Selling on Etsy

  First things first... this is NOT a "how to make money selling your art on online/etsy/ebay" how-to post. 
I separate my art income from my day job and I don't recommend anyone to live off the inconsistent income of art sales. I treat my art sales income as a tax return.. when it comes in it's a great bonus.. but I don't rely on it monthly.

So with that out of the way, what makes Etsy a great e-commerce site for artists?

    Fine Art aside.. lets evaluate Etsy as an e-commerce company

    Etsy has had solid growth as a stock since they went public in April 2015 at $16 a share, currently the stock is priced at $131 a share.

 Detailed breakdown of Etsy for investors - click here

    Etsys marketing invests heavily in search engine optimization of their listings and provides a great user experience for the shopper. Unlike other art selling websites Etsy is a household name. Even my parents who are super low tech and they buy random bits and bobs from there. This means most people already have an Etsy account and are familiar with its user friendly shopping experience. 

    So with Etsy being a well known, accessible, search engine optimized profitable company with a strong stock buy rating why are painters not using it to sell works? Im sure this aversion to online art sales comes from romanticism of a  "time when painting was true and free of consumerist" "tech devalues fine art on a material level" "mysterious artists studio" and the idea of "if its real fine art, the buyer has to go thru a sacrifice to obtain it" -add all those points together and thats a recipe for how not to feel your art lol.

Also these ideas are completely false

The myth of the master painters of the past were low tech, isolated, is completely false. They were masters because they were ahead of their times! With technology innovations, sales, ideas, philosophy.. 

1. If the value of my work solely relies on it being difficult to acquire.. then is my painting even that good?

2. Paintings too are one-of-a-kind handmade objects

3. It allows access to an artists studio and a closer look at the painting process because we can sell small sketches and practice studies.

One more thing.. the "craft" elephant in the room. Etsy is known for selling hand made things... and "handmade" and . Which I don't get.. because paintings too are HANDMADE!! If anything art is the definition of OOAK (one of a kind) creation. 

Finally.. I just have to say this.. famous art sales sites haven't been updated in years it seems. The interface isn't user friendly and they are difficult to use. I get a feeling that fine art sites are just another way to gate keep fine art from the public.. it's difficult to even find my own paintings on there!! And as the artist I know what gallery is showing my work and have all the information to search!! 

Long Art Rant short.. put your work out there and make an art studio Etsy page! It will help you empty out your art studio and make smaller work more accessible.

Happy Painting!

Taissia