How to Sell Art Online and Make Money? (Step-by-Step)

How to Sell Paintings Online | Sell Paintings Online | Sell Drawings Online for Money | Sell Digital Art Online | How to Sell Art Online on Amazon | Best Art Selling Websites

Hello fellow artists!

I know you all have extreme potential and I’d want to, first of all, appreciate you for what you do.

Being an artist myself, I can completely relate to you, if you also think that making a selling decision for your artwork is tough.

Well, of course, it is!

But, don’t worry! I’ve got you covered. 

In this blog, today, I’ll share with you my personal experience as a commercial artist and some professional tips on valuing your art and how to sell drawings online for money!

It contains every important aspect of how to sell paintings online.

So, scroll down fast! 

I can’t wait to see you start selling your art! Let’s go.

How do I Know the Value of my Art? (Along With an Exclusive Tip!)

Here are a few tips to value your art accurately if you want to learn how to sell paintings online.

1. Experience

You’ll agree with me on this.

Experience is one of the two most critical, yet underrated factors when deciding the cost of the artwork. Right?

This is because most people don’t value experience.

Experience includes the time and efforts involved in the process of making an artist.

The greater the experience you have, the higher value your artwork should fetch.

2. Idea

The success of an artwork is a result of the idea behind it – second of the two most critical, yet underrated factors.

If the concept and idea of your artwork are original, then it directly adds up to its value. 

A copied art might be valued for its labor, but an original piece’s value is estimated at a high value, for the idea can not be reproduced.

3. Making Cost

This includes all the expenses that you bore while making the artwork. 

From the cost of canvas to paints to framing, to varnishing, etc. If you are using any extra elements in your artwork, add those costs as well.

4. Time Involved

Now, we have already taken into consideration the time involved in learning the skills and getting the training to be an artist.

But, what about the time taken to make an artwork?

The amount of time it took you to complete a project should reflect in the price of your paintings.

5. Delivery and Packaging Costs

Now, if you are selling your paintings online, that means you are undertaking the packaging and delivery expenses.

You may include these expenses in your price or you might choose to add them separately.

Now here’s the thing about experience and idea – it is not easy to value your artwork based on these two factors, since they are not measurable.

But, one thing is for sure you need not be discouraged if a few people think your prices are too high.

Okay, let’s understand it this way!

So this is an exclusive tip that you won’t find anywhere else. 

Paintings are classified as luxury goods! 

And, the law of demand does not apply to luxury goods or Veblen goods.

Or, we can say it applies inversely.

This means, contrary to the usual rule of an increase in demand with a reduction in price, the price of luxury goods affects their demand inversely.

People only buy luxuries because their prices are uncommon. If the prices reduce, the demand will decrease.

In simple words, the higher the price of luxury goods, the greater the demand.

This is why a unique artwork deserves to be priced high. Although it might be a little difficult to find the right buyer.

But, once you do, not only you are going to make a good amount of money, but, it will also add you to the list of elite artists!

How to Sell Paintings Online? (Sell Drawings Online for Money)

There are many ways of selling your art just like any other product or service. 

But deciding to choose out of all the ways depends upon various factors like the time, money, and efforts involved in it.

You will have to weigh the pros and cons of each of them to select the right fit for you and below are the various ways you can use them to sell your paintings.

Now let’s discuss them one by one.

1. Create your Website

If you want to sell any product or start any business, one option that you always have is starting your website. 

Creating your website to start selling your paintings means that you will have to put in a lot of time and effort.  

If you have the technical know-how, then you can choose to create a website for yourself and manage it on your own. 

Otherwise, the other option that you have is to hire a website design service to help you create a website and they will also help you in managing the website. But in this case, you will have to spend a lot more money.

You will have to pay the services provider out of your pocket until your paintings are sold and you start making money out of your business.

Now, this option can be used by you only if you are sure about your financial position and if you are sure that you can manage all the expenses.

The reason why I am saying this is because in every business it is not easy to start making a profit as and when you start.

There are a lot of stages in a business. You first start by surviving in your industry then you slowly start covering your expenses and then finally you reach a stage where you start earning profits.

Although it is great to have your website because it will give you complete autonomy in your business.

You get to decide the format in which you want to display your work, you get to decide the pricing for your products, etc. 

One other factor that you must have in your mind for having a personal website is that the initial audience for that website will be the people to that you are already connected. 

2. Sell Through other Websites | Best Art Selling Websites

The next option that you have is to sell your artwork through some of the best art-selling websites.

You will have to register with these best art-selling websites and then list your work.

How to Sell Paintings Online on Amazon?

Amazon is the number one online shopping portal with the most popular user experience.

Amazon is a US-based e-commerce portal where you can find everything. When I say everything, I mean “everything”.

Selling your paintings on Amazon is also a great option keeping in mind the exposure that you will be gaining.

The process is pretty much simple. Just register yourself with your bank details and tax info and start listing your products.

You can sell both – original paintings as well as their prints. 

Keep in mind that your pricing must be fair.

How to Sell Paintings on Etsy?

Etsy is a US-based online community marketplace.  People come together to make, sell, and buy unique and creative goods online.

It is a community for the people who are either selling or looking for unique goods like handmade crafts, paintings, etc.

Selling your art on Etsy is a great option. Many art collectors would prefer to buy from Etsy instead of Amazon since Etsy dedicates its services, especially to e-commerce such goods. 

This means that you can price your art towards the upper slope here as the buyers understand the value of your work.

Selling on Etsy is very simple.

All you have to do is create an Etsy account, open your Etsy store, list your products, submit your bank details, and set up a payment option plan.

Etsy charges USD 0.16-0.20 per listing and a 5% commission after the sale.

3. Sell Through Social Media – Best Way to Sell Art Online Nowadays 

If you have a social media account then it is a great way to utilize your audience by selling your artwork through social media. 

A lot of artists are doing their business through social media solely.

You can either take up orders via your DMs or you can even set up your Instagram shop. Although, you’ll have to meet some requirements before setting up your shop. 

They don’t have a personal website and they don’t list artworks or any on any other website.

If you want to start selling online through social media, first of all, you will have to work on engaging people.

Now, this does not mean working on increasing your followers’ list without any strategy. You will have to create content that lets your audience understand your business and its quality.

You cannot just create a social media page and expect orders to start flying in.

You’ll have to create content that showcases your work.

Let’s say, you make customized pieces of denim. Now, just the fact that you mention your business in your bio won’t be enough of a reason for your audience to buy from you.

You’ll have to invest in creating content that shows your work, skills, and quality.

Followers will be converted into leads if you offer them samples. This does not mean you have to send physical samples to your audience. 

It means you have to create samples and showcase them powerfully and persuasively to attract your audience.

Social media selling is much cheaper than selling through a website managed by outsourced parties.

Although, it involves a lot more effort and time.

4. Art Exhibitions

Exhibiting your artwork is also a great way of making money.

What you need to do is find a location for your exhibition. It may be a shopping mall, a heritage site, or a school – anywhere. You’ll have to pay a rental fee for your exhibition.

You will have to select a time for your exhibition. Usually, people plan exhibitions near Thanksgiving or Christmas, when people tend to go out looking to buy new things for their homes and offices.

The exhibition site must also be selected carefully. It should not be situated on a lonely highway where no one ever wanders.

Your location must be welcoming and popular among the locals.

After making these arrangements, you’ll have to start working on the marketing and promotion activities. 

Spread the word as much as possible and as many times as possible.

Exhibitions are a great way of selling your art as usually, the buyers at an exhibition tend to understand its value and are ready to pay for it.

5. Sell Digital Art Online

Physical art is not necessary to make sales. 

You can still make a lot of money, even if you are a digital artist.

You can sell digital art online to graphic design websites, or you can sell it directly to your customer.

A new concept in the digital world has just arrived – NFTs.

An NFT is a digital asset that represents real-world objects like art, music, in-game items, and videos. 

It is bought and sold online using cryptocurrency. 

A successful NFT can make you a hefty fortune!

What are the Other Ways of Making Money as an Artist?

There are several ways of making many as an artist other than selling your art. 

I’ve listed some of the best options below.

Check ‘em out!

1. Art Classes/ Art Teacher

If you are an artist, you can start your art classes even from your home. Or you can work as an art teacher in an educational institute if you have the required qualification.

You can organize classes during summer vacations or even regularly.

You can divide time slots based on the age group.

Or you can divide as per the difficulty level – beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

If you want to work as a teacher in an educational institute, you require a degree in fine arts as well as teaching.

2. Art Workshops

Art workshops are like art classes. The only difference is the duration.

An art class means a class that is for a longer duration and has a pre-planned course of study. It can be for 7 days, 15 days, a month, two months, a year, etc.

But, a workshop is for a short period. Say, for instance, a day, or three days, etc.

A very popular way of organizing art workshops is by partnering up with restaurants, cafes, or shopping complexes.

The hosting partner gains from the promotions and the rental fee that you’ll pay them and you gain from their existing popularity. 

3. Online Art Tutorials (YouTube)

You can start your YouTube channel, Instagram Reel, etc, to showcase your talent.

Some ways can help you grow your YouTube community. These are:

• If your tutorials are very simple and easy, they can be popular among beginners.
• If you add some unique elements or techniques to your tutorials, they can gain popularity among a wide group of audiences.
• Unique and creative videography will help you gain familiarity even outside the art community.

Here are some amazing YouTube content ideas for you!

4. Work as a Graphic Designer

If you are a digital artist, you can work as a graphic designer. Graphic design is extremely popular nowadays.  

Several companies and brands are inclined toward engaging their audience through graphic designs. Thus, graphic designers are very much in demand right now.

You can sell your designs to online marketplaces as a freelancer or you can work for companies and brands.

5. Selling Prints

One other way of making money, without selling your art, is by selling prints of your art.

Yes! Prints.

Many popular artists create limited prints for their artworks. These are considered to be original prints.

The important point is that these prints are limited. These are not mass-manufactured to maintain their value.

This way, you’ll have your original artwork by yourself. 

6. Art Blogs

If you are an artist and are also interested in writing, you can create your art blog. 

This is a great way of combining and utilizing your skills.

In your blog, you can write about various topics revolving around the art & crafts industry, how-to guides, top recommendations, etc.

Learn how to start your blog.

Here are some other ways you can start a job as a college student from home.

Conclusion

To conclude this blog, I would like to share with you my personal experience.  

I am an artist and I sell my paintings via social media. Through my Instagram account, I keep my audience updated about my latest works. 

In every post and story, I mention that my audience can reach me through DMs and buy my paintings.

This way, I have been able to establish a personal relationship with my community.

Now, you can choose any of the above ways to start selling your paintings and make money. But, one thing that you need to keep in mind is that you’ll have to put in a lot of effort to achieve your goals.

You do not achieve success overnight!

Consistency, patience, and hard work are the key to success. Any of the above ways can make you successful if you combine it with these three key parameters. 

If you have any other ideas or suggestions in your mind, do share them with me in the comment section. It will help me guide my audience better.

Also, let me know if this article helps you in any way.

Till then, keep creating and do not stop from growing!

All the best!

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