Successfully sell art online - part 1: online galleries

The Internet offers enormous potential for the sale of works of art for young and aspiring artists and creatives. This applies in particular to the division of the visual arts (painting, drawings, sculptures, mixed media, jewelry, etc.).

According to an article by the British magazine "Theguardian" from 2014, the art transactions, which are handled worldwide directly over the Internet, were only about 1.6 % of the total volume in the art trade.

The art market in change

However, this relationship is already in the process of changing in favor of the online trade of all kinds of works of art Technological innovations and the progress of the Internet as such contribute to this as the fact that numerous trading platforms and online marketplaces in the field of art and crafts are pushed onto the market and made considerable investments.

, around 8.5 million USD was invested Artpace in 2013

Paddle8 received about 6 million USD for the development and expansion of his online art trade (supplement 2020: Paddle8 passed in auctionata . In March 2017, the Auctionata Paddle8 AG finally opened the bankruptcy proceedings. What was going wrong with this ambitious project can be read in an analysis of start-up scene ).

Another trend -setting project is likely Amazon Art .

If you know a little with the business and economic mechanisms, you can quickly see that these massive investments in the market of online art trade were worn by extremely positive forecasts with regard to future sales and trading volumes. So you can confidently assume a further strong growth in this segment.

In this consideration, you can also take a look at the past: you notice that the art market was always subjected to a strong change.

It is noteworthy that it could expand and grow through every change. The salons in the 19th century and the commercial galleries in the 20th century helped the market to grow considerably every time. In the 21st century, the Internet now has the potential to bring about the next major change.

While on the one hand the operators and investors are on increasing sales, on the other hand, countless young, little -known and emerging artists benefit from this trend.

The search for an art gallery and a sales channel for your own art was extremely difficult for the vast majority of artists and only a small selection made it into the exhibition rooms and/or art catalogs.

This now seems to change, since the Internet practicing every creatively creative access to a larger interested audience is now relatively easy.

What does that mean specifically for artists, art dealers and collectors

structural change is also growing , which changes the entire trade in works of art. It not only changes the sales path or the sales method, but also the buying behavior - other works are bought, they are bought for other reasons and they are bought by a different group of buyers.

Online platforms for the exhibition and the sale of art ensure democratization of the art trade.

More artists are enabled to exhibit their works directly and on the other hand, practically anyone interested is granted access to this with an internet connection. The market is therefore more deregulated, freer and will inevitably ensure more diversity and diversification.

The interim judgment of curators and gallery owners is avoided and there is a direct contact and exchange between the author and the consumer.

The Internet is therefore a great way to make a direct way to interested buyers, especially for young, new and still emerging artists . At the same time, a return channel also arises for the author that provides him with direct feedback about his works - either explicitly in reviews or expression or in the form of sales success.

Choosing the right online gallery

The biggest challenge when selling your own works of art via the net is to draw enough visitors and potential buyers.

If you already have a well -frequented own homepage and/or very well be networked with sufficient interested parties via social networks and platforms, then you should continue to take this path.

If you have not yet reached this level, large online galleries for marketing. This also applies if you expand existing resources and want to increase your reach online.

A moment - I didn't mentioned earlier that the greatest achievement of the online sale of your own art was the abolition of the middlemen (i.e. gallery owners, curators, etc.)? You are right! But why can't we just sell our works directly to buyers and collectors?

Well, the pragmatic answer to this question is that - without already having our own successful website - we rely on the visitors and customers of such online galleries and marketplaces.

The establishment of your own (successful!) Internet presence is a lengthy and sometimes expensive undertaking. I don't want to say that it is not worth it in the end or that you shouldn't try it. Only you should not underestimate the investment and time requirement for this. Shops on the Internet are usually only made in the provider of a page or a shop at a available buyer trust.

The structure of this trust takes time. And in order not to have to wait for the first sale on the Internet for months or years, the use of existing ranges of large online galleries is ideal. After all, it is better to keep 80% of 1,000 euros than 100% of 0 euros.

And be insured, art is already bought to a larger scale via the network ! And this proportion will increase drastically in the coming years. In addition to the existing buyer base, the use of online galleries also benefit from a number of other advantages. Let's summarize them:

• High range - you can achieve many potential buyers with little effort
• Customer confidence - large marketplaces and platforms have already acquired the trust of visitors
• Expert knowledge and experienced curators - you will receive valuable tips, feedback and support for sale
• Safe payment processing - you do not have to worry about the annoying payment processing yourself.
• Germany-wide or even international promotions- benefit from the marketing and doctoral activities of the provider

I am sure you have now recognized the advantages. Now it is only important to select the right platform. In the English -speaking area (USA, UK, from, ...), the large top dogs Saatchi Art (70 % of the sales price go to the artist), art finder  (up to 70 % to the artist) and degree art (60 % of the artist) have been positive.

These three providers have an excellent range and impress with excellent user-friendliness and many search and filter options.

A Argato is a provider that has caught us especially in German -speaking countries . This platform is comparable to a marketplace that is only focused interior design By specializing in this area, Argato very good conditions for successful online sales of art and design. The sales opportunities are increased by the many years of experience of the founders in the field of online marketing art .

Argato offers both known and unknown artists and designers the opportunity to reach a larger audience and thus successfully market their work on the Internet.

When publishing the works of art, you have the opportunity to publish your art either free of charge or for a small fee, alternatively you can purchase particularly cheap offer packages. Depending on the selected fee model, either a sales commission of 25% or 9% is due from the sales price.

In addition to marketing the works of art, a professional photo service offered, which skillfully makes your oeuvre appear in the right light.

Singulart - new virtual presentation area for artists since 2017

In 2017, a new platform saw the light of day in one of the art metropolises. The start-up Singulart  has developed enormously since it was founded in Paris and was recently able to collect a further 10 million euros in capital through a new investment round.

The health insurers are therefore filled for a consistent continuation of their mission, artists and art lovers. A serious increasing market participant in the art trade was blown out of an online gallery, which is considered to be an analogous and sometimes quite hermetic gallery scene.

Over 6,500 selected artists from all over the world are now selling through the platform, and the trend is rising. Prices for offered works rank between 250 and 15,000 euros. Represented styles range from abstract photo art to figurative painting. Singulart's mission goal said is: Empower artists!

The artists recorded are therefore consistently given tools, thanks to which they autonomously design their PR and sales processes autonomously and thus significantly promote their sales success themselves.

The curating team from Singulart shows their selection criteria and the admission process transparently and after a successful admission ensures good sales opportunities for aspiring and established artists from many different countries - far beyond national borders - with an exhibition time of 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. No traditional gallery will be able to offer artists such complete opening times.

How to get the maximum out of the online presentation of your works

Finally, I would like to give you a few helpful tips and suggestions in this post that further increase your sales opportunities. How to get the maximum out of the online sales for your works of art.

Tip 1 - Link several platforms for a maximum range

Of course, you can only concentrate on a single platform to keep the effort low. However, if you want to use further sales opportunities, then connect the presentation of your works via several providers. If the provider does not require exclusive marketing, you can set and apply your works to more than one platform. Or you can link different platforms.

An example: You use the free fee model from Argato to offer a painting from you to the online auction. Here you will not pay any adjustment fees and only a sales commission if you are successful.

Then you can draw even more visitors to this auction by creating an advertisement in the online gallery of Kunstplaza , which refers to the auction with a link.

This gives you interested visitors from two online platforms at the same time. Instagram is also used .

This not only increases the probability of sales but also their awareness as an artist. The final sale is then handled by Argato.

Tip 2 - Place great importance on high -quality photographs

The most important part of your art presentation is of course the image material. Refrain from taking out your works with compact or even cell phone cameras. If in doubt, use a professional photographer or photo service.

In addition to a high resolution, the correct exposure and the special preparation of the image material for displaying on the Internet are of great importance. Of course, you can acquire the appropriate knowledge yourself and borrow professional equipment with a short budget.

Tip 3 - provide detailed and current information

When selling via the network, there is no direct contact for interested parties on questions or ambiguities. Therefore, keep the description of your works as detailed as possible and indicate all the necessary information (e.g. dimensions; used materials, tools, techniques; framed or unfamiliated; edition: unique, original, reproduction, limited art print, ...; delivery conditions, price, etc.).

Interested parties can inquire about the desired details by email, but not everyone will choose this step.

Do not lose potential buyers by stingy with important details. A report by Artactic and Hiscox indicated 92 % of all artists that they have the image material and information about the artwork the most important factors when making a purchase decision on the Internet.

Tip 4 - Do not neglect your offline marketing

Do not treat online sales as a replacement, but as a supplement to your efforts away from the digital world. Traditional art galleries and human contact will continue to play an important role in the art trade. You can assume that many buyers want to continue to see the works of art in Natura before buying.

According to a study by Artactic and Hiscox , about 79 % of all artists report that they would not buy online because they could not inspect the works in digital form.

So continue your works in as many rooms as possible - studios, galleries, studios, banks, medical practices, hospitals, schools, etc.

The presentation via the network is an ideal addition to achieve many other interested parties with their work.

Joachim Rodriguez y Romero

Owner and managing director of Kunstplaza. Publicist, editor and passionate blogger in the field of art, design and creativity since 2011. Successful conclusion in web design as part of a university degree (2008). Further development of creativity techniques through courses in free drawing, expression painting and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market through many years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with actors/institutions from art and culture.

www.kunstplaza.de/