commercial clients.
That means artists on the platform can either earn a commission from an outright sale or get an agreed percentage of the lease each month for art that’s rented out. Artists on TurningArt can also be commissioned by buyers for a custom project.
Renting art is not the only thing that’s unique on the platform. It has a commission model that’s a little more nuanced. Unlike other websites that levy a flat fee, TurningArt commissions depend on the type of work sold.
For example, artists earn 60% of the sale for original artwork but only 20% for a canvas print. Due to its location-centric business model (renting out art), TurningArt works almost exclusively with US artists (more than 2,500 at present), making it a viable option for the small business owner. The company handles the entire process end-to-end including delivery, installation and rotation.
14. UGallery
UGallery is a marketplace of curated art, popular for showcasing new art from local artists, newbie, and mid-level artists. It draws artists, interior designers, and collectors from more than 50 countries.
The website is designed to recreate the experience of visiting or shopping at a physical art gallery. Only original art is allowed on the platform and is exclusive to it. In fact, UGallery has more stringent rules for getting your art on it than most platforms.
The application process involves submitting an application form, artist statement, digital versions of your work, and paying a $5 application fee. Once approved, all sales are split in half between UGallery and the artist. When a buyer expresses interest in your work, UGallery will send you a custom box for packaging the artwork. All packing and shipping costs are handled by the platform.
UGallery is one of the few marketplaces where buyers can commission a custom work by submitting their ideas to an artist recommended by the platform.
15. Zazzle
Zazzle is a major player in the print-on-demand industry, offering millions of products for selling art, such as wall art, mugs, t-shirts, invitations, and accessories. Whereas majority of sellers are independent artists, photographers, graphic designers, and other creators, the platform has partnered with major brands too including Getty Images and Disney.
To set up a seller account, individual artists upload their artwork and select the products they prefer for display in Zazzle’s marketplace.
The platform offers a wide range of options for sellers to choose from to feature their art – more than 1,500 blank products. Artists have substantial leeway to define their royalty rate – anywhere from 5% to 99%. Once an order is received, Zazzle prints and ships it.
Conclusion
The more platforms you can get your artwork on, the greater your reach and the higher the likelihood of selling at a good price, making it essential to choose the right platform to sell art online. However, this multi-marketplace strategy isn’t always practical.
First, some marketplaces require an exclusivity lock-in which restricts you from putting up your work for sale anywhere else. Second, spreading yourself too thin can make it hard to optimize and get the desired results on the different platforms. You may need to focus on one or two marketplaces.
To choose the platform that’s right for you, consider the type of art you want to sell, who you want to reach and how much you want to incur in platform fees.
For example, if you want to sell the art itself and do print-on-demand as well, you are best served by a platform that offers the two services.
