Selling Your Design

Do you love to draw or paint? And, want to make a living from it? You should consider selling your design in an online marketplace. Making a living on what you love is one of the greatest things to attain in life. At least that is what I believe. I enjoy being creative and sharing it with everyone. And it is always a bonus if I can make a living doing this.

Online Marketplace

Online marketplace is the easiest form of communicating and self-promoting your products. Below are some of the different services and information that I’ve found. Plus, I included links to different online marketplaces that might interest you.

Easy, Fast and Inexpensive

If you don’t want to be bothered by setting up your own online store, then there are eCommerce sites that will help ease your way into selling your designs. eBay, Amazon, and Etsy are common websites that help you set up a store, showcase your products and has an easy checkout/invoice setup. Of course, there many other online marketplaces out there that you can use.

Some of these online marketplaces do all the work for you. They will produce, ship and manage everything. All you have to do is upload your design and choose which products you want your design to be featured on. And, you are on your way to selling your design. An example would be adding it t0 t-shirts, wall canvas, phone case, pillows, etc.

Thre are three websites I like to use. All three has a vast amount of products that you can feature your designs on.

Zazzle.com

Redbubble.com

Society6.com

Before You Start Selling Your Design

It is a good idea to take the time and look through different online marketplaces before you start selling. To attract the right customers, you want to find a site where artist’s design style is similar to yours. This way, you will know shoppers preference will also match your design style. Make sure you read the terms and conditions in your chosen marketplace. In some places, they may want your design to be exclusive to their store. Which means, you won’t be able to sell your design anywhere else.

Research on artists and designers who are already established. Check out their store and learn how they set up their page. Pay attention to how they name their products. Read how they describe their work. And, study what they do to increase their notability. This way, you can find out what works and what doesn’t work.

Going Forth Unprepared

Don’t be too quick or eager to start without doing some research first. It will be a waste of your time if you jump head first without proper preparation. But, if you are someone who likes to learn as you go. And you are okay with making avoidable mistakes, then be prepared to do extra work and put in extra hours without any rewards.

There are many artist and designers that I love from each of the online marketplaces that I use. Below, I’ve listed one from each place.

Zazzle – kanzashi Ya
I love the simplicity of her design. The color pallet she uses complements the whimsical and childishness of her illustration and patterns. She organized her designs into categories in order to break up the different type of style in her work.

Redbubble – Randyotter
His sense of humor is something you may or may not agree on. I love his unique comical and silly way he plays on words and follows it by his colorful illustration.

Society6 – Ruben Ireland
His use of black and white medium gives it a dark and thought-provoking reaction. His use of color, or lack thereof, and his theme is consistent throughout his work.

Patience and Hard Work is Most Rewarding

Selling your design or art in an online marketplace can be daunting and frustrating. You are competing with billions of people around the world for attention. But, always remember that you can’t just think about the numbers. For instance, how many likes you have, how many followers you have or how much money you have made. It is easy to get lost in the numbers and forget why you started it in the first place. Which is, you are a talented and creative person. It is a shame to let that go to waste. It is never easy at the beginning but in the end, it is worth it.