Finding the right platform to sell your art online isn’t easy. There are hundreds to choose from, all offering different fees, commissions, and services.
I’ve narrowed them down to 25 of the best platforms for artists, including art marketplaces, print-on-demand services, website builders, and other ways to make money from your art.
I’ve checked the current costs, commissions, advantages, and drawbacks of each platform to help you decide which one suits you best.
Disclaimer: When you buy something via my affiliate links I earn from qualifying purchases and sometimes earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. I am an Amazon Associate among others. I only recommend trusted sites.
1. Amazon Handmade
In order to sell your art on Amazon, there is a pre-approval process. First, you need to make sure your work is eligible. Note that only a certain type of art is eligible.
Original paintings, drawings, and watercolors, as well as limited edition photography and art prints, are accepted.
Amazon’s Fine Art requirements state that limited editions must be below 200 and have a certificate of authenticity. Handmade fee is 15% or $0.30 per shipped unit, whichever is greater
2. Artfinder
Artfinder is a curated site with an application process. You must submit 4-6 files for approval with evidence of an online presence elsewhere. They have a free Starter plan taking 50% commission, a Core plan at £10 per month taking 45%, and a Premium plan at £30 per month taking 40%.
3. Art Station
Art Station is an online art platform aimed mainly at digital artists. Artists can showcase their work and sell digital products and prints.
They have 3 plans, Free, Pro from $9.95/month, and Studio from $29.99/month. Each tier offers more features and better selling rates.
This post will interest you: How to Make Money With Digital Art: 10 Ways to Profit
4. Artplode
Artplode is an online gallery that boasts it takes no commission fees. The catch is the listing price at $60 per item for an unlimited time. There are extra fees for being added to featured categories.
5. Artspan
Artspan is a website builder and marketplace for artists and creatives who want everything under one roof. Create professional-looking websites with a theme or create a custom site. It boasts print-on-demand, augmented reality for customers to view your art, no commission on sales through your own website, and deals with payments.
There are 3 plans billed annually, Basic, Professional, and Professional Plus costing $156, $252, and $336. Sales made to buyers who discover your art through the Artspan marketplace attract a 10% commission.
6. Artpal
Artpal allows artists to sell their own work as well as use its Print-on-Demand service.
Artists can upload their portfolios, create and manage print orders for their work in the Artpal online store. They have no membership or commission fees.
7. Cafepress
Cafepress is a print-on-demand site where artists can share their work and sell products featuring their designs to a worldwide audience. Artists can upload their work and customize the products with text, photos or graphics before they’re sold.
CafePress handles the printing and fulfilment, and artists can create their own online shop. Check the current seller terms for royalties and fees before joining. Also be aware that CafePress’s current terms state that uploaded content may be used to train artificial intelligence.
8. Ebay
It is possible to sell art on eBay. Successful sellers, provide plenty of photos, have great descriptions, do good keyword research, and have 100% positive feedback. Posting original art internationally can be very expensive. Selling art prints is more practical.
It’s more suited for Print-on-Demand products. Printful.com integrates with eBay.
On eBay.com, you currently get up to 250 free listings per month, then pay $0.35 per additional listing. The standard final value fee for art is 13.6% plus $0.30 per order up to $10 or $0.40 for orders over $10. The fee is calculated on the total amount of the sale, including postage and applicable taxes. Beware.
Read this post for my opinions on eBay for Artists: Is Selling Art on eBay Worth it? Pros and Cons
9. Etsy
Etsy features a creative and inviting marketplace specifically for purchasing products designed by artists and crafters from all over the world. There is a global audience but it’s most popular in the USA.
I wrote these posts about Etsy:
- Is Selling on Etsy Worth it? Pros and Cons for Art and Crafters
- Where to Print Art Prints From Etsy (Downloads / Printables)
- How to Sell Art Prints on Etsy: Mega Selling Guide
- Selling Digital Downloads on Etsy: Best Guide
- Does Printful Work With Etsy? Your Integration Guide
Make your own Etsy shop as an Etsy seller or integrate your website, Etsy is a brand consumers trust and a great place to attract potential buyers. Learn to use Keywords and promote your site to get more sales.
The standard listing fee is $0.20, plus a 6.5% transaction fee. Etsy may also charge a one-time shop setup fee, depending on your location, and payment processing fees vary by country. There are extra charges according to what you do.
You’ll need some help if you want to sell on Etsy seriously.
These guys have a very popular course with great reviews
Top Tip: When you sign up Udemy will offer you a huge discount
10. Fineartamerica
Fine Art America has a huge audience and a very low entry cost. Free accounts have 25 uploads or you can become a member for $30/annum with your own website.
You can sell your original work without commission or use their print-on-demand service and place your designs on dozens of products. You determine your own markup. The only downside? The site is too large to be found organically. You must market yourself to generate traffic.
11. UGallery
UGallery is a juried platform that aims to maintain a high standard of work for sale. They claim to be an alternative to the bricks-and-mortar traditional gallery.
They require 10 images for submission and a $5 fee. They take 50% which is exactly the same as traditional galleries. UGallery covers the costs of packaging and shipping the work.
12. Printful
Printful is a print-on-demand company with a reputation for high-quality products and good customer service. Printful integrates with all the major e-commerce platforms, such as eBay, Etsy, Shopify, Amazon Handmade, Squarespace, and even your own website.
Printful processes your order for you on all the platforms. The company prints, packs, and ships everything. You determine the markup and retail price, and you retain control of your customer relationship through your own store, subject to the rules of the platform you use.
Read my review of Printful (spoiler – yes): Is Printful Worth it? Print on Demand Review
13. Redbubble
Redbubble is a worldwide print-on-demand marketplace where artists and graphic designers can sell their designs on products such as T-shirts, tote bags, phone cases, art prints, and posters. Redbubble handles the printing, shipping, and customer service.
Redbubble now has 3 account tiers, Standard, Premium, and Pro. Standard accounts pay a platform fee equal to 50% of monthly earnings, Premium accounts pay 20%, and Pro accounts pay no platform fee. There is also an additional fee if you set your markup above 20%.
I wrote this Updated post on Redbubble: Is Redbubble Worth it? Pros and Cons For Artists and Designers
14. Saatchi Art
Saatchi Art is one of the world’s leading online galleries. The company has created a global platform for emerging and established artists, primarily to sell their original work. This is a site that attracts art lovers.
There is a brief application process requiring a sample portfolio of 3 artworks. New artists are welcome and there is no fee to create an account. Saatchi Art takes 40% commission on original artwork sales.
15. Society6
Society6 is a well-established and popular print-on-demand company. It’s a marketplace where artists and designers can open their own shops and sell their artwork as prints, or on various products.
Society6 sets the prices and artists currently earn 10% on certain products, including posters and framed art, and 5% on most other products. Society6 handles the manufacturing, shipping, and customer service.
N.B. At the time of writing, Society6 is not accepting new artist applications. They said “We’re not accepting new applications right now, but we’re excited to review new portfolios once submissions reopen.”
16. Zatista
Zatista is a global company that specializes in the sale of original art only. It is similar to Saatchi. They represent emerging and established fine artists from all around the world and have a curated submission policy.
Zatista takes 45% and the artist is responsible for shipping with approved carriers. At the moment, Zatista is only open to new artists who have received an invitation from their curation team.
17. Zazzle
Zazzle is a print-on-demand marketplace and the artist/designer sets their own royalty over and above the basic cost of the product. You can set your own royalty rate. To succeed on Zazzle artists must be prolific, post designs regularly, and market themselves well.
Beware of copycats and read this: 15 Ways to Protect Your Artwork From Being Copied
The Best Website Platforms for Artists
18. Artweb
Artweb is a British website builder, promising premium templates, no commission fees, and a community of like-minded artists. It has a free starter plan limited to 15 images but to use the platform effectively you will need to upgrade. The next tier allows 25 images for a yearly fee of £57.48, and the pro plan allows 500 images for £97.56 per annum.
19. Squarespace
Squarespace is a content management system that allows you to create all your website needs with 4 subscription plans. You can sell products, register custom domain names, and track analytics from the same site. The templates are superb and you can customize them to suit your needs.
The 4 plans are Basic, Core, Plus, and Advanced, with annual subscriptions cheaper than paying monthly. All four plans allow you to sell products. The Basic plan charges a 2% commerce transaction fee, while Core, Plus, and Advanced have no Squarespace commerce transaction fee. Payment processing fees still apply.
20. WordPress
Did you know that over 42% of the web is built with WordPress? It’s free, open-source, and the world’s most popular content management system, and blogging platform, by far. It can be used to create a professional blog website or free online gallery, with thousands of plugins available.
You can do almost anything, like hosting videos, collecting emails, selling digital products, affiliate marketing, running ads, and creating a fully functioning eCommerce store.
If you need a good host try GreenGeeks, they are super helpful, super competitive, and carbon-neutral. I use them.
The initial learning curve is steep but with the advent of the Gutenberg page builder making a site is now easier than it’s ever been. You can now build a WordPress site without knowing how to code.
The big drawback is maintenance. You must acquire the knowledge to keep everything up to date
The big drawback is maintenance. You must acquire the knowledge to keep everything up to date yourself and to fix errors and conflicts as they happen. The bonus is complete control over every aspect of your business.
If you need convincing read my post: Do Artists Need a Website? Yes – 11 Best Reasons Why
You really should have your own website.
This course WordPress Course on Udemy stands out.
21. Shopify
Shopify is a good option for artists who have no technical skills but who still want to sell their art online with ease.
They offer templates that are easy to customize and you can get started on your store in minutes, without any web development experience at all. Their stores also integrate well into social media sites.
It’s a subscription-based model and everything is done for you including the hosting, payment gateways, and security.
Shopify caters to every size of business. The 4 main plans are Basic, Grow, Advanced, and Plus. In the UK, annual plans currently start at £19, £49, £259, and £1,800 per month respectively. Shopify Plus is aimed at much larger businesses and the £1,800 rate requires a 3-year term.
22. FASO Fine Art Studios Online
FASO is a membership platform offering dedicated templates to showcase and sell your art professionally. They have 4 price bands $12, $19, $26, and $40/mo billed annually.
Each tier allows subscribers to sign up for a newsletter. The plans include 50, 100, 1,000, and 2,500 subscribers respectively, with additional subscribers costing $0.02 each per month.
23. Skool
Skool.com is a community and membership platform that allows artists to make money from their knowledge and build a community around their work. It’s similar to Patreon but combines paid memberships with online courses, discussions and live events in one place.
Artists could use Skool to sell drawing courses and tutorials, run live demonstrations, offer critiques, share reference material, or create a private community for their followers. You can offer free or paid memberships, charge monthly or annually, create different membership tiers, or sell courses for a one-off payment.
Skool has 2 plans. The Hobby plan costs $9/month with a 10% transaction fee, while the Pro plan costs $99/month with a 2.9% transaction fee on transactions up to $899. Both plans allow unlimited members, courses, videos and live calls.
24. Artstorefronts
Artstorefronts offers a personal storefront combined with a print-on-demand service. Unlike other POD sites, they do not act as a gatekeeper in denying you access to your customer base. You retain full control over your art buyers and mailing list.
So far so good but they keep their prices hidden! You know what that means, if you knew the price upfront you’d walk.
Art Storefronts does not publish its current membership prices. You have to request a demo and speak to the company to find out what it will cost. They also charge transaction fees ranging from 5% to 15% depending on your plan and what you sell, although 0% fee plans are also available.
Having said this, their online reviews are good.
25. Bigcartel
Big Cartel bills itself as a site ‘By Artists, For Artists’ and promotes a small and cozy image. It has 3 price bands. The Gold plan is free and allows 5 products, Platinum costs $15/month and allows 50 products, and Diamond costs $30/month and allows 500 products. Annual subscriptions are 20% cheaper.
Their site is attractive and minimal, with no fancy promises of placing the world at your feet. Refreshing.
How Do You Choose The Right Art Platform For You?
Choosing the right online sales platform for your art depends on your needs.
Some platforms offer free gallery listings and high commission fees, while others make you pay yearly membership fees to use their site. Some give access only to talented artists who’ve been pre-approved, while others have open policies and provide marketing tools to help you sell your work.
If you want to sell only a few pieces of art, say one or two prints, and some greeting cards, then Etsy is one of the easiest platforms to get started with. Listings cost $0.20 each and Etsy gives you access to millions of potential customers.
On the other hand, you might prefer a more exclusive and upmarket platform to sell your artwork, in which case you might choose UGallery.
Read this post if you want to sell your original art: 6 Best Places to Sell ORIGINAL Art Online
There are too many sites out there and this is just a snapshot. The list goes on, and on, but these are some of the most popular and well-established platforms for artists.
Whatever platform you choose you must be aware that they are not stand-alone answers to making a living. They are only as effective as the amount of time and effort you put into them.
How To Market Your Online Art Gallery
Marketing is the key to success in any online business and that includes art. If you want your work to get found you need to invest in branding and marketing.
- Create an email newsletter and stay can stay connected with your followers.
- Share posts on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. But make sure that these posts are relevant so they get attention from the right people.
- Use Google Analytics (GA4) to monitor how your content is performing.
- Participate in online communities to find a niche audience who will love your work and share it with their friends. Participate in Facebook groups, Quora, and Reddit.
This is a great list: Social Media For Artists: The Best 13 Platforms for Creatives
It’s a good idea to choose one social media platform and give it all of your attention rather than spreading yourself too thin. Artists seem to prefer the most visual media so try Instagram, Pinterest and Youtube.
If you’re looking for another way to get more exposure, consider live streaming on YouTube. Art tutorials are a magnet for viewers. Monetize the videos with ads, affiliate links, and digital downloads.
And don’t ignore the most important link of all, your website!
Create a blog with high-quality content and share it regularly with your followers. Make sure that you’re loading new images regularly and keep your fans up to date with the latest news about your art.
This is how art blogging works:
- How to Start an Art Blog and Make Money for Beginners
- 45 Affiliate Programs for Artists: Mega Guide
- How to Start an Email List For Artists: Beginners Guide
Your biggest asset is your mailing list and for that reason, you should have an email marketing campaign in place.
An update once a month should be fine for most of your fans, but if you are very productive then once a week on a set day is the way to do it.
It’s important to let your followers know about exclusive promotions and product announcements. They want to feel special and informed, so give them that feeling! It’s a society, one that’s built around you, take advantage of it.
Consider setting up your own Facebook group and that way you can interact with your followers on a personal level and have a dedicated audience happy to buy your latest paintings.
You might even consider publishing an ebook or fanzine, and offer prints for sale on your website.
n the end, it all depends on what you want to achieve from your site and how you want it to look.
Don’t be afraid of putting your own personality and style into the website, this is for YOU!
Take the time to research other designers or artists who have attractive sites and take inspiration from them. Make sure there are links on your page to all of the social media and always answer your messages promptly.
There is so much to learn and only so much time in the day. You need to do your art as well as market yourself. It’s a full-time job. Passive income is a bit of a myth.
If you are willing to put the time and effort into your site there can be rich rewards.
Also check out this post for some ideas: How to Get Paid For Drawing: 18 Ways to Make Money
Best Platforms for Artists to Sell Art Online: Final Thoughts
Now you know the best platform to sell art, it’s ultimately up to you to choose a platform and go for it. Procrastinating isn’t an answer, you have to make a decision and stick with it.
You are very unlikely to get immediate results. It’s a slow burn. You must give it time and be dedicated to the task. Most people give up before they see results, don’t be one of them.
I’ll leave you with an inspirational quote:
“The best way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing”
Walt Disney
Good Luck!
Be honest, you want to sell online because it’s the ‘easy’ option. Sorry, it’s not, and that’s why you should read my guide. Take a look!
There are plenty more posts like this, have a look at these:
- Is Skillshare Worth It? The Pros and Cons for Artists and Designers
- How to Sell Your Drawings (All You Need to Know)
- Should Artists Have a Blog? Art Blogging Pros and Cons
- How to Write an Artist About Me Bio: In 4 Easy Steps
- Are Proko Courses Worth It? A Review – Pros and Cons
- Is Your Art Good Enough to Sell? You Need to Know This…
- Is The Procreate App Worth it For Beginners? Get the Facts
- 19 Ways to Make Money as an Artist Online and Off: No Fluff!
- Can You Copy Art and Sell a Painting of a Painting? I Found Out
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Hi, I’m Kevin Hayler
I’ve been selling my wildlife art and traveling the world for over 20 years, and if that sounds too good to be true, I’ve done it all without social media, art school, or galleries!
I can show you how to do it. You’ll find a wealth of info on my site, about selling art, drawing tips, lifestyle, reviews, travel, my portfolio, and more. Enjoy