There are a few hoops.... mainly setting up the online storefront, but I worked with a web design client recently to set them up and the startup effort seemed not too outrageous.
One small caveat about printful. With their "quickstore" option they will take care of all payment processing and forward the profits direct to your bank account, but only after the amount owed to you rises above $25.
Not sure what price point you are planning for your artwork, but that is one wrinkle about getting paid that is good to know up front.
Have you tried redbubble.com? From a customer perspective it seems OK, and the one artist purveying through it that I'm slightly acquainted with is satisfied as far as I'm aware.
Payhip allows the setting up of an online shop (they host) and the ability to take card payments (through PayPal and Stripe). I use it to sell ebooks, and the payments are fairly quick (with the fees taken off when sales come in).
Facebook Marketplace tends to work with faster turnarounds. However, that will require a Facebook account, which you may prefer to avoid.
Thank you for naming Schroedinger's login; more than anything it is that particularity of tech-dystopia that makes me want to flush my phone down the toilet. 😁
I haven't done it myself, but you can sell print-on-demand art through Shopify. I hear many Etsy artists have jumped ship or set up a second shop through that platform.
Seconded. eBay remains gold standard for “yup just works” selling. You don’t need a fancy storefront if you’re exclusively driving it from Substack subs, and that prior relationship means customers won’t balk at your lack of seller reviews.
Just remember to price in your pack and ship costs (but that rewards ordering multiple prints!)
DeviantArt made prints. I bought a nice couple over a decade ago. I think they made it so you have to have a paid account to sell prints now. But maybe worth a look... I don't know if they do frames though. It has been a long time since I used it and I know it changed a lot in other ways.
I wouldn't mind the no payment for 90 days thing if there was a way to limit costs. But if 10% of my readers bought a print, that could be close to ten grand in expenses....not going to take that risk and just pray in 90 days I get reimbursed by Etsy.
I also want to sell prints of my art online, so I'm reading the comments with interest.
With Etsy, the hold on payments seems to apply only to new shops. Once you've been established for (I think) 180 days, the hold no longer applies. The duration of the hold time seems to be anywhere from 20 to 90 days and is either arbitrarily set or based on some inscrutable algorithm. This is a new policy at Etsy to discourage scammers, which I get, but it's discouraging for new shop owners, especially if you can't afford to front the cost for weeks or months. I've had my Etsy shop for years, but I haven't been active in a long time, and I'm sure the new policy will apply to me.
Anyway, best of luck with this. If you find a good solution, I'm sure you'll let us know.
- post photos of your options on your Substack behind the paywall and
- ask those who want any pieces to email you at a secure account and
- ask for 1-time donations to go directly to your Substack account (or maybe transfer between the buyer and sender's bank account) for the art then
- send to the art fan?
I realize there may be a trust requirement (emails and addresses) , but right now, these other sites don't seem so trustworthy to me. Here at least it's a small pilot program where you can see what is and isn't working and tweak the process. Also, it will give you extra time to see if the other options are viable in the longer term.
My friend had a "Schroedinger's login" issue that entailed many tech support calls and new devices - just because of having everything attached to an old work email.
Thank you — the thing that stops me from doing this is that I have a tiny apartment and don’t have space (even if I had time, which I don’t) for a print/package/ship operation.
I have a solution that I am emailing to you.
Have you checked out printful.com?
There are a few hoops.... mainly setting up the online storefront, but I worked with a web design client recently to set them up and the startup effort seemed not too outrageous.
One small caveat about printful. With their "quickstore" option they will take care of all payment processing and forward the profits direct to your bank account, but only after the amount owed to you rises above $25.
Not sure what price point you are planning for your artwork, but that is one wrinkle about getting paid that is good to know up front.
Have you tried redbubble.com? From a customer perspective it seems OK, and the one artist purveying through it that I'm slightly acquainted with is satisfied as far as I'm aware.
https://help.redbubble.com/hc/en-us/articles/202982175-How-do-I-set-up-an-Artist-Account
Payhip allows the setting up of an online shop (they host) and the ability to take card payments (through PayPal and Stripe). I use it to sell ebooks, and the payments are fairly quick (with the fees taken off when sales come in).
Facebook Marketplace tends to work with faster turnarounds. However, that will require a Facebook account, which you may prefer to avoid.
I'll email you a third option.
I don't have a solution, but I wish you the best of luck in monetizing your hobby.
I can't help, but I chuckled at "Schroedinger's login". And I haven't done much chuckling lately
Thank you for naming Schroedinger's login; more than anything it is that particularity of tech-dystopia that makes me want to flush my phone down the toilet. 😁
I haven't done it myself, but you can sell print-on-demand art through Shopify. I hear many Etsy artists have jumped ship or set up a second shop through that platform.
I've bought posters on Ebay before. You'd have to make your own prints that way, but I think they pay pretty quickly.
Seconded. eBay remains gold standard for “yup just works” selling. You don’t need a fancy storefront if you’re exclusively driving it from Substack subs, and that prior relationship means customers won’t balk at your lack of seller reviews.
Just remember to price in your pack and ship costs (but that rewards ordering multiple prints!)
https://darkroom.com/
DeviantArt made prints. I bought a nice couple over a decade ago. I think they made it so you have to have a paid account to sell prints now. But maybe worth a look... I don't know if they do frames though. It has been a long time since I used it and I know it changed a lot in other ways.
Now that I think about it, I have no idea how long they would take to pay the artist...
I wouldn't mind the no payment for 90 days thing if there was a way to limit costs. But if 10% of my readers bought a print, that could be close to ten grand in expenses....not going to take that risk and just pray in 90 days I get reimbursed by Etsy.
Good luck in finding a good solution for this.
I also want to sell prints of my art online, so I'm reading the comments with interest.
With Etsy, the hold on payments seems to apply only to new shops. Once you've been established for (I think) 180 days, the hold no longer applies. The duration of the hold time seems to be anywhere from 20 to 90 days and is either arbitrarily set or based on some inscrutable algorithm. This is a new policy at Etsy to discourage scammers, which I get, but it's discouraging for new shop owners, especially if you can't afford to front the cost for weeks or months. I've had my Etsy shop for years, but I haven't been active in a long time, and I'm sure the new policy will apply to me.
Anyway, best of luck with this. If you find a good solution, I'm sure you'll let us know.
I'll ask some of my artists who sell prints.
Hi Holly, not sure these are helpful (they look like print-in-advance services rather than POD):
https://www.canvastrywholesale.com/collections/signature-art-prints
https://www.whcc.com/products/fine-art-prints/
Did you try Fine Art America's Live Chat? It looks like a good marketplace to be in, if you can get access to it.
https://fineartamerica.com/contactus.html?tab=faq
(Writing as a Luddite with a head cold, so...)
Is it possible to:
- post photos of your options on your Substack behind the paywall and
- ask those who want any pieces to email you at a secure account and
- ask for 1-time donations to go directly to your Substack account (or maybe transfer between the buyer and sender's bank account) for the art then
- send to the art fan?
I realize there may be a trust requirement (emails and addresses) , but right now, these other sites don't seem so trustworthy to me. Here at least it's a small pilot program where you can see what is and isn't working and tweak the process. Also, it will give you extra time to see if the other options are viable in the longer term.
My friend had a "Schroedinger's login" issue that entailed many tech support calls and new devices - just because of having everything attached to an old work email.
You do great work, I'd be a customer...
Best of luck!
Thank you — the thing that stops me from doing this is that I have a tiny apartment and don’t have space (even if I had time, which I don’t) for a print/package/ship operation.
Sending you a virtual hug , Holly. Best wishes. I’m glad other commenters know about more printing sites than I do. 😃