Recently I made the decision to move all my art and book activities completely online. By that I mean I’m not even going to try to host live Open Studio events anymore, or participate in art or book fairs or art exhibit openings.
This decision is in response to the pandemic which I don’t see ending any time soon. Some folks have said that covid will become endemic “like the flu.” “Endemic” is defined as a disease that is normally found in a population – like the flu. Since there are so many of us who have refused to get vaccinated, or who haven’t had access to a vaccine, that means the virus will be hanging around (endemic) and will continue to mutate. The big difference is that endemic flu is not as dangerous as endemic covid. Each year in the U.S. approximately 20,000 to 28,000 people die of the flu. In the past two years, 868,000 Americans have died of covid. That’s an average of 434,000 deaths each year from covid compared to twenty something-thousand from the flu. The word “endemic” should not be a comfort to us when we think of covid.
There’s much talk these days about “pandemic fatigue.” Looks to me like a lot of us are just sick and tired of adapting our lifestyles in the hopes of staying as safe as possible, especially if it means dramatically reducing social interactions. Some of us are living as we did before, going out (often unmasked), and engaging in “live” art and books events. Others, myself included, are living a reclusive existence even if we are fully vaccinated and boosted. We remain concerned about protecting ourselves from “break-through” infections and “long-haul” health problems, even when vaccinated.
Going on line with books is actually much easier than going online with art. There are a few big players in the online book market. Chief among them is Amazon. And there’s also Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and even more.
Art is another story. Finding websites that handle large artworks is more difficult and usually involves higher fees and expensive shipping. I’m still looking for an online market appropriate for my larger artworks, primarily oils on canvas.
This decision is in response to the pandemic which I don’t see ending any time soon. Some folks have said that covid will become endemic “like the flu.” “Endemic” is defined as a disease that is normally found in a population – like the flu. Since there are so many of us who have refused to get vaccinated, or who haven’t had access to a vaccine, that means the virus will be hanging around (endemic) and will continue to mutate. The big difference is that endemic flu is not as dangerous as endemic covid. Each year in the U.S. approximately 20,000 to 28,000 people die of the flu. In the past two years, 868,000 Americans have died of covid. That’s an average of 434,000 deaths each year from covid compared to twenty something-thousand from the flu. The word “endemic” should not be a comfort to us when we think of covid.
There’s much talk these days about “pandemic fatigue.” Looks to me like a lot of us are just sick and tired of adapting our lifestyles in the hopes of staying as safe as possible, especially if it means dramatically reducing social interactions. Some of us are living as we did before, going out (often unmasked), and engaging in “live” art and books events. Others, myself included, are living a reclusive existence even if we are fully vaccinated and boosted. We remain concerned about protecting ourselves from “break-through” infections and “long-haul” health problems, even when vaccinated.
Going on line with books is actually much easier than going online with art. There are a few big players in the online book market. Chief among them is Amazon. And there’s also Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and even more.
Art is another story. Finding websites that handle large artworks is more difficult and usually involves higher fees and expensive shipping. I’m still looking for an online market appropriate for my larger artworks, primarily oils on canvas.
For smaller artworks and fine crafts, there are numerous online markets. I’ve had an Etsy site for a couple of years now. My Etsy shop is called “BajaArizona Treasures.” You’ll find small artworks, some jewelry, and malas there. The malas have been particularly popular. Link:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BajaArizonaTreasures
I’ve found Etsy to be commercially viable and pretty easy to use with reasonable fees. Etsy opened in 2005 so it’s huge with lots of sellers and lots of buyers. Consequently, it’s easy to get lost there if you’re a seller unless you advertise and engage in other marketing work to promote your shop. Etsy has been criticized for departing from strict handmade criteria and for allowing copyright and trade mark infringements of artists’ work.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BajaArizonaTreasures
I’ve found Etsy to be commercially viable and pretty easy to use with reasonable fees. Etsy opened in 2005 so it’s huge with lots of sellers and lots of buyers. Consequently, it’s easy to get lost there if you’re a seller unless you advertise and engage in other marketing work to promote your shop. Etsy has been criticized for departing from strict handmade criteria and for allowing copyright and trade mark infringements of artists’ work.
Now I’m looking to expand. I’ve been researching other online markets. Just ask Google for “alternatives to Etsy,” and you’ll get a lengthy list, including Big Cartel, Bonanza, IndieMade, RedBuble, Shopify, and Zibbet. There are also website platforms like Weebly and Wix where you can set up your own shop on your own website using one of these platforms. Considerations when evaluating sites include ease of use, integration with social media, and how sales taxes are handled.
I went first to ArtFire, a Tucson-based online market. Unfortunately ArtFire closed down December, 2021, so my home-town choice is no longer an option. So what else appeals? Here’s my short list of possibilities. Each one has a different approach.
I went first to ArtFire, a Tucson-based online market. Unfortunately ArtFire closed down December, 2021, so my home-town choice is no longer an option. So what else appeals? Here’s my short list of possibilities. Each one has a different approach.
aftcra: https://www.aftcra.com/ This is a small market site, has very reasonable fees for artists (unlike some of the bigger sites) and it only allows American handmade goods, no cheap imports from Asia.
GoImagine: https://goimagine.com/ Fees for artists are low and it’s easy to use, too. This is an intriguing site because GoImagine donates all profits to charity (not the artists’ profits but the website’s profits). In that respect it’s like (Paul) Newman’s Own which donates profits from food sales to charities. GoImagine hasn’t existed very long so it’s small with much lower rates of traffic than Etsy.
IndieMade: https://www.indiemade.com/ This site has affordable fees, including a free 30-day trial, plus no product listing or transaction fees. Use IndieMade to set up your own artist website. For those of you who heard Seth Apter speak to the local PaperWorks meeting here in Tucson, here’s Seth’s IndieMade website. https://www.sethapter.com/
RedBubble: https://www.redbubble.com/ RedBubble has a different approach. Artists send in images of their work. RedBubble prints the artwork onto various items such as t-shirts, throw pillows, and coffee mugs.
How about you? Are you an artist or craftsperson with an online shop? Which platform do you use? Feel free to comment below.
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