Where to Sell Your Artwork Online?
Here are my experiences with selling art online.
There are countless internet sites where you can sell your art.
As an artist, where should you offer your precious artworks for sale?
But wait, first of all, here is some info on what this article offers you:
- short description of each online marketplace and the probability of your success there
- how much will an art shop cost you
- changes in algorithms
Changes in Web Search Algorithms
What are web search algorithms?
Algorithms assist web searches using particular filters to find the most relevant answers to human queries.
Every online marketplace, such as SaatchiArt, ArtFinder, Etsy, eBay, etc., and every web search engine, such as Google, Bing, etc., uses particular algorithms for its queries. Each company uses a unique, specific algorithm developed and written by its associates.
Each of these companies changes these algorithms often. Some do it more often, and some do it less frequently. We, the public, are not informed about these changes and how their algorithms work. We only notice that our artworks that were easy to find online, for example, two weeks ago, are challenging to find in today’s searches or do not appear in queries at all.
These changes can make or break every big or small art business.
You will find below my remarks about algorithms concerning each marketplace.
SaatchiArt
Unless you are a prolific and relatively well-known artist, think twice. SaatchiArt is a vast place filled with all possible works of art. This is the biggest online platform to sell and buy contemporary artworks, but the problem is visibility!
If you are lucky enough to be found by SaatchiArt’s curator and your work is integrated into one of their collections, you are done! Your art will probably sell well. However, most of us aren’t that lucky, and it is very easy not to be found among the around a few million artworks on their pages.
Fee: You can have your art shop at SaatchiArt for free.
Algorithm: dependency on search engines algorithms and SaatchiArt algorithm
The search on SaatchiArt works stable and relatively well. I haven’t noticed any considerable changes to their algorithms.
ArtFinder
Yes! The name sounds nice! You think everybody must easily find your art on ArtFinder! Think again!
OK, until so around October 2016, it was the case. You could sell there. I was selling at least one or two artworks per month, which is excellent for me. Other artists also report that their paintings were relatively easily found there before. In the meantime, Artfinder has changed for the worse. It is absolutely deadly for me to keep my shop there now. It breaks my heart to say so. Many other artists and I loved Artfinder deeply, but Today’s Artfinder is not the Artfinder we fell in love with.
This is my personal experience. Others may have had a different experience selling their artworks on this platform.
When you are a new, progressive and prolific artist, try ArtFinder. It is less overrun with artists than SaatchiArt, so the probability of being found is greater. They now have a curator there, and if the curator “loves” your works, that is great, and you may have success on this platform.
If the curator is not impressed by your art and won’t include your works in their collections or promotions, success may still come, but it is less likely.
Fee: On ArtFinder, you can have 30 artworks in your shop for free. More pieces of art? You pay £4/month for a Standard Subscription or £10/month for the so-called Professional Subscription.
Algorithm: dependency on search engines algorithms and ArtFinder algorithm
It has been changed relatively quickly (like every 2–3 years). My artworks went from very well visible, years 2015-2016 to less visible 2017–2018, to almost invisible in 2019, to somewhat OK in the first half of 2020, to completely dead since the second half of 2020.
Fazit: I have registered many algorithm changes, partly officially confirmed by their changing ownership (in CEO, etc.).
ArtGalley.co.uk
ArtGallery.co.uk is a relatively crowded marketplace online, but art collectors do not visit it as often as Saatchi Art or ArtFinder. It is worth a try, but don’t expect too much. You may be discovered there probably faster than in other places. I wish you luck!
About ArtGallery.co.uk, I have to add that, like ArtFinder, this place has developed itself for the worse, too. Their new software works only to some extent, whereas their old web pages worked unreservedly well.
By the way, in the year 2024, ArtGallery has new and better working webpages.
Fee: The art shop on ArtGallery.co.uk will cost you £50 per year for no more than 150 artworks. For free, you can exhibit three paintings there, which means these three pieces would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
Algorithm: It is difficult to say if they have any. Since the change of their web pages, their search works well. This is all that I can say about it.
Etsy
You might be the winner on Etsy, given you know how to use SEO — Search Engine Optimisation! If you don’t know it, you can learn or get help.
With a good SEO on Etsy, you are sort of independent. You are not as dependent as you are at SaatchArt or Artfinder, where you rely on luck and the personal taste of a curator. These companies are repeatedly promoting the same artists, making them bestsellers. These are bestsellers now, and because they are bestsellers, they are even more promoted as such. And here we are, in a vicious circle.
Does it sound funny? Yes, it is weird, depending on who you are! If you are one of these promoted endlessly, it might be amusing for you. For the rest of us, it is serious.
Fee: Etsy is not for free. Each item listed there costs around $0.20 for 3 or 4 months, plus you should calculate advertisement because nothing is for free on Etsy (as nothing is for free on the entire internet).
Algorithm: A new CEO and a new algorithm have caused many shop owners to complain. They previously did well there, but now they need help finding their shops there.
eBay
It worked for me well in 2008–2010. It is not working for me anymore.
Folksy
It never worked for me.
What About Having Your Own Internet Art Shop?
You are pretty much independent there. There will be only the SEO and you :-)! Yes, it would be best if you had some SEO knowledge.
You can also advertise your web pages on Google, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to see how this works for you. For example, if you promote your Etsy shop on Google, you also advertise to all Etsy’s sellers. That’s fine if they also would pay for this advertisement. But they don’t. YOU pay!
You don’t have this dilemma when you own your domain and e-commerce shop online.
Fee: It can cost more than using third-party online marketplaces. Depending on whether you choose e-commerce or build your web pages, it can cost you from around $0.00 to $29.99 or even more per month. But you own it! It is yours!
Algorithm: dependency on search engine algorithms only
Learn SEO. It’ll help!
My advice is: GO Independent! Own your art business!
I am autistic, or better explained, I am on the fringe of the Autistic Spectrum. This means that I am less likely to be a social animal, which is not helpful when selling artwork online.
However, I will post more about my new shop and how I am doing here. Me Alone, A Lonely Artist on the Vast Internet, or a Drawn Artist in the Internet Ocean!
Oh, yes, I am alone. Yes, I have sold 300 artworks in the last eight years. Is it a lot? Yes, it is somewhat OK. Good.
Did I have any help with it? None.
Zero help, but I was selling on ArtGallery.co.uk, SaatchiArt and ArtFinder pretty well. So, these platforms did help me to some extent (we can say it, I suppose). Somehow, I was found, and art collectors loved my artwork, and I am very thankful for that.
Thank you! Many, many thanks.
But now, a new chapter has opened, and I am the owner of https://rhiajanta-cooper.art/— please visit.
I will report here about future development and whether it was a good idea to be the owner of a personal domain and e-commerce shop powered by Shopify.
