What Is Society6 And Is It Still Worth It In 2024?

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In Review: Society6 As A Selling Platform For Artists

 

So, you’re an artist looking to sell work! You might have tried art fairs but found them lacklustre since the start of the pandemic. Or, maybe you were thinking about selling on Instagram, but found it challenging to grow your following as a small indie artist. The truth is, there are many ways to get started when it comes to selling your artwork online, and many artists have found success with online marketplaces or print-on-demand companies such as Society6. But is it right for you?

 

 

You may have already discovered that an audience doesn’t automatically appear when you become an artist. It may develop through word of mouth, consistent creating and sharing, applying to many opportunities and perhaps even the occasional viral photo! That’s why many independent and emerging artists trying to get into the world of fine art, may find it useful to sell their artwork with the help of larger platforms that come with a robust built-in audience of art buyers.

 

These days, the options for selling your work has never been easier online. Some artists may be hesitant about online marketplaces due to horror stories of online art theft, the fact that the market is saturated with other incredible talented artists. However, there are several places online where you can establish a name for yourself, build your own audience, and begin to earn money from your artwork as the rightful owner of your creations.

 

 

What is Society6?

Society6 is a print-on-demand online marketplace of artwork that allows both professional and amateur artists and designers to easily create their own online shops to sell their work as art prints, posters, canvases, and other kinds of wall art, as well as on a variety of accessories like tote bags, apparel and furniture too! If you want to try their products before you begin selling your own stuff, our readers get £15 off their first purchase when they hit our link.

 

What is Print-On-Demand?

Print-on-demand (POD) websites allow artists to upload their designs and print them on a range of products – such as giclee prints, t-shirts, mugs, phone cases and pretty much anything else. They are the middle man, so when you make a sale the company prints, packages, and ships the work straight to the customer!

 

Many beginner artists have found success selling their work through sites like Redbubble, Zazzle, Printful, and Society6. POD means you don’t have to worry about ordering a whole bunch of expensive stock and packaging supplies in case someone chooses to buy, and that means less cost is lost – which is especially great if you’re learning to sell your work for the first time. 

 

 

Selling on Society6

Each artist has different needs and wants. As an emerging artist trying to sell, it’s always best to have your eggs in different baskets. For one, you can potentially earn more revenue that way, and two, you can get more exposure for your designs.

 

Now in the age of social media you might assume print-on-demand companies would be less popular for selling artwork effectively, but it’s the opposite. Sites such as Redbubble and Etsy advertise on social media, pushing products for traction, and in return can attract more people to come to the site.

 

Something to note about Society6 and similar platforms, as they are POD you’re unable to directly communicate with people who purchase your designs. This can be a positive or negative. On the upside, there’s no dealing with shipping fees, returns or customer complaints. But on the downside, you’re not able to get to know your buyers and form any sort of customer relationship or share your future creations with them!

 

 

Also, the website has a great interface. It’s simple enough for the average non-techy person to use. But there are a few downsides, as some artists may also experience slow servers when trying to upload their images. The biggest issue being the lack of page statistics – you are only able to see your earnings on products and the bestselling items.

 

The site would benefit from having a few more insights; Seeing the locations of customer views would be great, as well as the search terms they may have used to find your shop, and if they’re new or returning customers. 

 

 

Society 6 Pros:

– Access to a bigger audience of ready-to-buy customers

– No need to stock, print, package or ship artworks yourself

– No need to deal with customer returns or possible complaints

– An easy-to-use site

 

Society 6 Cons:

– No relationships with returning customers

– A lack of useful statistics and shop insights

– Potentially slow servers

 

Buying on Society 6 

If you want to sell on any site you should know what it’s like to buy from them. It’s always good to note where your product is being made, and in this case Society6 has vendors all over the world. So, if there are issues in quality or shipping they are resolved and dealt with as close to the buyer as possible. This improves the quality of service your potential customer feels they are receiving.

 

We suggest looking at the reviews of the site from where you live. On Trustpilot, 51% of Society6 reviews are bad. As a seller, it is important that when someone buys your work, they actually receive your work. It’s also very important to know the quality of the product that your work is attached to, as a lot of reviews and comments about the site discuss the low cost of materials.

 

Society6 does not offer sellers product samples, but they do claim to be ethically and environmentally conscious. These are all aspects to consider when choosing what brand to involve your work with.

 

 

How to sell your artwork on Society6

You need three very simple things to get started:

1. An email address

2.  A PayPal account

3. High quality designs

 

Setting up an account is rather simple:

 

1. Create an account & add your profile info type

Be super aware that you will have to choose your username/URL! And it’s not something you can change, so make sure there are no typos!

 

2. Set up and verify your PayPal

Unfortunately for some, they currently only pay you through PayPal, and there is a mention of a $1 verification fee. It doesn’t say anywhere if and when you’ll get your dollar back, and it also means that if you live in a country that doesn’t use PayPal or if you choose not to use it, you may not be able to sell here.

 

3. Uploading your artwork

This might be where things slow down for you. Society6 requests that you upload your work in the highest quality possible – the max file size being 150mb. This is where a few artists have complained about the site, with reports of it taking up to 30 minutes to upload an image – this may depend on what device you’re using.

 

 

4. Enter the artwork details and tags

Make sure you add relevant titles, tags, and descriptions as this is how artists find your work.

 

5. Activate your products

You can quickly scroll through all the products that are available to you and toggle them ON if you want to sell that product. Based on the pixel dimensions of your uploaded artwork, Society6 will automatically apply your work onto as many products as possible.

 

6. Edit your products

Surprisingly simple (in theory), working from the create products page, you can scroll over the product you wish to change and edit it from there. You will be taken to the product edit page, where you will see your work as it appears on your specific product; you are then able to re-scale and position the image as you see fit! And don’t forget to save before you close! Study what art print sizes work best for your kind of work, and ensure that your resolution is acceptable.

 

7. Edit your prices

This isn’t something you can do for every item. You can only change the prices on these specific items: Art Prints, Framed Art Prints and Canvas Prints. Like editing the product, you can roll over any of those items and click “Edit”. You’ll see on the right side that you can edit your “Mark-up”.  You can adjust your mark-up on any product with a dollar ($) symbol. When you’re done, simply save and close!

 

8. Publish and promote your artwork

This is the last thing to do! After making sure that prints and products are available to sell and figuring out the royalties you can hit the publish button on the left side of your Create Products page. As soon as it’s done, promote, promote, promote! Let the people know you’re open for business! It’s good to have a few pieces (maybe 5-10) on your page, so that your customers have more to browse!

 

Do artists make money on Society6?

Thousands of artists earn passive income on Society6 everyday. The amount of money you can earn greatly depends on how many customers you can attract in any given month. So working on your marketing strategy is key to success on platforms like these. There is a pay-out period once a month, on the Society6 website they explain that you’re paid within two periods of time;

 

“Pending”, where earnings are still within the 30-day “clearance period”, and “Cleared”, when “Earnings have passed the 30-day clearance period and will be paid out during the next payment period.” Meaning you may not see that revenue for at least 2 months. 

 

 

How much can you earn?

Artists on Society6 only earn 10% of the retail price of products sold, except for art prints and canvas prints where the artist will earn a fixed profit. Some Print On-Demand companies ask for a hefty percentage when selling your design, because they are the ones printing, packaging and shipping your artwork,  as well as dealing with customers on your behalf.

 

It’s not something that you can get past without starting up your own site, and doing those things yourself. In a 2020 video titled “Why I stopped selling on Society6 ”, Artist John Scheibe talks about his experiences on the site. He says, 

 

“The only reason that people buy things from here, is for the art to support the artists but take the art away, what are we left with? – This bottle is on sale right now but let’s say for the sake of argument that its regular price, if the artist is making the normal 10% rate off of this single product that means they’re only making four dollars and 50 cents off of a single sale where society six gets forty dollars and fifty cents. Would you pay forty dollars for an 18-ounce water bottle?”

 

As of right now that water bottle in question is still $45, however it’s also stainless steel and insulated…but it would still be £33 for 550ml, plus shipping. In another artist article, Society6 claims that the retail price of items covers the costs of “manufacturing, fulfilment and the artist share”. This makes sense, however, other sites such as Redbubble pay their artists more. Redbubble 20% to be exact. 

 

This all means to be earning an amount of money to live off of you would need 20-40 prints on the site, which is quite a few more than Society6 recommend for beginners – but it’s just so you’re covered in all areas. This would mean a lot more work for you, however – so beware that it may become time consuming.

 

Something you can do to make more money from the site is to mark-up the prices of prints, but that could also deter someone from choosing your print, especially as this site is full of talented artists who may be selling their work for less.

 

So, is selling on society6 worth it in 2023?

Society6 is great for any beginner, or artist looking for some extra funds. It may be time consuming at first, but you’re given a lot of leeway as you go on. With us living in the age of social media, artists and creators can do a lot by themselves – but we often forget that we actually don’t need to start off that way. 

 

If you are a more experienced artist, Society6 still has a lot of value for you – especially as you’re able to accesses a broader audience of artists and buyers!  Overall, It’s a pretty great way to start selling your art online! If you want to try their products before you begin selling your own stuff, our readers get £15 off their first purchase when they hit our link.

 

How have you found selling art on Society 6? Let us know in the comments below.

Also, don’t forget you can always share your art with us or tag us on Instagram – @darkyellowdot.

Thank you for reading and if you found this article useful, share it around, that makes us happy. To receive more posts like this and updates, join our mailing list, everyone is welcome.

 

NEED MORE ADVICE?

ARTICLES TO HELP:

How To Make Professional Art Prints (Budget Friendly Guide)

7 Great Ways To Make Money As An Artist In 2023

6 Best Scanners For Artwork In 2023 (Read Before You Buy!)

SITES TO HELP:

Society 6

Etsy

Printful

COURSES TO HELP:

Stand Out On Society6: A Roadmap To Creating Art That Sells

Strengthen Your Brand On Society6: Create Cohesive Artwork

Creating And Selling Your Illustrations: Society6