Selling Your ARt on Marketplace

Submitted by Dianne Lister

Karen Richardson with her book, watercolour toolbox

“Buy Local”!  KLAC Members who are painters, sculptors, photographers, woodworkers, authors, and artisans of all stripes can sell their creative works on our new e-commerce platform, Marketplace.  It is an easy system facilitated by the Kawartha Lakes Arts Council’s new website.  

First, you join KLAC as an Artist Member for an annual fee of $40.00.   This entitles you to create your Member Page in our gallery, with up to 10 images of your work, three paragraphs of text and a link to your website, if you have one.  These images are sent to KLAC’s email account: kawarthalakesartscouncil@gmail.com.  Our digital provider, Barton Creative Co., creates the Member Page usually within 2-3 days of submission.

Next, read the two PDFs on the website entitled “Submit Art” and “Marketplace Policies.”  “Submit Art” provides requirements for uploading images of your work and some excellent recommendations about how best to market your art.   

Marketplace policies set out the relationship between the Artist and the buyer and explains the role of KLAC.  Basically, the relationship is between the Artist and the buyer, which means when you are pricing your work, you need to include the costs of taxes (if you are required to pay HST), shipping and handling as these are the responsibility of the Artist.

Next, you decide if you want to purchase 1,5, or 10 spaces on your “virtual shelf.”  These are purchased online in your cart.  Once KLAC receives your Membership fees and payment for participating in the Marketplace, you are ready to submit your work.  Images of your work and an Artist bio are sent to hello@bartoncreative.co in either a zipped folder or a private artist folder, which Barton Creative will create for you.  KLAC promotes you and your art across our social media platforms.

Once your work is sold, KLAC forwards you details of the purchase so you can follow up with the buyer.   Payment will be remitted to the Artist within ten days of the funds clearing our bank account.  KLAC charges a commission of 20% and these funds are reinvested in KLAC’s mission: educate, network, advocate.

For example, if you are a visual artist selling one watercolour painting for $400, your cost would be $15 for participating on Marketplace.  When sold, you would receive $320.  If you choose to submit another work for sale within the calendar year there is no extra charge.  

Whether you are new to selling your art online, or already have a website with that capability but want to increase your sales channels, check us out.   If you have any questions, just drop us a line – we’d love to see your creative work available for everyone to enjoy and purchase.