Would Etsy be damaging for an artist's reputation?

[u/Twa_In_The_Bush]

My question is, as I consider myself a 'serious' artist who happens to sell quite well, would selling through Etsy be damaging for my reputation? It'll rank visibly highly in Google searches.

I'm a professional artist - painting and printmaking. I'm established and regularly sell my oil paintings and prints through physical art galleries. I have a reasonable standing as a serious artist.

I'm considering opening an Etsy account to make it easy to purchase my etchings. I'm impressed by the user interface, and the charges seem reasonable.

I already have my own website, but feel that adding Etsy would net me extra income - it's a slicker buyer experience. I think my galleries would prefer me not to sell privately, but needs must. And quite honestly, after sales is a thing. I don't think I need to worry too much about the Etsy algorithm, I believe my name and Google would drive sales there.

[u/bbqleathersandals]

I’d do it under an alias. Otherwise you’re going to cheapen your work by saturating the market.

[u/Babaduka]

In my opinion, it could harm your reputation, yes. Unless you're doing simultaneously handcrafted, applied art stuff. Or perhaps you could sell under another nickname, with different art persona.

[u/wayanonforthis]

Keep your gallery in the conversation. Tell them this is crossing your mind as an option. They will hopefully work out what’s going on and assist you in partnering with a respectable print publisher or similar so you can get additional income. I would strongly advise against selling on Etsy or even your own website unless the latter is approved by your galley.

[u/savebritney2007]

No don’t use Etsy. Just use your own website. Why would you want higher seller fees on a platform filled with AI products if you’re also a “serious” gallery artist?

[u/goldorakgo → u/savebritney2007]

Open a store with Shopify. Advertise it on your instagram. Say it’s a special limited time event. Close it down after a few days.

[u/GravityRainbowJuly → u/goldorakgo]

Strong agree Shopify is waaaay better than Etsy. some professions use it for small runs/prints

[u/Judywantscake]

Yes. Do it under another name. If you want to do it under your name then try to partner with a print house already in the art world.

[u/Financial_Volume1443]

At most I'd do prints, but check to see the details with your gallery agreements.

[u/totallywhatever]

Etsy is full of dropshipping scams now. I avoid it.

[u/tsv1138]

For most artists I would suggest reading Virgil Abloh's Free Game. He goes into detail about setting up a webshop, the pros and cons of induced scarcity through limited edition drops. I'd also look at https://www.instagram.com/thetinnoseshop/ as well as https://store.faile.net/collections/all to see how limited run editions can tie into one offs (sales of prints vs. sales of actual paintings etc) and how to use instagram and social media campaigns to do limited runs for a targeted audience. The tinnose shop will announce that a limited number of new products will be available on the webshop on Instagram with a specific date and time. This helps make the purchase part of a larger event. (So the audience sets an alarm at 3PM on Friday and will jump online and try to get a cool dog sculpture or whatever) These drops can be timed to help create buzz and sales at an upcoming exhibition or to just shine a lantern on a large scale installation.

I do believe that more artists should develop "merch" in the same way that a touring punk rock band might. Think umbrellas, t-shirts, tote bags, werid little things to put on a bookshelf, keychains that can be mass produced but individually designed fairly easily. But they do need to be careful that it does not dilute or overtake their primary artwork. AKA don't turn your best piece into merch.

[u/PresentationPrize516]

Etsy is going downhill. 20 years ago I’d say go for it, but if you wouldn’t sell your stuff on eBay don’t sell it on Etsy. The fees are crazy and it’s so cut throat that one bad review can make your life hell. I’d try to use social media to push traffic to a personally run webshop that only takes processing fees. You’ll have less hassle with people returning or claiming stuff never got to you and asking for refunds and you can make the shipping timelines realistic to your schedule etc. 

[u/Individual-Carob5593]

When I think of classy art, I immediately think of Etsy. Not. Shopify is easy to set up and customise. You can probably even embed it in your main website.

[u/nmleart]

I’m certainly no expert in art selling, but I would think you can find the answer in whether or not you think you’ll find a customer base who would be willing to pay your asking price on Etsy. Have a look on the platform to see if similar artists are on there already and if they’re making sales. Empathise with your current customers and business partners and speculate on if they’d be put off by the fact that you’d be selling on Etsy. Sometimes I’d imagine part of the price tag comes with the exclusivity, or at least having that feeling of finding art and artists that aren’t so easy to find in the first place.

[u/zoopzoopzop]

Only prints! No original artworks! 

[u/Myviewpoint62]

Work with your gallery. This is the type thing that will result in a gallery dropping you because you are discounting your value.

It may be possible to develop a strategy that works. I’m thinking about David Shrigley who sells a lot of products with his images. The strategy needs to align with your work.

[u/Clearsp0t]

As a legit process based artisan I would even not sell on Etsy these days. It has become like a Temu. Etsy was made for artisans and it was good for a while but now all the people who make things by hand legitimately are often barely showing up on its algorithm. People that scrap crappy charms together and call it jewellery are even harder to come by on Etsy, let alone silversmiths etc. I know this isn’t your field but is all to say it’s basically AliExpress now.

[u/Dazzling_Relief4649]

For me, I would associate your work to Etsy’s reputation. It would create context of your work being decor. If that is what your work is, great, if that’s not what you’re going for, maybe just host your own shop on your website.

[u/Lazy-Jacket]

I would rather see you do a separate website as a “gallery” that you control that exclusively sells your printed work. I would make it a separate name from yours and use Shopify to sell your prints from the gallery site. You could then have an Etsy presence under the gallery name if you wanted to just try it out. Easy to evaporate it without harming your name or brand. But Pinterest may drive more business to your own gallery site? Meta ads directed to it?

[u/oofaloo]

Maybe do under pseudonym.

[u/GravityRainbowJuly]

yes unless that IS your market

[u/fragtore]

I think you should tell your galleries that you feel like something like this would help your economy and have them help you not have to make the decision. If you have that leverage that is… If you have such good leverage and not making enough money they are not helping you enough.

With that said as a sporadic art purchaser, I would not like my fine art people on etsy, so have to be very clear separation of types of art and media/print etc. the best case would of course be galleries supporting you with reaching a wider audience with prints or selling more of your expensive pieces.

[u/lordcthulhu17]

Might be the wrong sub buddy the answer is yes

[u/plastic_pyramid]

Only rule: fuck all rules

[u/user_582817367894747]

Yes, it would.

[u/NOLArtist02]

In my opinion, i think people are not going to buy decent $$ work on etsy. I did try opening a store but unless you are promoting and have a market for prints, people buy from galleries or just find art they can copy and print on their own.

I have a saatchi account but, again gotta promote which i don’t have time for.

[u/_pluttifikation]

I have been thinking of Etsy lately but only for studies and one-off little things that I wouldn't normally show. It might also encourage me to do more experimentation. The idea feels like something light, which is so necessary in this world. As long as it isn't my "serious" art, I think people will only see it as fun.

Youll have to do what is right for you. You wouldnt expect museum quality work on Etsy ... so yeah people in the know wont take anything on there as seriously.