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Common Mistakes New Artists Make Selling Online

The Bubble Art · 6 min read

Most of the things that hold new artists back online are fixable in an afternoon. Here are the mistakes that cost the most — and how to avoid them.

Underpricing your work

The most common mistake is pricing from fear. Racing to the bottom to make a sale trains your audience to expect cheap work and leaves money on the table. Price from a floor that respects your time, use edition size to set the number, and raise prices as demand grows. Underpricing doesn't just cost this sale — it caps every future one.

Weak photos and vague listings

Online, a bad photo is a bad artwork — it's all the buyer sees. Poor lighting, wrong colour and a single blurry shot kill sales that great work deserved. Invest an hour in photographing your work properly, write a clear title, and add a short statement. Presentation is not optional.

Skipping authenticity

Selling a bare file with no proof of origin or edition leaves value on the table and invites doubt. A certificate of authenticity — recording the artist, edition and provenance — lets buyers pay more because they can verify and later resell what they own. It's one of the easiest upgrades to your listings, and it comes built in here as the Digital Passport.

Inconsistency and giving away your margin

Inconsistency. Collectors invest in artists who keep showing up. Sporadic releases make it hard to build a following.
High platform fees. Giving 40–45% of every sale to a marketplace is a silent killer of artist income. Selling somewhere with 0% commission — keeping up to 97% — can double your take-home overnight.

Fix these five and you're ahead of most people selling art online.

Avoid the biggest mistake — high fees. Keep 97% at 0% commission, with authenticity built in.

Start selling

Frequently asked questions

What mistakes do new artists make selling online?

Underpricing, weak photos and vague listings, skipping authenticity, being inconsistent, and giving away a large share of each sale to high platform fees. All are quick to fix.

Why is underpricing a problem?

It trains buyers to expect cheap work and caps your future prices. Price from a floor that respects your time and raise prices as demand grows.

How much do high fees cost artists?

Leading art marketplaces commonly take 40–45% of a sale. Selling at 0% commission — keeping up to 97% — can nearly double your take-home on the same sales.