Selling AI Art – Everything You Need To Know In One Place [2024]

1. Why Selling AI Art Is Still A Profitable Side Hustle

An incredible number of people are still unaware of these capabilities, meaning you are early in the game and can capitalize on this opportunity. Selling AI art can be lucrative, especially if you understand how to market and price your creations effectively.

How To Sell AI Art The RIGHT Way!

While many people are familiar with ChatGPT, fewer have explored the various AI models capable of creating stunning images and art. These AI models can produce digital art simply by describing the image you want to create.

But if it’s that easy, why isn’t everyone doing it? The reality is that there is much more involved in creating the right AI art and selling it profitable and time-efficient. We will cover all the crucial aspects in this article.

Why You Should Start Selling AI Art Now!?

The journey of AI art began with simple generative models that produced basic patterns and shapes. Over time, advances in machine learning and AI enabled the creation of intricate and highly aesthetic artworks.

Today, AI art covers a wide range of styles and techniques, reflecting rapid technological advancements in this field. You can mimic oil paintings, mosaic paintings, and the styles of different artists—almost anything you can imagine.

Here are some examples:

They all use the same base prompt: “little cute kitten outdoors.” However, they apply different AI style-models on top of the base model. We won’t cover this today, but if you’re interested, I will explain it in a future “AI Art Mastery” blog, where I showcase free tools, which are sometimes even better than paid tools! 

2. How To Create AI Art that Sells?

Quality is a crucial factor in the success of AI art. To stand out in a competitive market, artists must utilize the right tools, techniques, and innovations to produce high-quality, captivating artworks.

Essential Tools And Software To Create AI Art

Various tools and software are available for creating AI art, each offering different features and capabilities:

• Midjourney: Known for unmatched quality, Midjourney requires a basic plan starting at $10/month. It operates through Discord, so you’ll need to get accustomed to using it.
• Ideogram, NightCafe Studio, Leonardo.AI: All three offer free tiers with regular quotas. Each has its pros and cons, which we will detail in a future post.
• Open Source AI Models: For those with technical knowledge and a decent GPU, running AI models on your PC can be a cost-effective solution.

Subscribe to our newsletter for a comprehensive AI art creation masterclass, covering both free and paid tools.

3. A 40,000 Years Old Industry… And It Is Still Growing

The market for AI-generated art is a rapidly growing and evolving landscape that presents unique opportunities and challenges.

Humans Are Fascinated By Art

The tradition of wall decor dates back to prehistoric cave paintings. The first recorded instances of picture drawing are believed to have been created around 40,000 years ago (Encyclopedia Britannica)​​. The tradition of framing pictures for display began much later, with the earliest known picture frames dating back to the 2nd century AD. This industry continues to thrive today. (National Geographic Society)

Over 25 Billion Dollars Is The Expected Growth Until 2030

The demand for AI-generated art has seen significant growth in recent years. According to a report by Grand View Research, the global wall art market size was valued at $53.05 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach $80.96 billion by 2030 (1. Grand View Research) (2. Grand View Research). Platforms like Etsy, Saatchi Art, and Artfinder have seen a surge in listings and sales of AI-generated art, with approximately 45% of art buyers open to purchasing AI-generated art.

4. Selling Like A Pro – Understanding Which Art Actually Sells

Successfully selling AI art requires more than just creating beautiful pieces. It’s about understanding what resonates with buyers and how to position your art in a crowded market. By identifying trends, knowing your target audience, and focusing on quality, you can increase your chances of standing out and making consistent sales.

Navigating The Boom – How To Stand Out In The Expanding AI Art Market

The supply of art has increased significantly. Simply uploading random art to platforms like Etsy is not enough to guarantee success. Artists and sellers must follow best practices and stay informed about industry trends to stand out. But hey, this is what this blog is all about.

Good Art vs Bad Art – Understanding Your Target Audience

Good lies in the eye of the beholder so it is super crucial to understand your target audience.

I’ll show you what I mean. Look at those two images:

You might think, “Wow, the left one is eye-catching—a cool dinosaur retro cat? That’s awesome and kind of funny.” For the right, you might think, “A cat with some colors…”. However, what catches your eye is not necessarily what you would hang on your wall.

Wall decor should enhance the ambiance of the room and spread a certain feeling. You can target the audience for the left picture, but be aware that this is a smaller audience. This is why it’s crucial to know your target audience and understand what they want.

5. Choosing The Right Platform To Sell Your AI Art

Choosing the right platform for selling your AI art is crucial for reaching your target audience and maximizing your sales potential. The platform you select should align with your goals, offer the necessary tools for listing and marketing your products, and cater to a broad customer base interested in art and digital creations.

Why Start With Etsy?

Etsy attracts millions of visitors each month, providing built-in traffic for basically free. It is one of the only platforms, which allow downloadable products, which is the easiest and fastest start into selling AI art. Here are some key points about Etsy’s fees:

• Listing Fee: $0.20 per item
• Transaction Fee: 6.5% of the sale price
• Payment Processing Fee: Varies by country, typically around 3% + $0.25
• Shop Creation Fee: $15 (This is new, but just means less competition for you!)

Ensure Etsy allows you to open a shop and receive payments in your country.

Understanding The Demographics And Demand For AI Art On Etsy

Understanding the preferences and purchasing behaviors of different demographic groups is crucial. Platforms like Etsy allow you to explore these demographics to tailor your AI art offerings effectively.

Etsy’s Age Demographics

According to Blogging Wizard, Etsy’s age demographics are as follows:

• 18-24: 21.03%
• 25-34: 27.56%
• 35-44: 18.8%
• 45-54: 14.07%
• 55-64: 10.9%
• 65+: 7.64%

Etsy’s Core Geographies

Etsy primarily caters to six core geographies:

It’s crucial to focus on creating art that appeals to the demographics and regions where Etsy has the most significant reach.

6. How To Find The Right Niche(s)

Now that you understand your target audience, it’s time to decide on the type of digital art you want to sell. Here are two basic approaches to get started:

• Method 1: Experiment with a variety of themes and topics, listing them all in the same shop to see which ones resonate with your audience.

• Method 2: Identify an underserved niche and specialize your shop to cater specifically to that niche.

You can combine these methods by starting with Method 1 to test different ideas, and once you identify a popular listing, focus on Method 2 to specialize and optimize your shop for that niche.

Tools You Should Try To Find Your Niche

Finding the right niche for your digital art is essential for success. Here are some effective methods and tools to help you identify the best-performing niches:

• Browse Etsy: Explore Etsy’s best-selling digital art categories to see what’s trending and performing well. Look for common themes, styles, and subjects that attract buyers.

• Alura: Use a tool like Alura to analyze what is already working on Etsy. Alura helps you identify top-selling products, keywords, and trends and you can get started for free.

• Digital Art Niche Finder GPT: ChatGPT can help you brainstorm and validate niche ideas for digital art. Our specially designed Digital Art Shop Assistant GPT is fine-tuned to identify niche opportunities in the digital art market.

Using these methods and tools, you can effectively research and find the right niche for your digital art, ensuring you reach the right audience and maximize your sales potential.

Other tools like EverBee, eRank, Sale Samurai, and Google Trends can also be helpful. Start with the ones above to avoid getting overwhelmed.

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7. Pricing To Get Traffic And Reviews On Etsy

When starting, keep your pricing simple. Begin with a low price to validate your idea. Here’s a step-by-step approach:

1. Start at $0.99: This low entry price makes it easy for customers to take a chance on your work.
2. Increase Gradually: Once you secure your first 10 five-star reviews, raise the price to $1.99. For every subsequent 10 five-star reviews, increase the price by one dollar until you reach your desired price point. Typically, downloadable digital art on Etsy is priced between $0.99 and $10.00.

The Etsy marketplace is highly competitive, often favoring those with the most reviews. Prioritize gaining reviews first, and then you can command higher prices.

Long-Term Strategy: After accumulating 100 reviews for your shop, these reviews enhance your overall credibility. You can then start new products at higher prices right from the beginning.

The purchase likelihood for a product with five reviews is 270% greater than the purchase likelihood of a product with no reviews.

Medill Spiegel Research Center

We’ll share more tips on pricing and running sales in upcoming blogs. Subscribe to not miss out on those tips!

8. Is It Legal To Sell AI-Generated Art?

Yes, it is generally legal to sell AI-generated art. However, you need to consider two things:

1. The software you used to create the art
2. The platform on which you sell the art

Midjourney (Software)

When creating art on platforms like Midjourney, it is crucial to understand their usage rights and license agreements. Midjourney’s paid plans come with commercial rights, allowing you to sell the generated designs.

• Ownership: Typically, you own the rights to the images you create with Midjourney if you are on a paid plan. This allows you to sell and distribute these images commercially.
• License Agreement: Always review and comply with Midjourney’s terms of service to understand what is allowed under your specific plan. Learn more here.

Etsy (Platform)

Etsy’s policy updates have clarified that AI-generated art can be sold, but with specific conditions:

• Handmade Requirement: Sellers must be actively involved in creating the final product. This can include generating prompts, modifying AI-generated art, or incorporating it into a larger handmade piece.
• Intellectual Property: Ensure that your AI-generated art does not violate any copyright or trademark laws. Avoid using prompts or references that include copyrighted material unless you have permission. For example, avoid using cartoon characters, celebrity images, or quotes, as these are likely to infringe on copyright law. Instead, focus on more general themes like animal paintings, landscapes, or create your own unique characters and ideas.
• Building Trust: While not mandatory, it is a good practice to communicate to buyers that the artwork was created using AI. [Update] It is now mandatory to disclose if your art is generated by AI (see Etsy’s Seller Handbook). Most buyers don’t mind, and this transparency builds trust and ensures they understand the unique nature of AI art.

For more details, check out this blog by our friends at Printify, which covers common questions about Etsy copyright infringement.

9. Getting Started – Open Your Etsy Shop The Smart Way

Now that you have the essential knowledge, you’re ready to embark on your AI art journey.

For inspiration and guidance, check out our ArtListingPro Digital Art Shop Assistant. This tool can help you find niche ideas, themes, and set up your Etsy shop to look professional and trustworthy right from the start.

I will create a video on how to create a new shop from scratch in the future. If you want to see how to set up everything live, make sure to check out my personal YouTube channel.

10. Create A High Quality Etsy Listing Step By Step

Once you have created your digital art, it’s time to list it on Etsy. Crafting compelling listings is crucial to attracting buyers. While we will cover these intricacies in another blog post, here is an outline of the required steps:

1. Create Your Digital Art: Use an AI image model to generate your artwork.
2. Upscale the Image: Enhance the quality of your digital art.
3. Format the Image: Create various image formats, such as 2:3, 3:4, etc.
4. Bundle and Upload: Bundle these images into a zip file and upload it to Google Drive.
5. Generate Download Link: Embed the download link into a PDF.
6. Create Mockups: Use mockup templates to create multiple mockups for your listing.
7. Keyword Research: Conduct SEO keyword research for optimized titles and tags.
8. Customize Descriptions: Tailor your listing description.
9. Upload and Publish: Upload all materials to Etsy or other platforms and publish.

If you’re looking for a shortcut, try out ArtListingPro, which automates nearly the entire listing process. It is designed specifically for digital art to help you save time and create high-quality listings.

11. Conclusion

Selling AI art is a growing industry with great potential. To make it profitable and efficient, you need to learn the right tips and tricks. We hope this article has given you a good overview of how to sell AI art and create a successful Etsy shop.

For more tips and updates on industry trends, subscribe to our newsletter. Stay informed and make the most of your AI art venture!