Why You Should Buy Art from An Online Art Marketplace
Online art marketplaces make it very easy for customers of all ages and experience ranges to buy art! One of the ways they do this is by connecting the buyer and the artist directly over the internet and letting them set the terms of the sale by themselves with no middle-man. By dealing directly with the artists, prospective buyers can buy art at a price that suits both parties involved, and both can be satisfied with the deal they have made knowing that all of the details of the arrangement have been made before any money changes hands. If you want to buy art but do not have a lot of money to spend, why not discuss the price of a piece with the artist and see if there is any way they will reduce the cost of the piece you are interested in? In a traditional brick and mortar gallery setting this would be very difficult, if not impossible because of gallery fees that the artist must pay either directly or indirectly in the form of commissions fees. When dealing directly with the artist online, it is often possible to contact the artist and make an offer on a piece of work they have for sale. An artist will likely be much more open to discussing their prices in this situation, as they are avoiding the usual commissions of 50 or 60 per cent they would be paying to a gallery. A word of advice on this topic: never offer less than 75% of the total asking price, because under most circumstances this sort of offer will not be accepted by the artist and will have been a use of time that could have been better spent elsewhere.
If you choose to buy art from an online art marketplace, brace yourself for all of the benefits and beauty of a traditional gallery setting with far fewer drawbacks! If you have ever been to a classic gallery, you know how difficult it can be to see the lesser-known work on display, get any questions you have answered, and to deal with pushy staff. And of course there is the commission fee that is an important part of the traditional way art is sold, which can easily be upwards of 50% and 60% of the total price of the art for sale. These are only some of the things that can put off potential customers who would like to buy art but do not know where to start.
When you buy art from an online gallery or marketplace, you are exchanging this out-dated way of doing things for a new way that is better in many ways. First and foremost is the ease and convenience with which someone can browse and buy art from a gallery website. Many of these virtual galleries offer artists the ability to display multiple high-resolution photos of their pieces for sale, giving buyers every opportunity to see the piece from more than one angle. Contacting the artist directly is also something you can do much more readily through an online marketplace; discuss anything from price to shipping methods to the inspiration for the piece! And last but not least, there is no one hovering over you pressuring you to make a sale, and no one between you and the artist unless you want to bring someone into the deal from your side. The artist is easily able to represent themselves, and this saves both the artist and the person who wants to buy art the trouble of having to go through and deal with the owners and staff of a traditional gallery.
