Never before in history has it been easier to make a living as a visual artist. Rather than waiting to be "discovered" by an art gallery or dealer, many painters are now taking matters into their own hands by posting and selling their paintings online. Some popular websites are making it feasible for almost any artist to offer their wares to the general public.
Instructions
1. Choose the site you want to use. Of course, you can post your artwork on more than one site, but this will require more time and work on your part. While eBay has been the quintessential online auction/marketplace for more than a decade, there are sites that focus solely on art. A few of these are Etsy.com, Art.com, Imagekind.com and BoundlessGallery.com.
EmptyEasel.com is a blog that reviews several of these sites and contains several articles on tips for selling your art online, so it is a good resource to help you choose the site that is right for you. Keep in mind that each site has a different method of making money: Some take a small percentage of your profits, and others charge an upfront membership fee. Take this into account before choosing a site. Also, Compete.com will allow you to enter the addresses of the sites you are considering in order to see which ones have the highest traffic and thus the potential to make you more money.
2. Click on the sell tab of the site you've chosen (usually on the home page in the navigation bar or somewhere else highly visible). Each site has different rules and policies, so read through these thoroughly before you sign up. Some sites might require you to have a PayPal account to accept payments or pay fees to the site. If this is the case, or if you choose to use PayPal to accept payments, visit PayPal.com to sign up for an account if you don't already have one. You will need your checking account information to do so.
3. Personalize your "store" page, if the site you're using allows this. Don't worry; you don't have to be a programmer to do this. As you begin to set up your account, you'll find instructions on setting up your "store," with no HTML required. Remember that this virtual storefront is your connection to potential customers. Use it to express who you are and what you're about as an artist.
4. Post high-quality images of your artwork. This is very important, as these images will sell your artwork. If the image misrepresents your work, you could lose a sale or end up with an unhappy customer.
5. Keep up to date on your account to ensure you know when orders are coming in and can ship them promptly. Posting items to sell is only half the battle. You need to get your art to your customers in a timely manner.
