How to sell art online? | Legal things to know before selling art online

You should make money doing what you love: art. The global art market is worth around $50 billion, with people around the world willing to spend on creative art prints and designs. So, learn how to sell art online. Sell digital art on internet and learn about the legal things to know before selling art online.

Now that you have all of the tools at your disposal, you can set up an online art store to showcase your prints and merchandise and begin taking payments from people around the globe.

Even though showcasing your work in a gallery is still a great way to promote your work, the online market represents a huge opportunity.

From beginners to creative masterminds, here’s how to sell art online in eight simple steps, regardless of your experience.

The 8 easy steps, How to sell Art Online?

1. Original or reproduction? You decide

You will have to decide where you want to concentrate your business when you learn how to sell art online. Depending on your genre of art, you may sell reproductions of your creations (such as prints), curated pieces (from other artists), or original pieces.

In order to reach a wide audience, some entrepreneurs sell a mix of different types of art.

• Create original artworks such as drawings, paintings, and other creative works. These works can also be made into prints or replicas.
• How to sell art online? For a limited time only, you might sell a certain number of prints to attract attention.
• This type of artwork is designed after you are commissioned by a client. Perhaps you can draw the dog or best friend of someone you know. Your piece will be unique even if you sell digital art on internet.
• You can now place your designs on everything from t-shirts to enamel pins thanks to print-on-demand services.
• A licensed work can be used by other companies, for instance, photography or illustrations.
• There is a growing interest in digital downloads, which include templates, desktop wallpapers, artworks customers can purchase and keep at home. You need to sell digital art on internet.

2. Create Your Prints to sell art online

In order to produce prints of your original works, you will need to find the right method for producing them. The options are many. DIY prints can be created at home using high-quality inks and a variety of beautiful papers with the right printing machine.

How to sell art online? If you’re a beginner artist concerned about spending too much, DIY printing can help keep profits high. Whenever someone orders an item, you can potentially use a local printing service if you cannot afford a professional printer. You might consider printing companies online as your order numbers increase.

Another way to keep costs low is to print on demand. In addition to printing on paper, print-on-demand offers a variety of media options. You can print your works on canvases, metals, bags, and mugs through companies in the POD landscape.

3. Photo vs Scan: Digitizing Your Work

Sell digital art on internet. It can be challenging to digitize your art for online sale. You may know that taking a picture of your latest piece isn’t the best way to accurately show the details incorporated in it. Images in photos may appear shiny or their colors may appear different than in person.

The quality of your photos depends on everything from your lighting to the camera you choose.

How to sell art online? Sell digital art on internet. Photograph and scan your art:

• Multiple photos are necessary: Snap a clear picture from a variety of angles as well as a zoomed-in shot to show detail and texture. The photos of your lifestyle (such as your artwork on a wall in your bedroom) can leave a lasting emotional impression on your audience.
• Make the picture look as realistic as possible by adjusting contrast, brightness, and other settings after it has been digitized. Don’t use any filters or additional features that could cause confusion among customers.
• How to sell art online? You should crop your images unless you’re providing a context shot. Hands and extra props should not be visible, since they can detract from your artwork.
• Sell digital art on internet. Save images in the correct format as well. PNG images retain high resolution and clarity better than JPEG files.
• Scanning works best for flat or 2D images since the scanning machine can examine and upload the images pixel by pixel.

4. Set the right price

One of the most challenging aspects of starting your own business is pricing. If you set a price too high, you risk scaring customers away. How to sell art online? You don’t want to undercut your audience by pricing something too cheaply, as they will believe they aren’t getting the best quality.

It’s difficult to value your skill when valuing original art. Sell digital art on internet. Start with simple pricing if you’re just getting started and don’t have many fans or followers.

Combining labor costs with materials and expenses is a good starting point.

You should profit from the sale by adding a small markup. As you gain more experience and amass a following for your art, you might consider charging a higher price.

You should also consider your competitors’ prices. Should you charge less or more?

How to sell art online? Pricing becomes easier if you’re selling curated art or prints. You need to add the cost of printing, selling, and marketing the print, and your markup (profit) to the cost of printing. Limited edition prints might cost a bit more.

Keep an eye on your competition and the market to see what kind of prices tend to work well for your customers. If you want to make a profit, don’t undervalue yourself just to attract more customers.

5. Set Up Your Online Store

How to sell art online? With a solution like Shopify, you can build a store in 30 minutes. You get everything you need to sell your art and make money with this eCommerce site-building service.

A theme can be customized to fit your brand image, you can set up a checkout page, and you can even add apps to help you sell your art.

With Shopify’s app market, creative professionals have access to a wealth of tools:

• You can use email marketing tools to keep your customers updated on your latest pieces, to generate hype about new collections, and to provide information about previous orders.
• Solutions for SEO: SEO software helps with keyword research and tracking so you can increase your visibility online. You need SEO if you want your customers to find your art when they search on Google for certain terms.
• If you sell digital art on internet and work with another printing company, print-on-demand services can be extremely useful. If you want your products to be of high quality, make sure you choose a POD service you can trust.
• You can also create a sense of urgency and convince people to buy by using Shopify’s countdown timer apps. Shopify App Store has everything you need to power up your online store and sell digital art on internet.

6. How to sell art online? Investigate additional online selling platforms

You need to sell on more than just your own site if you want to maximize your chances of getting as many sales as possible. It is easier to find potential buyers on dozens of art-focused websites that have pre-existing customer bases.

• Etsy is probably the most famous site for artistic creations and crafts. You can list your work on Etsy alongside the work of other local and global artists.
• You can turn your art into unique products and collectibles by using CafePress, a platform that unlocks new formats for your artwork. You can also get your pieces in front of a large audience.
• ArtFire is an online marketplace for makers and craftspeople. With things like podcasts, articles, and more. How to sell art online? Artfire helps you capture your target audience’s attention.
• A good choice for one-of-a-kind creations is eBay. You can bid exactly what you think your piece is worth on the world’s largest auction site.
• There is a dedicated marketplace for curated artwork called Artfinder. If you’re interested in being featured on the site, you need to apply. You can choose from a wide range of seller plans and commission options. Sell digital art on internet.
• UGallery connects artists directly with collectors to democratize the art market. You might want to consider this site if you’re selling one-of-a-kind items. There is an application process on the website to ensure that the art sold through it is of a high standard.
• How to sell art online? Social media channels like Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram can also be used to sell directly. You can also use wholesale sites such as Handshake to sell photos and prints in bulk.

7. Keep your work protected

Developing your brand as an artist is difficult because you have to protect yourself from people who will try to steal your talent.

On various websites and marketplaces, we often see people claiming that they made a certain design or even reproducing an art piece to sell as a print.

Learn legal things to know before selling art online. The costs of hiring a legal team can be extremely high, so it is best to work on your defense from the get-go.

Ensure that your major pieces are copyrighted as soon as possible, and keep an eye out for anyone who may be trying to duplicate your design.

Additionally, you should work with reputable marketplaces and third-party sellers when you learn how to sell art online.

A print-on-demand company, marketplace, and curator who works with you to protect your art will alert you if anyone tries to claim your images as their own.

8. How to sell art online? Promote Your Art Brand

Your site and your creations can be promoted in a variety of ways. Share snippets of your latest work on your social media page, for example. Instagram and Pinterest are great platforms for this.

• Run paid ads on Facebook and Google with PPC
• Participate in social media competitions and events to generate word-of-mouth marketing.
• Sell digital art on internet. Connect with influencers and the press in your industry
• Improve your ranking with sites like Google by learning SEO
• Drive organic traffic to your website with content marketing.
• To reach new audiences, think about offline marketing options, like participating in art shows and partnering with galleries

Summary: How to Sell Art Online

A wonderful way to make money from your passion is to sell art online.

You can sell prints of your images online, or create custom pieces for customers all over the world. All it takes is a leap of faith.

How to sell art online? These are all the steps:

• Select originals or reproductions to sell
• DIY printing or print-on-demand can be used to print your works
• Sell digital art on internet. To digitize art, photograph it and scan it
• Set a price point
• Create an online art store
• Identify other online stores where you can sell your art
• Copyright your artwork
• Make your art brand known

How to sell art online?

Personal preference plays a role here. Artists, on the other hand, say that having a website allows them to attract attention to their work. With a platform like Shopify, you can build an eCommerce site with a professional image and reach customers from around the world.

How to sell art online? In addition to selling through social media, online marketplaces, and more, you can also sell through other online channels.

How can you determine which art is most profitable?

Art is a subjective and broad concept. Everybody’s taste in art is different. To start, decide which types of art you’re most likely to enjoy selling and learn how to sell art online. You can then start monitoring which pieces seem to attract buyers the most once you’ve set up your store. Your store analytics will show you over time where you can concentrate your efforts to maximize your return.

Doing business with social media

The art trade is increasingly using social media platforms to promote its stock and is directly targeting potential customers through them.

There is a tendency for social media marketing and sales to appear informal, but it is important to make sure that material posted on your behalf is handled responsibly by having a social media policy in place.

How to sell art online? The content you publish must comply with copyright (especially when using images), data protection, and privacy laws.

Although you will be subject to the platform’s policies, it’s important to know how to control user-generated content. Social media comments about a work of art could be interpreted as contractual representations or warranties later, so disclaimers and a connection to your terms and conditions are vital.

Art business terms and conditions

Auction houses are used to transacting according to their terms and conditions but may not have considered the differences between traditional and online sales.

In the case of auction houses that generally conduct live sales, which are generally not covered by consumer protection legislation, they must modify their terms for online-only sales.

Dealers should adopt written contracts for online sales that incorporate valid and effective terms and conditions of business if they do not already have them.

How to sell art online? You should include the terms required by law in the contract about the sale of the item, including any warranties and limitations of liability and the mechanics of the sale, such as risk transfer, payment terms, and transport and storage provisions.

Contracts with consumers

Consumer clientswill need to be provided with certain information from the Consumer Contracts Regulations if they are contracting with you “off-premises” or at a distance.

This is information about your business, the work you are selling, and their right to cancel if they change their minds within 14 days after receiving the work.

Before a contract is signed, this information must be communicated to the consumer in writing. The regulations do not define all remote sales as “distance” or “off-premises”. If necessary, learn legal things to know before selling art online. Seek legal advice if your business model falls within the scope of the regulations.

How to sell art online? Get to know your customers

For anti-money laundering purposes, art market participants became part of the regulated sector on 10 January (in the UK).

In this category are auction houses, galleries, and dealers who transact with works of art that are valued at more than €10,000, whether that is an individual transaction or a series of linked transactions.

It is a requirement under the legislation that you conduct customer due diligence when establishing a business relationship.

Yet how can you really get to know your customers in a virtual environment? You should first obtain copies of official government-issued identification documents, as these are the most trustworthy sources of verification.

To verify your identity, you can use a combination of documents and electronic checks.

If you transact with someone you have not met face-to-face, ensure that your approach is in line with your anti-money laundering policies and compliance procedures.

You should also be aware that your risk profile will increase when you transact with someone whom you have not met personally. Remember to learn legal things to know before selling art online.

Fraud prevention

How to sell art online? In the art world, fraud is typically associated with fakes and forgeries, but you should also be aware of cybercrime, client data theft, and other scams that can affect any business.

Due to the current health and economic crisis, more people are becoming victims of fraud, whether through identity theft or payment fraud.

Simple steps, such as verifying bank account details by phone and email before sending or receiving funds, can help. Conducting due diligence on customers, suppliers, and contacts is an essential tool for fraud prevention, as is protecting your employees’ and clients’ personal data.

Did you learn how to sell art online? Sell digital art on internet and learn about all the legal things to know before selling art online.