If you’re looking to buy and/or sell art, there are a handful of different sites to get you started. There are some that allow you to upload your designs and they produce the product, and there are some that basically just give you a platform to set up a shop, giving you total control. Whether you’re buying or selling, these might be some places you’ll want to check out.
1. Redbubble
This is a site that allows you to post your designs and put it on almost anything—t-shirts, mugs, greeting cards, leggings, sheets and more. You set a price, and get royalties from the products you sell. Redbubble does all the work of manufacturing and shipping things out. (They even deal with customer service issues.) The only downside is that you might not get as much money as you feel you deserve. That being said, all you do is upload your design once and make a little bit of money every time someone buys a product; eventually it all adds up.
2. Etsy
It’s probably safe to say that most people have heard of and even used Etsy. It’s probably the most well-known site to buy/sell art. If you’re selling your products, you post photos of the things you make, and when someone places an order, you fill it and ship it—quite different from Redbubble. Sellers on Etsy deal with customer service issues. The plus side is that sellers make a significant amount of more money than those selling on Redbubble. And if you’re buying, Etsy shop owners tend to be some of the most accommodating people out there—ask anyone who’s bought from an Etsy shop.
3. Zazzle
This one is sort of a combination of Etsy and Redbubble. If you’re selling, you can be a designer and upload designs which will go on a product of theirs; or you can sign up as a maker, where you would make and sell your own products through Zazzle, shipping them straight to your customers—just like Etsy. Zazzle gives you royalties in the same way Redbubble does, and if you’re selling your own work, they take a small fee like Etsy.
4. TeePublic
Here is another print-on-demand site, and people have actually reported making more money from TeePublic than on Redbubble—the royalty setup is a bit different, making this entirely possible. TeePublic also deals with any customer service issues, so as a seller you have nothing to worry about but uploading your creative designs.
5. Zatista
This site is a bit different from all the others listed here. Not only are the products a lot more expensive (we’re talking hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars), but there is also an application process to go through if you want to sell your work. You have to submit a small portfolio and a little bit of info about yourself; the Zatista’s review board meets every three months, and that’s when you’ll find out if you’ve made it. The site focuses more on finer arts—paintings, photography, sculptures, etc—rather than selling t-shirts and jewelry, which is why the prices are so high—not to mention Zatista takes 55% of all sales. Still, there are hundreds of artists selling their pieces and making a profit. It might be worth it to take a look.
There are dozens of different sites out there to buy and sell art, all with different methods and different focuses. Hopefully you find one that suits your needs and you give it a go.