If you’re an artist looking to improve your income, then you may wonder: “where is the best place to increase artwork sales?”
Whether you’re looking to increase art sales or make the transition to full time artist, Etsy is a great place to get started when it comes to selling art prints online!
The question is…
How do you set up an online store for your artwork on Etsy?
Creating an online shop to display and sell prints on Etsy has never been easier.
Etsy is well known for showcasing unique and intricate one-off wonders, with thousands of online visitors using the website every day to find something truly special.
So, if you’re a photographer looking to increase your sales or a wood sculptor who sells exclusive pieces of furniture, Etsy can be a fantastic tool to help you to attract more people than ever to your work.
Etsy is incredibly user-friendly and their online stores and sales pages are very easy to set up.
All that you need to do is ensure that your online store is visually dynamic and search engine optimised so that you can stand out from the crowd.
To help you to achieve this and sell your artwork more effectively, we have created this list of tips and tricks to help you increase Etsy sales and create an amazing online store.
Let’s get started with the basics…
How to sell on Etsy?
Etsy is a specialist sales platform for the unique, the quirky and the creative!
Here you will find artwork, handmade goods, vintage items and more – so if you’re an artist looking to get noticed, then Etsy is a brilliant place to start.
It is the go-to website for crafters, designers, creative people, and artisans, looking to sell artwork to a wider clientele, or even a worldwide audience!
How to set up an online store to sell art on Etsy
The first thing you need to do is set up an Etsy account*.
You can do this from anywhere in the world, you just need a working email so you can confirm your Etsy account.
You will then need to set up your online art shop, by clicking ‘’Open a shop’’.
Find an Etsy shop name that is both catchy and simple to remember, so returning customers can keep an eye out for your new releases and keep coming back for more.
You are now ready to go!
Does Etsy charge businesses for selling items?
Etsy doesn’t charge for online store set up, however, you will incur charges when you begin to post and sell your artwork.
Etsy seller charges include:
- Posting an item: $0.20 for the first four months (or until the item is sold)
- Sale fee: 3.5% of the sale value
How to sell artwork on Etsy successfully
Now we’ve covered how to set up your online Etsy shop, you may want to learn about how you can sell your art on Etsy successfully – Unfortunately, it’s not often as simple as just posting your items!
Follow the advice below to learn how you can successfully sell artwork using Etsy!
Build a brand for your Etsy Shop
Building your brand via an Etsy Shop is a very important step to take into consideration if you want to successfully sell your artwork online.
You need to ensure that your branding remains consistent across all platforms that you attempt to sell your artwork on.
You also need to make sure that the branding you do use appeals to your target audience.
The brand you conceive should be a direct reflection of your products, the materials you use, your personality, and the other factors that come into play when you are producing your particular genre of artwork.
You brand needs to have a clear and consistent image including a logo, page banners and even page layouts for your products.
You could even go as far as creating a unique stamp for each piece of artwork that you create and sell online.
The more recognised you can make your brand, the more credible you become, so don’t miss out this important step in establishing your online artwork business.
Product photography should be a priority
Etsy offer a wide range of variety in terms of what items are being sold or what is being offered online internationally.
Therefore, if you want to stand out and sell your art on Etsy, then you must invest in your product photography, as your image is your first impression and your opportunity to draw in those potential clients.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to hire a professional photographer to take your photos.
However, you must be aware that as you are selling your art on a very competitive and visual online platform, you must showcase your items as clearly and beautifully as possible to beat the competition.
Extra Tip 1: Try to use a white background when you are taking your products photographs to make your items stand out!
Extra Tip 2: Add your logo to the corner of each image that you put on your online store to increase brand awareness.
How to increase artwork sales on Etsy?
If you are still struggling to increase your sales at this point, there are a couple of things that you can try to sell more artwork online via Etsy.
Follow our list of tips and tricks to sell more art on Etsy below and you may see an increase in page traffic, sales and return custom.
Space out your listings
Each time you post a new work of art on Etsy, it’s listed at the top of the page for a short period of time.
However, if you consistently post new items, then Etsy’s algorithms will identify this and reduce the amount of time that you get to spend at the top of the list, making posting all of the time an obsolete activity.
So, if you’re looking to maximise the views on your post, it’s better to take a work smart, not hard approach by listing your items at the prime viewing time for your audience.
Stagger your posts and do your research on buyer behaviour to maximise your return on this effectively.
This way your Etsy store will be more exposed to the right people at the right time for them to make a purchase!
Etsy’s categories and tags:
Including the correct tags and listing your art into the rightful categories is paramount on Etsy.
It is fair to say that all of your potential customers will browse Etsy and find your store through the use of the search bar.
This means that you need a catchy and engaging title for your artwork, a creative and straight-to-the-point item description, that’s optimised for search engines and use of the right keywords in order to be placed in the right position on Etsy.
If you’re not sure where to place your items, Etsy will often provide suggestions for you.
Using existing or suggested tags is far more effective than creating entirely new categories as these options are based on existing search data.
Finding the right category is very important if you want to sell more art on Etsy, as your artwork needs to be in the right online location for potential new clients to be able to find it more easily.
For example, if you are selling handmade jewellery, make sure you are as specific as possible, so a great category would be something along the lines of ‘’handmade earrings’’ or ‘’handmade necklaces’’ instead of an overall category of ‘’handmade jewellery’’.
Etsy’s shop promotion
Sharing your Etsy posts on social media websites or apps, such as a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, Pinterest, or even your personal blog, can directly attract those who follow you or who interact with you online to your Etsy shop.
Social media is a fantastic tool for building audiences, attracting attention and increasing sales, so don’t miss out by just expecting people to come to your page – Your audience needs guidance!
The more you share you online Etsy store, the more traffic and potential customers you can draw in to your posts.
Use competition to your advantage
Even though your artwork is unique to you, you’d be crazy to think that there aren’t other artists out there who will be targeting your audience.
There people are your competitors and, although they are trying to steal a piece of your pie, they are a great point of reference when it comes to thinking about how you can promote your online store, structure your content and attract more customers.
Doing a little bit of research into this can provide you with a lot of action points for how to improve your brand, products or online store – Afterall, they might have thought of something you haven’t, but there’s nothing stopping you from duplicating these methods and putting your own stamp on them so that you can use them to your advantage too.
Things to consider include: How are they selling their products? Are they receiving positive or negative reviews from their buyers? What about the price, especially in comparison to yours? Is it cheaper? Is it more expensive? What is the difference between your store and theirs?
You need to identify who your competitors are in order to obtain useful information that will help you evolve your own Etsy shop.
Does selling art on Etsy work?
In order to make your Etsy shop successful, you need to dedicate the time and effort required to make it as effective as possible.
This is not a box ticking exercise, it requires research, skills and time, but if you do it right, you will reap the rewards!
Furthermore, the 80/20 rule applies here. Which means that you will get 80% of your future business from 20% of your existing clients.
So, if a customer decides to buy one of your pieces then you should thank them in order to keep those future business opportunities.
You can do this by sending them a ‘Thank you’ card or by offering a discount code for their next purchase. The more effort you put in in the short term, the more results you will see in the long term.
Etsy is an amazing platform that – if done correctly – will surely help you sell your art online.
Try it for yourself to discover limitless opportunities to promote and sell your artwork!
