Dear Narnia,
There are several possible ways, in which you could market you works
to the Western world.
First of all, you could join an established artists' organisation or a
gallery in your country, and to make sure that they'll represent you.
The benefits of this method, is that these organisations and galleries
already have the experience, the contacts and the organisational
structure to sell art and export it, which lifts much from your
shoulders, leaving you only with the task of actually producing art.
However, this method is not risk-free. These organisations usually
represent more than one artist, and might not have your interests on
their top priority.
Few online galleries:
PicassoMio <http://www.picassomio.com/services/artists/en/>
Guild <http://www.guild.com/servlet/Guild/BecomeArtistPage>
Art From the Source <http://www.artfromthesource.com/signup.asp>
Jean Stephan <http://www.jeanstephengalleries.com/howtoclassifieds.html>
Art Connector <http://www.artconnector.com/submission.html>
Art Areas <http://www.artareas.com/ArtAreas/home.nsf/Info/Artists>
Vlad <http://www.vladartgallery.com/>
Artist Stall <http://www.artstall.com/index.jsp>
[By putting these names I am not endorsing them. There are many more
online galleries and opportunities for listing available at Google
Directory <http://directory.google.com/Top/Shopping/Visual_Arts/Galleries/>].
Online galleries like the ones described and many others also pose a
further problem. Many request a fee for listing and presenting your
art, with no guarantees whatsoever to actually sell your art. You
sometimes cannot tell how many unique users they receive, and how many
of those actually buy something. Be very careful dealing with these
galleries, because many of the galleries and the listings generate
money mostly to their owners, not to the artists.
Another way to market your art and export it is to sell it through
eBay. EBay has a special art section
<http://portals.ebay.com/550?ssPageName=MOPS5:HAR01> as well as a
gifts section <http://portals.ebay.com/16086?ssPageName=MOPS5:HEE02>.
Both could fit your work. Working through eBay is easier and safer
than working alone: they already have the platform, run all the money
arrangements. You have to care only for two things:
- Presenting your art and pricing it, so it will be attractive enough
for potential customers. You might have to do a little survey, to see
in how much similar works to you sell, and remember all your
additional costs, namely the expenses you'll have on shipping the
object, insuring it, etc. Regarding the presentation of your artworks
on the site, you have to have quality pictures and description of the
product. If you don't have quality equipment (digital camera, for
example), consider going to a professional photographer. The
description should be as good as possible - ask several people who
know well the language of the country (or countries) you're intending
on exporting to - especially English - to proof-read your description.
PicossoMio team writes:
"Clear images and adequate information are two key factors in
achieving both sales and new admirers of your work. Internet implies
that someone is seeing your work on a computer monitor. You need to
make sure that they are getting as-realistic-as-possible image of your
work. If you are not a great photographer, use a professional one;
even one new sale will make it all worth it.
When someone views your artwork online, you will not be there to
explain him/her the details. Do provide all the details that you can
about yourself and the artwork. Importantly, keep your information
updated.
Some sophisticated Websites allow their users to view artworks with
life-like tools, such as View-to-Scale and Try-Wallcolor. Such tools
help the viewer understand your artwork in near-real circumstances and
should help you achieve a higher number of sales."
(Source: PicassoMio, "How To Sell Art on the Internet?"
<http://www.picassomio.com/help/sell-art/en/>).
- Everything that has to do with export and taxation regulations in
your home country. You'll have to open a business status with your
country's tax authorities. Exporters sometimes have to have special
licensure, or have to pay fees or levies. There are always limitations
on the export of some forbidden materials, for example ivory or furs.
Similar to eBay, you could try z_Shops:
<http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/browse-zshops/68281/002-5854015-2884841>
In both sites, you'll have to pay fees for placing you "ads", but it
is worthwhile, because they get a lot of traffic and manage all your
financial affairs for you.
Setting up your own site is the third option, and the most demanding
of the three. You'll have to build the site (or pay some professional
to build it), pay an ISP that will hold your site; market it so it
will appear as a search result to customers interested in buying your
art; and have a whole mechanism of debiting your clients: to be listed
with one or more of the credit card companies, or to have a PayPal, if
this is an option where you live. In addition, all the efforts
regarding presentation, wording, taxation and export permits described
before are also true here. In other words - lots of work, and it could
be that you'll actually gain less traffic, than as an eBay seller.
Finally, a word of warning. There are many sites that promise you
instant ways to sell your art online, for a fee. I'm afraid that there
are no instant ways, and you should beware schemes that are meant to
scam you off your money without giving you any assistance.
Further Sources
===============
Chris Maher, SYAO - Sell Your Art Online <http://1x.com/advisor/> - on
online guide and newsletter on the subject.
Sell Your Art.net <http://www.sellyourart.net/home.cfm>
PicassoMio, "How To Sell Art on the Internet?"
<http://www.picassomio.com/help/sell-art/en/>
Artline <http://www.artline.com/>
StudioArts <http://www.studioarts.co.uk/>
Art materials, publishers and gallery, featuring artists? materials
with information on new products.
Passion for Paint <http://www.passionforpaint.com/> Offers painting
news from around the world, tips to help improve your artwork, and
articles by artists
Global Art Information <http://www.globalartinfo.com/> Directory for
exhibitions, libraries, organizations, artist homepages, jobs, and
residencies.
Art Resources <http://wwar.com/> - portfolio could appear at
<http://www.absolutearts.com/>
Artist Portfolio <http://www.artistportfolio.net/>
Art Forum @ Lucid-Cafe <http://www.lucidcafe.com/gallery/artforum.html>
Art Exchange <http://www.art-exchange.com/default.asp?cookie%5Ftest=1>
ArtBusiness.com <http://www.artbusiness.com/index.html> - many helpful
advices on how to avoid scams, sell successfully, etc.
Books:
E-Book: Sell Your Art Online <http://iartist.net/>
Starting an eBay Business for Dummies / by Marsha Collier
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0764515470/002-5854015-2884841
Selling Art on the Internet
By Marques Vickers
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/097065300X/qid=1068548354/sr=1-9/ref=sr_1_9/002-5854015-2884841?v=glance&s=books
How to Survive and Prosper As an Artist: Selling Yourself without Selling Your Soul
by Caroll Michels
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0805068007/ref=pd_sim_books_1/002-5854015-2884841?v=glance&s=books
The Artist's Guide to New Markets: Opportunities to Show and Sell Art
Beyond Galleries
by Peggy Hadden
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1880559757/ref=pd_sim_books_2/002-5854015-2884841?v=glance&s=books
Legal Guide for the Visual Artist: Tad Crawford (4th Edition)
by Tad Crawford
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1581150032/ref=pd_sim_books_3/002-5854015-2884841?v=glance&s=books
How to Make Money as an Artist
by Sean Moore
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1556524137/ref=pd_sim_books_3/002-5854015-2884841?v=glance&s=books
Sites featured in the Google Directory:
Arts > Visual Arts > Resources > Directories
http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Visual_Arts/Resources/Directories/?il=1
Arts > Visual Arts > Painting > Resources
http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Visual_Arts/Painting/Resources/?il=1
Arts > Directories > Artist Listings
http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Directories/Artist_Listings/
Shopping > Visual Arts > Galleries
http://directory.google.com/Top/Shopping/Visual_Arts/Galleries/
I hope this answered your question. I used the following search terms:
sell "your art OR artworks" "online OR internet" galleries
Please contact me with any clarifications before you rate/tip the answer. |
