E-Commerce Basics for Artists and Print Sellers

So, you’ve decided to take the leap and sell your art or prints online. (Cue applause—you’re officially living every artist's dream of not starving.) But where do you even start? The idea of setting up an e-commerce store might feel like trying to paint a masterpiece with a toddler’s art kit. Fear not! This guide will help you get your art business up and running faster than you can say “limited-edition giclée print.”

Step 1: Pick the Right E-Commerce Platform

Before you can start selling, you need a platform to showcase your art. Sure, you could wrestle with HTML like it’s a wild animal, but why not save yourself the headache? Enter Shopify—the Beyoncé of e-commerce platforms.

Here’s why Shopify is a dream for artists:

Beautiful Templates: Your art deserves to shine, not compete with clunky, outdated designs. Shopify’s templates are clean, modern, and customizable.
Print-on-Demand Options: Partner with services like Printful or Gelato to handle printing and shipping for you. That means more time for painting and less time at the post office.
Beginner-Friendly: If you can upload an image to Instagram, you can set up a Shopify store.

👉 Ready to showcase your work to the world? Sign up for Shopify here.

Step 2: Capture Emails Like a Pro

You know what’s better than selling a print? Selling more prints to the same people. That’s where email marketing comes in. Collecting emails lets you keep fans updated on new collections, special deals, and the occasional “look how amazing I am” newsletter.

For this, I swear by Kit (formerly ConvertKit). It’s designed for creatives like you, making it easy to:

Create beautiful sign-up forms to capture your fans’ emails.
Automate emails (hello, passive income).
Send updates without sounding like a used car salesman.

Pro Tip: Offer a freebie (like a downloadable desktop wallpaper) in exchange for emails. People love free stuff almost as much as they love your art.

Step 3: Get Social

Social media is your gallery, and the world is your audience. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and even TikTok are perfect for sharing your creative process, new works, and (let’s be real) behind-the-scenes coffee spills.

But managing social media can feel like a full-time job. Enter Smarterqueue, your new best friend for social media management. It lets you:

Schedule posts in advance (so you can paint instead of panicking about captions).
Analyze competitors to see what’s working for them.
Recycle your best content—because let’s face it, your art deserves more than one moment in the spotlight.

Consistency is key here. Post regularly, engage with your audience, and let your personality shine.

Step 4: Don’t Skip the Legal Stuff

No, this isn’t the fun part, but it’s crucial. Protect your work by:

Adding watermarks to digital images.
Setting clear terms for use, refunds, and shipping policies.
Using a print-on-demand service to reduce overhead (and risk).

Step 5: Just Start

You can spend weeks perfecting your site, debating print sizes, or agonizing over whether your bio should say “artist” or “visionary.” Spoiler alert: Just start. Your art doesn’t need to be perfect, and neither does your store.

With tools like Shopify, Kit, and Smarterqueue, you’ll have everything you need to sell your prints online like a pro. Plus, you’ll free up more time to create—which is why you started this journey in the first place, right?

Ready to take the plunge?
👉 Launch your Shopify store today.
👉 Get started with Kit for email marketing.
👉 Simplify your social media game with Smarterqueue.