Many people want to become artists but aren’t sure how to earn a living selling art. Maybe you already consider yourself an artist, but you are having trouble making money with your art.
I’m sure you’ve heard the term ‘starving artist’, am I right? Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. In this post, we’ll show you how to sell art online and make money, so you can be free to pursue your passion as well as pay the bills.
As more and more people are selling products online these days, there are a plethora of websites dedicated to helping you do the same with your art.
Where you sell your art online depends on what type of art you are selling. There are a wide variety of mediums that art encompasses. From drawing and painting to crafting and woodworking, chances are if you’re doing it, you can sell it and make money online.
Here are some of the best websites we’ve found to help sell your art online.
1. Etsy
Most of us know the power of Etsy. Since its launch, Etsy has helped many people go full-time with their art business. Yes, there are listing fees and a lot of competition, but there is also a massive, engaged audience on their platform. If you haven’t considered selling your art on Etsy, you should check them out.
Of course, with any of the online platform, you'll want to put your best foot forward by including high-quality images of your creations. If you're not sure how to set up your home photography studio — this post covers what you need to know so you can get stunning photos of your art projects.
Related Content: How to Be Successful on Etsy
2. ArtFire
With ArtFire, you can start selling for as little as $4.95 per month, with a $0.23 per item listing fee. They also have $20 and $40 per month options that have more advanced features. There are a wide variety of handmade products listed on ArtFire including art and collectibles. Visit the website and see if it looks like a good fit for your business.
3. Big Cartel
Big Cartel’s pricing ranges from free to $29.99 per month. The cool thing is that it’s a flat fee and they don’t take a percentage of your sales. This one is definitely worth checking out if you're looking to make money from your art.
4. Storeenvy
Storeenvy is all about discovering and connecting amazing brands, people, and products. And the best part is, you can sell your art for free using their platform. It’s pretty simple to set up. My middle daughter started her website, The Crafty Crafter when she was only 12 years old.
5. ArtPal
You can sell your art for no upfront cost on ArtPal and keep 95% of the profits (when selling your artwork. Different terms apply for their on-demand service).
6. Zibbet
Get your custom website plus access to the Zibbet Marketplace. There are no listing fees to sell your art, and their monthly plans are super affordable, anywhere from $4-$16 per month.
You can also put your artwork on a t-shirt, coffee mug, or many other varieties of merchandise. There are a variety of websites that make it very easy to do this. Learn more about making money designing t-shirts.
Looking for more ways to sell your art online and possibly make money selling other stuff too? Check out this post!
You might be wondering if there are ways to sell art online and make money without using one of the sites mentioned above. Having a platform to sell your art is recommended, but there are also other ways you can bring in the cash.
Other Places to Sell Art Online
7. Instagram
My daughter sells art directly to her followers on Instagram. All that’s needed is a way to collect payments such as PayPal or Stripe. She posts pictures of already completed digital art and people message her when they want to buy.
8. Facebook
Groups are still popular on Facebook, and as an artist, you can create a community of art lovers that you can get your newest creations in front of any time. Again, a payment processor is all you need here. You can also sell on the Facebook Marketplace which is usually local sales. You can meet up in person and accept cash or checks if you choose. Lastly, if you already have a Facebook Business Page, setting up a shop that allows you to sell directly on Facebook is a breeze.
9. Patreon
Artists can make money from their art on Patreon through a subscription-based model. Fans pay for exclusive experiences and behind-the-scenes content. Create art on your terms and keep 90% of the profits. Patreon keeps 5%, and transaction fees are around 5% as well. There are a variety of ways you can earn on this platform. I would recommend visiting their site and looking at the examples of how people are earning money with Patreon.
Conclusion
I hope this post has given you some fresh new ideas about how to sell your art online and make money that can help you transition from hobby artist to business owner. Please consider sharing if you found it helpful and leave your additional ideas in the comments; we’d love to hear them!
Thank you Holly! for this great information! I was recently let go from a job that I absolutely hated so I want to find a legit way to make extra income and I really would like to start selling my art work online, it’s always been something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time now, but never had the time to start it. There’s always a first time for everything though lol.
You’re welcome, Autumn!
What kind of art do you create?
Good luck and keep me posted!
You can resell canvas art from artsaleonline.com and make more money
they can dropship to your customers.fast delivery and safe payment.
Thanks for sharing, Hanna!
I want to sell art work n get paid
It all just feels so darn hopeless. It’s hard to get enough reach to garner enough attention to actually make a profit.
I’m also very considerate about how much I spam artwork so maybe that’s my problem but I just feel sick to stoop to the same level as those friends you know who get sucked into MLM’s and spam the same garbage every day (granted my art is well, art and shouldn’t upset people but..) in feeds. I tend to only post once and I feel like a dingus by repeating the same post but maybe that’s the only way ahead, or so it seems.
Everyone’s there to support you until you actually need them to ? but they’re quick to write “hashtag support local” etc.
I’m sorry to hear that you’re having trouble gaining traction with your art business. Besides social media, how are you marketing your business?
Have you thought about asking local businesses to display your artwork in their establishments? I have a friend that does this and her business is doing very well. Also, email marketing is a wonderful way to market your business.
Hello, I just want to thank you for this great website and as an artist, I really would like to promote my creation online. I am in paper art, making my own paper with plants, and I want to sell my last collection of clutches and mini-bags on an international level as living in Switzerland, I want to be known abroad for what I do.
Thank you so much for those wonderful and important ideas that I am going to use. I sure do not want to consolidate the old adage: an artist is always broke! I sure there is a way and I will find it!
Thank s again for this website and for all your work you are providing us.
Elisabeth
Glad you enjoyed the article, Elisabeth!
Good luck with your business and keep me posted!
I want to try to post my artworks
Awesome! Keep us posted on your progress!
Hey, your blog is really awesome for artists who want to sell art online but if you see nowadays there are a lot of websites for artists to sell art online.
Creating artwork and selling an artwork are two different skillsets one must master these skills to skyrocket their sells.
I’ve written several blogs on How to skyrocket your art sells, How to market art, How to price artworks. I hope my blogs will add some value to your article visit here to read more – https://www.showflipper.com/blog/
It’s truly amazing how anyone can virtually sell almost anything online and do this not only has a part-time hobby & a side hustle, but also as a beautiful labor of love. I always tell people looking to make a side hustle work for them full time online that anyone can get into this line of freelancing work. But your mind, heart and spirit has to want to do it and be in it because if they’re doing this online just for quick financial instant gratification, it’s not going to work and they’ll become instantly frustrated. They have to be in it for the long haul and want to make the internet their 100% full time income portal if they want to sell art or anything as a full-time online business.
Hi Holly,
Thanks for the info. Fine Art America https://fineartamerica.com is also a great place to sell your art and there is no listing fee or monthly service fees.
Thanks for sharing, Sana!
I’ve not heard of them before, I’ll have to check it out.