If you are an artist on twitter, you definitely have heard of Etsy. Etsy positions almost like an Amazon Martketplace for only handmade items. The service skews towards craft generally (some might object to that, but that’s another discussion) and as a result also skews towards the inexpensive. So as visual artist in a conventional medium (painting) I gave the site a look.
First of all, before getting into any caveats, it’s important to not that Etsy is for strictly selling, not for building any sort of reputation with the art establishment. So if you want to one day be on Art:21, Etsy is likely not the path you will take to get there. But If you are looking for a few dollars here and there, it might be the place if your work fits. So here is my list of caveats:
- Your work has to be small. No one will want to play for a $100 work that has $50 shipping. If you look through the site, things rarely get larger than 20 or so inches in any direction.
- Your work has to be fast. If you are making time consuming stuff, you will likely not be able to sell it for enough to recoup your labor costs. YOUR TIME IS WORTH SOMETHING! You shouldn’t work a month on something that is only going to get you 30 bucks outside of materials.
- You work has to be cheap. This not only applies to the retail price, but the the materials that went into it. Since hardly anything on the site breaks $250, its probably wise to consider cheaper materials to make as much profit as possible. If you normally use high end materials, opt for cheaper alternatives. It’s not like this stuff is going to be put in a museum. It is a great venue for prints of work, and photographs. Think of your work as a product more so than an artwork, then you will see why its important to keep the prices low.
- It’s a store not a gallery. Keep your high-minded work at the door. Aesthetically pleasing is more important than conceptually stimulating. You are competing with craft painters, so nothing you would consider for a gallery should be considered for Etsy.
Am I on Etsy? No. Because of all the aforementioned reasons. My work is slow, at times fairly large, not cheap enough, and somewhat gallery minded. I would to create a separate vein of work to be able to sell anything on Etsy, but maybe this is a perfect fit for you!
Are there any Etsy sellers out there that agree with this list? Any tips I missed? If so leave them in the comments.
5 Comments
Hey great points. I’ve bought stuff on Etsy many times. I’ve got a collection of art at my house that I consider gallery worthy, “high minded” stuff which is probably about 10 pieces strong, but also 5 or 6 other pieces I’ve bought off Etsy that range from $100-$500. I love those pieces just as much though. Sometimes even more, because they are a bit stranger and more playful. So I’d definitely recommend to any artist that they consider selling on Etsy. Your piece might not get hung under the nice lights in the living room, but it could be just as loved in an office or kids room.
Also from a buying perspective, I think there’s some good deals on young artists stuff on Etsy.
It’s excellent from a buyer perspective, and for some artists it’s a perfect fit. From what I hear, most art over about $300 has a hard time selling on the site, unless it gets featured somehow.
There is a lot of good work there, for artists who work fast, or have few hangups with price of who buys their work, its perfect. But for artists who might want to eventually track down their works at a later date (like for a exhibition), or perhaps has plans on marketing their work to a gallery, it might not be the best choice.
I just outlined who Etsy is Ideal for, and who its not. It’s nice having a service like that.
Your points are all valid. I am an artist who has been selling on Etsy for only a couple of months. My sales are a little all-over the place but more towards the inexpensive. I do work fast and my work is generally described as “pretty”, not gallery “high-minded”. I do expect to get back to artwork with more content this summer for more serious showing. I have found Etsy to be great exposure and it has brought me a couple of commissions in a very short time. I consider the art I am selling on Etsy to be for decoration and not so much collectors. I do appreciate the venue for unknown, independent artist to be seen and for the more novice buyer to be able to afford original work.
Yeah Etsy for certain artists is a very good thing. It's just a matter of being able to make the right kind of things that fit what Etsy is.
timely post for me, thank you. I have an etsy shop and have been going back and forth on whether to have it or not. I agree with all your points and that's why I am thinking of shutting the shop down. I am able to sell my work via people who visit my blog and also on my web site….etsy, not so much. I don't know why. Etsy has so many people there, it is so easy to get buried. An artist friend told me to keep it for prints, but I'm still not sure if it's worth the time or effort.
Anyway, thanks for the post, helped me figure out my own thought process on the matter.