Selling art online has never been more accessible — or more competitive. The artists who succeed aren't necessarily the most talented; they're the ones who treat their art practice like a business, with systems for pricing, marketing, and converting interested browsers into paying collectors.
This guide walks you through every aspect of building a sustainable online art business. Each section links to deeper resources when you're ready to dive into specifics.
- Deciding What to Sell
- Originals vs. Prints
- Finding Your Niche
- Pricing Your Work
- Pricing Formulas
- Common Mistakes
- Photographing Your Art
- Choosing Your Platforms
- Your Own Website
- Marketplaces
- Social Media
- Creating Listings That Sell
- Marketing Your Art
- Social Media Strategy
- Email Marketing
- Converting Browsers to Buyers
- Operations & Fulfillment
- Frequently Asked Questions
1. Deciding What to Sell
Before you can sell, you need to decide what you're selling: originals, prints, both, or something else entirely. This decision affects everything from pricing to marketing to fulfillment.
Originals vs. Prints: The Trade-offs
🖼️ Original Artwork
One-of-a-kind pieces that can only be sold once.
- Higher price points ($500-$50,000+)
- Appeals to serious collectors
- One-time revenue per piece
- Requires constant creation
- Higher shipping complexity
🖨️ Art Prints
Reproductions that can be sold repeatedly.
- Lower price points ($20-$300)
- Accessible to more buyers
- Recurring revenue per piece
- Scales without more creation
- Simpler fulfillment
✨ Both (Recommended)
A tiered approach serving different buyer segments.
- Originals for collectors
- Prints for fans
- Multiple revenue streams
- Prints can lead to original sales
- Maximizes each artwork's value
Most successful artists sell both. Originals bring prestige and high-ticket sales; prints create accessible entry points and recurring revenue. A buyer who starts with a $35 print may eventually purchase a $3,000 original.
Finding Your Niche
The biggest marketing mistake artists make is trying to appeal to everyone. "I paint whatever inspires me" is creatively freeing but commercially challenging. The artists who succeed online often have a recognizable style, subject matter, or aesthetic that makes them memorable and searchable.
- People can describe your work in a sentence ("She paints moody coastal landscapes")
- Collectors seek you out for a specific type of work
- You rank for specific search terms (not just "art")
- Your social media attracts a cohesive audience
2. Pricing Your Work
Pricing is where many artists leave thousands of dollars on the table — either by underpricing (losing profit) or overpricing (losing sales). The right price maximizes revenue while keeping work accessible to your target buyers.
The Pricing Formula
For originals, a common formula is:
(Hourly Rate × Hours) + Materials + Overhead + Profit Margin = Price
For prints, think in tiers:
- Entry tier (8×10", 11×14"): Lower margins, higher volume — attracts new buyers
- Mid tier (16×20", 18×24"): Balanced margins and volume — your bread and butter
- Premium tier (24×36"+): Higher margins, lower volume — serious collectors
7 Pricing Mistakes That Kill Your Profits
Common errors that cost artists thousands in lost revenue.
Best Print Sizes to Sell
Which sizes sell best and how to price them by tier.
💰 Free Print Pricing Calculator
Calculate profitable prices for every print size in seconds.
3. Photographing Your Art
Your photography is often the only way buyers can evaluate your work. Poor photos kill sales even of excellent art. Good news: you don't need expensive equipment, just proper technique.
Essential Photography Principles
- Even, diffused lighting: Natural daylight from a north-facing window, or two matched lights at 45° angles
- No glare or hotspots: Especially challenging with glazed or varnished work — angle your lights carefully
- Accurate colors: Use a gray card and proper white balance
- Straight-on angle: Camera perpendicular to the artwork, no keystoning
- Clean background: Neutral gray or white, or contextual "lifestyle" shots
- Multiple shots: Full piece, details, scale reference, framed/hung
Modern smartphones take excellent photos if you control the lighting. Natural daylight, a cheap tripod, and editing for color accuracy will produce professional results.
4. Choosing Your Platforms
There's no single "best" platform — successful artists typically use multiple channels strategically. Understanding the trade-offs helps you decide where to focus.
🌐 Your Own Website
- Full control over branding
- Highest profit margins (no fees)
- Own your customer relationships
- Must drive your own traffic
- Best for: Established artists, serious businesses
🛒 Etsy / Marketplaces
- Built-in buyer traffic
- Lower trust barrier for buyers
- Fees reduce margins (15-20%)
- Less brand differentiation
- Best for: New artists, print sales
📱 Social Media
- Free to use, huge reach potential
- Builds audience and connection
- Must direct buyers elsewhere
- Algorithm-dependent visibility
- Best for: Discovery, relationship building
Recommended Approach
For most artists, the winning combination is: Instagram for discovery → Your own website for sales → Etsy as a secondary channel. As you grow, reduce dependence on platforms you don't control.
Instagram Strategy for Selling Art
Complete guide to building an Instagram presence that converts.
5. Creating Listings That Sell
A listing is a sales pitch. The best listings combine compelling visuals, emotional descriptions, practical information, and clear calls-to-action.
The Anatomy of a High-Converting Listing
- Lead image: Your strongest, most accurate photo
- Supporting images: Details, scale, lifestyle context, process
- Title: Descriptive and searchable, not just clever
- Description: Story and emotion first, specs second
- Pricing: Clear, with size options visible
- Social proof: Reviews, testimonials, collector photos
- Call-to-action: What should they do next?
How to Write Captions That Sell Art
Caption formulas for Instagram, Facebook, and beyond.
✨ AI Title & Description Generator
Generate compelling titles and descriptions for your artwork.
6. Marketing Your Art
Creating great art is only half the job. The other half is getting it in front of people who will love it enough to buy. Marketing isn't sleazy — it's how you connect your work with its future owners.
Social Media Strategy
Social media works best when you use it strategically, not randomly. The content that grows your audience isn't always the content that sells — you need both.
- 40% Process content: Time-lapses, WIPs, studio shots — highest reach
- 30% Finished work: Portfolio building, searchability
- 20% Personal content: Your face, story, opinions — builds connection
- 10% Sales content: Available work, promotions — direct revenue
Instagram Strategy for Selling Art
Profile optimization, content strategy, and conversion tactics.
Email Marketing
Email is the most underrated marketing channel for artists. Unlike social media, you own your list — no algorithm can take it away. And email converts at 3-5x the rate of social media.
If you're only posting on Instagram without collecting emails, you're building on rented land. One algorithm change can tank your visibility overnight. An email list is yours forever.
7. Converting Browsers to Buyers
This is where most artists fail. Growing followers is meaningless if none of them buy. Understanding buyer psychology — and removing friction — is the key to conversion.
The Visualization Problem
The #1 reason browsers don't become buyers: they can't imagine how your art will look in their home. Dimensions on a screen don't translate to spatial understanding. This "imagination gap" kills sales.
The solution? Show them. AR (augmented reality) "View on Wall" technology lets buyers see your art on their actual wall, at actual scale, before they buy. Artists using AR see 40% higher conversion rates and 25% fewer returns.
Why Buyers Need to Visualize Art
The psychology behind the imagination gap and how to solve it.
How AR "View on Wall" Helps Sell Art
Data on conversion rates and practical implementation.
The Psychology of Art Buying
The four barriers that stop buyers and five principles that convert them.
Let Buyers See Your Art on Their Wall
Create an AR-enabled gallery that helps buyers visualize your work in their space — increasing confidence and conversion.
Create Free AR Gallery8. Operations & Fulfillment
A sale isn't complete until the buyer has their art safely in hand. Professional operations build trust and encourage repeat purchases.
Shipping Essentials
- Prints: Rigid mailers, tissue paper, tracking, 2-5 business days
- Large prints/canvas: Rolled in tubes with protective paper, or flat in reinforced boxes
- Originals: Corner protectors, acid-free materials, insurance, signature confirmation
Customer Experience
- Order confirmation: Immediate email with expected timeline
- Shipping notification: Tracking number as soon as it ships
- Follow-up: Check-in after delivery, request review if appropriate
- Issue resolution: Fast, generous, no-questions-asked returns build trust
What's Next?
This guide covered the fundamentals. Now it's time to go deeper on the areas most relevant to where you are now:
Frequently Asked Questions
There's no single best platform — it depends on your goals. Your own website gives you the most control and highest margins. Etsy provides built-in traffic but charges fees. Instagram works for building audience but requires directing buyers elsewhere. Most successful artists use multiple platforms strategically.
Start with your costs (materials, time, overhead), then add your desired profit margin. Research comparable artists at your career stage. For prints, use tiered pricing: lower margins on small prints to attract buyers, higher margins on large prints. Never price based on production cost alone — your creative value matters.
Quality photography is essential — it's often the only way buyers can evaluate your work. You don't need expensive equipment, but you do need even lighting (natural daylight works), a clean background, accurate colors, and multiple angles. Smartphone cameras are capable if you learn proper technique.
Both have advantages. Originals command higher prices but are one-time sales. Prints generate recurring revenue from each piece and reach buyers at lower price points. Most artists sell both: originals to serious collectors, prints to fans who love the work but can't afford originals.
Expect 3-6 months of consistent effort before seeing regular sales. The first month is setup: photography, listings, pricing. Months 2-3 are about building presence and learning what works. By month 4-6, patterns emerge and sales become more predictable. Artists who give up too early never reach the tipping point.