Small Businesses
How to sell art online for free?
February 3, 2023
Selling art online has become increasingly popular in recent years, as more and more artists are realizing the benefits of having an online presence.
In today's digital age, the Internet has opened up a world of opportunities for artists to showcase and sell their work without the need for a physical gallery or art fair.
Online presence has become increasingly important for artists and art dealers as a way to reach a wider audience, expand their customer base, and increase revenue.
By diversifying the income streams, artists can reduce their reliance on traditional galleries and create a more sustainable business model through online selling.
In this article, we’re looking at the platform to sell art online for free.
Let’s start from why artists should actually build their presence online first.
What are the benefits of online presence for artists?
With the increasing popularity of selling art online, many artists are turning to the Internet to sell their artwork without overhead costs.
In this way, finding ways to list and sell artwork online for free can be a great opportunity for artists to build awareness, expand their reach, and find potential customers.
Increased exposure: Selling art online can help you get your work seen by more people. By listing your art on online marketplaces, social media, and other digital channels, you can reach a wider audience and gain more followers.
Reduced overhead costs: When you sell your art online, you can save money on things like rent, utilities, and other expenses associated with running a physical gallery.
Diversified income streams: By selling art online, you can expand your art activities and create multiple streams of income from different sources. For example, you could sell prints, merchandise, or digital downloads alongside your original artwork to increase your revenue.
Improved customer relationships: Selling art online gives you more opportunities to interact with your customers and build relationships with them. You can use social media, email, and other digital channels to connect with your buyers, answer their questions, and get their feedback.
Now we’ve seen the benefits online presence offers to artists, let’s see where you can sell your art online for free.
Where can you sell art online for free?
Picking the most suitable online platform for selling your artwork can be a daunting task. To make the selection process easier, we have shortlisted the four most effective ways to sell your art online:
Payment links
Free eCommerce platforms
Marketplaces
Social media
Portfolio websites
By examining the offerings and functionality of each option, we can gain a comprehensive understanding of their benefits.
Payment links
Payment links are like shortcuts that make it easy to sell your art for free. They're special links you can easily share on social media, emails, or messages. When someone clicks, they can quickly and safely pay for your art without going to a whole website.
Imagine you're an artist giving away your paintings on Instagram. Instead of sending people to a website where they have to search, you can just give them a payment link. When they click, they see the painting and can buy it right away. It's like a super speedy way to buy.
People don't have to go through lots of steps or fill out forms – they just click, pay, and done! It's a great way for creators like you to sell your creations without the hassle of setting up a full online store.
Free eCommerce platforms for artists
Artists can sell their artwork online using a free eCommerce platform which gives an admin panel and storefront.
These platforms listed below provide artists with the necessary tools to create a website and showcase their artwork, manage inventory, and process payments.
Uvodo
Uvodo is an eCommerce & payments platform where artists can start selling their artworks like crafts, posters, paintings, or workshops and any art service for free.
Uvodo offers two options for artists:
Sell via Link - aka payment link
Sell from online store
The platform provides artists with selling via payment links options, gives an admin panel and storefront, and a wide range of online selling tools.
The cools thing is that, when you accept the payments for your art though the "Sell via Link", you can spend it with Uvodo Card without having to create and pay out to your bank account. Uvodo Card is a virtual Visa card. You can add it to your digital wallet and spend from your mobile, or make online transactions anywhere that Visa card are accepted.
Uvodo also provides artists with the option to accept payments through manual payment methods like Cash on Delivery, local and global payment gateways such as Stripe and PayPal.
Ecwid
Ecwid is a shopping cart extension with an easy way to sell their art online. You can use Ecwid’s instant site as your storefront, or embed Ecwid to any existing website that is built on WordPress, Wix, etc.
One drawback of Ecwid’s free plan is that the plan allows only 5 products to be listed on the website. Plus, merchants on the free plan cannot have access to the marketplace where they could find conversion tools to help make sales.
Big Cartel
Big Cartel is an eCommerce platform that specifically caters to artists and creatives who want to sell their work online.
Artists can sell various types of art on Big Cartel both the physical and digital art. The cool thing is that the platform supports the sale of merchandise such as t-shirts, posters, and stickers.
While Big Cartel offers a free plan, it is quite limited. The free plan allows for up to only 5 products to be listed on the artist's store, each with one image per product.
Marketplaces
Marketplaces are a third-party selling platforms where artists can list and sell their art to buyers from all around the world.
In the context of art and artists, online marketplaces can provide artists with a global audience to showcase and sell their work, and buyers with access to unique and original art pieces.
In online art marketplaces, artists can upload their artwork to the platform, set their prices, and connect with potential buyers through the platform's messaging system.
However, each marketplace takes different commissions for each sold item as a fixed amount or percentage.
Here are some examples how can artists sell art in marketplaces:
Etsy
Etsy is an online marketplace that specializes in handmade, vintage, and craft supply items. The platform provides a marketplace for artists, designers, and collectors to sell their handmade or vintage goods globally.
Etsy sellers are charged a listing fee of $0.20 per item, which allows the item to be listed on the site for up to 4 months. Etsy charges a commission fee of 5% on the sale price of an item, which includes the shipping costs, once the item is sold. Sellers may also choose to use Etsy's payment processing service, which charges a payment processing fee of 3% plus $0.25 per transaction.
Saatchi Art
Saatchi Art is an online art marketplace that connects artists with collectors and art enthusiasts from all around the world. The platform features a curated selection of works by emerging and established artists, including paintings, sculptures, and mixed media pieces.
Saatchi Art doesn't require monthly subscription fees, but they do charge a commission of 40% on each original artwork sold. For limited edition prints the commission charges increase to 50% of the sale price.
These charges are based on the profit earned from each sale, i.e., the final sale price minus production costs. However, the commission still applies to the sale price, which means that the artist will receive 60% of the reduced amount if a painting is sold at a discounted price.
eBay
eBay is the world's most popular online marketplace that allows individuals and businesses to buy and sell products, including art. Artists can list their artwork for sale on eBay either through auctions or fixed-price listings.
Cool thing is that eBay also allows for a "Best Offer" feature where buyers can make an offer on the artwork, and the seller can accept, decline, or counter the offer. eBay also offers a specific art category where artists can list their work, making it easier for buyers to find.
In terms of fees, eBay charges sellers fees based on the final sale price, which ranges from 2.35% to 13.35%, depending on the category and the item's selling price. There are also additional fees for optional features, such as listing upgrades and promoted listings, to increase the visibility of the artist's work to potential buyers.
Redbubble
Redbubble is an online marketplace that allows artists and designers to sell their artwork on various products such as clothing, stickers, phone cases, home decor, and more.
The website has a large community of artists from around the globe who upload their designs and artwork onto the platform. The products that sell on Redbubble focus on art, including illustrations, graphic designs, paintings, and photography.
As a merchant on Redbubble, you can offer your unique designs for buyers to browse through and purchase on various products. The products are then printed on demand and shipped directly to the buyer. Artists can create a shop on Redbubble and upload their designs.
Redbubble charges a base price for each product, which covers the cost of production and shipping. The seller sets the markup price, which determines their earnings on each sale. Redbubble takes a commission on the markup price, which ranges from 10% to 30%, depending on the product category.
Social Media
While having an eCommerce website for your art is certainly a great way to sell your work online, social media has emerged as one of the most effective and free ways to reach a wider audience. By integrating various social media channels with your website, you can easily promote your work, engage with potential customers, and drive traffic to your site.
Selling art on social media platforms is a great way to create a strong online presence and showcase the art in visually appealing ways. Utilizing social media features such as different post types, stories, hashtags, and paid advertisements can help increase visibility and reach potential buyers.
Social media is also a great way to offer discounts and practice marketing strategies in entertaining ways.
Instagram and TikTok are artists' first choice due to their various features and audience. Plus, these platforms are a great choice in terms of building a follower base and help sell their artwork online.
Instagram is an ideal social media platform for creative expression and discovery.
Instagram allows artists to share their artwork in creative and visually appealing ways. Artists can showcase their talent and gain recognition, build a fanbase and relationships with their followers through engagement and consistent posting, and can convert those followers into customers.
With over 1.2 billion monthly users, Instagram offers artists a practical alternative to the exclusive gallery system.
Instagram's focus on visual content makes it an ideal platform for artists to showcase their work and connect with buyers who are interested in their unique style and artistic vision.
By switching to a business account, optimizing their accounts, and engaging with followers, artists can grow their presence on Instagram and connect with potential buyers who appreciate their work.
Learn how to sell on Instagram without a website.
TikTok
TikTok allows artists to connect with their audience in a unique and creative way.
With TikTok clips, artists can tell their story, show their style and creativeness to attract interested followers. TikTok is a platform where trends happen naturally.
What makes TikTok great for artists is that its focus is on original and unique clips and has a very specific niche audience. Plus, with effects and using TikTok’s trending music, artists can make a clip that can go viral globally.
According to MRC Data's research, using a trending song in your brands' TikTok content is a great way to capture our community's attention. 67% of TikTok users would prefer to see videos from brands featuring popular or trending songs on TikTok.*
Portfolio platforms
An art portfolio serves as a virtual representation of an artist's portfolio, allowing them to display their artwork, creativity, and skills to potential clients, art enthusiasts, and galleries..
Portfolio website allows artists to display their work in a professional and curated manner, which can help attract potential buyers.
Art portfolios are also a great way for artists to build credibility and give potential buyers a better understanding of artistic background and interests. For example, as an artist, you can provide information about your education, especially if you have studied a relevant subject such as fine art, graphic design, textiles, or art history.
Here are some examples to create an art portfolio:
Behance
Behance establishes the connections between artists and buyers through the artists' portfolio. Buyers can browse through the portfolios to discover new artists, view their work, and connect with them to commission work or collaborate on a project.
Behance is primarily focused on digital artwork, including graphic design, illustration, photography, and motion graphics, but it also includes traditional art forms such as painting and sculpture.
One of the most appealing aspects of Behance for artists is that it is free to use. Artists can create an art portfolio, showcase their work, and connect with potential clients without having to pay a penny.
Dribbble
On Dribbble, artists and buyers can connect through their mutual interest in design and creative work. Artists can showcase their designs and illustrations to attract potential buyers, who may be looking for specific types of designs for their projects or businesses.
Dribbble portfolios mainly focus on digital designs and illustrations such as logos, icons, UI/UX designs, web designs, and animations.
Dribbble operates on a membership model, with free and paid membership options available for artists. The free membership allows artists to showcase their work, participate in design communities, and connect with potential buyers.
The paid membership, called Dribbble Pro, offers additional benefits such as more visibility in search results, access to exclusive job opportunities, and the ability to sell designs directly on the platform.This package costs $5 per month or $60 per year, and includes perks such as unlimited design uploads, access to advanced analytics, and the ability to apply for design jobs and projects directly on the platform.
Carbonmade
Carbonmade is a well-known online platform that enables artists and creatives to display their artwork and attract potential clients.
The portfolio allows potential buyers to view the artist's work and contact them directly through the platform.
Carbonmade is open to all types of art and not limited to graphic design, illustration, photography, and fine art.
Carbonmade offers a free plan for artists. The free plan includes basic features such as the ability to upload up to 8 projects and 35 images, customize your portfolio website, and use Carbonmade's customer support. Carbonmade also offers three pricing plans which include additional features.
Takeaway
There are several ways for artists to sell art online for free and build a strong online presence: payment links, eCommerce platforms that offer free plans, online marketplaces, social media platforms, and art portfolios.
Uvodo, BigCartel, Ecwid are popular eCommerce platforms that offer free plans for artists to sell art online.
Etsy, eBay, Saatchi are third party marketplaces that allow artists to list their products, get found by collectors and potential buyers, and sell their artworks.
Instagram and TikTok are also ideal ways for artists to be discovered, engage with followers, and sell their art online for free.
Art portfolios like Behance and Dribble are an ideal way for artists to build credibility and create an online gallery to display their artwork.
*Source: US TikTok Marketing Science, Music Perceptions Research, conducted by MRC Data, November 2020
