How to Sell Art Online So People Can Order and Pay With Credit Cards

Selling online takes art to a wider audience.

Selling art online gives you the opportunity to reach a large market, potentially anywhere in the world. You have the choice of setting up your own website and adding credit card payment facilities or joining an established art site that offers a range of optional online marketing facilities, including payment processing. No statistics exist for online art sales. However, as an indication of trends in online art business, "All Art News" reported that auction house Christie's received more than 49,000 online bids worth $68.4 million in 2010.

Instructions

1. Set up your own website. Show images of your art on the website pages. Create categories for different types of art to help visitors find items that interest them. Include a title, description, reference number and price, including delivery charge. Add biographical and other relevant information to each artwork piece to add interest for the viewer.

2. Add a payment facility to your website. Contact a bank to set up a merchant account that will enable you to accept credit card payments. Use the services of a third-party payment processing organization such as PayPal or Google Checkout. Create an order form on your website to capture the buyer's personal details, delivery information and payment details. Ask your payment provider for the cost of handling each credit card transaction. Build that charge into your online selling price.

3. Join an established online art website. Imagekind.com is an example of an online art community that offers members facilities to display their art and sell it direct to customers. The site offers a range of different options for ordering, payment and shipping facilities. Members pay a monthly or annual fee for the level of service they want. Consider placing your art on an auction site like eBay. With this method, buyers place bids and make their payments through PayPal.

4. Build your online reputation. According to the website ArtBusiness.com, online marketing will become increasingly important for artists who want to display their work and build a reputation. ArtBusiness.com recommends that artists should create an informative website that helps visitors understand, choose and appreciate art. Change the art images on your site regularly to keep the site fresh.

5. Integrate your online marketing with traditional techniques for selling art. Invite online buyers to visit your studio or a gallery that is showing your work. Use the website to showcase your work to gallery owners and encourage them to offer you space.

References

• "All Art News"; Christie's Announces 2009 Global Art Sales Total $3.3 Billion; January 2010
• Imagekind: Sell Your Art
• ArtBusiness.com; Websites for Artists: Creating Your Online Profile; Alan Bamberger