Ideas
Etsy and Fine Art - a discussion
Tags
Sign in to participate in this discussion.
This discussion is public.
Original Post
I am starting this new thread to try and bring together in one location ideas that could be implemented by Etsy, with various degrees of ease, to make the most of the huge community of fine artists who are trying to sell here - not to mention those others like me who have closed their shops because we have found the Etsy marketplace to be sadly lacking.
!!!!BIG NOTICE!!!!
I am using Fine Art as shorthand for painting, printmaking, collage, photography sculpture and similar and to distinguish those activities from the huge array of other crafts and activities hosted here like jewellery, knitting etc.
I am NOT NOT NOT making any judgement about quality of work. I am simply using the conventionally recognised terminology. If you want to disagree with that terminology PLEASE do so in another thread, not here.
OTHER RELATED THREADS
In this thread you will find a long running discussion around a proposal that Etsy should create a new 'top level' category of Art or Fine Art to stand alongside Handmade, Supplies and Vintage.
www.etsy.com/teams/7714/ideas/discuss/6838216/page/1
This discussion is for general discussions about art
www.etsy.com/teams/7385/techniques-materials/discuss/6763997/page/1
Next post will start the thread proper. This one is just to set the scene.
Posted at 11:00 am Dec 15, 2011 EST
Responses
I look forward to this discussion. It's time is due. Past due, actually.
Posted at 11:01 am Dec 15, 2011 EST
Will be interesting to see where this leads.
Posted at 11:06 am Dec 15, 2011 EST
There are probably thousands of fine artists on Etsy. Some are doing well, but I suspect that most are not. The sheer scale of Etsy places it in a good position to maximise the benefit of having those artists on board, but there is little sign that they understand this, or if they do that they are willing to do anything about it.
What would you like Etsy to do to better promote the artists already here and to exert maximum leverage in the wider on-line art market? Let us have your comments in this thread.
Posted at 11:07 am Dec 15, 2011 EST
Great. Am looking forward to this. What are we discussing? I will be back later to join in the conversation.
Posted at 11:08 am Dec 15, 2011 EST
If you are on Twitter I am also proposing a 24hr 'Twit-athon' starting at 11.00am GMT on 10th January 2012 and continuing for 24hrs around the globe. Join in at any time using the hashtag #etsyandart. If you are on Twitter already please tweet the idea. If you are not please consider signing up for the discussion.
Posted at 11:09 am Dec 15, 2011 EST
I don't think it would help much if Etsy would start promoting fine art more.
As long as I can remember I have been saving money to buy art. Not only paintings, but ceramic, glass objects and fiber art too. I have never and will never buy fine art through the internet. I want to see and feel the painting and or object in real live before I spend my money on it.
Visiting an artists studio or gallery, seeing what else they have created is such a wonderful experience, internet can't ever match that for me.
I think that that is one of the reasons why selling fine art on the internet is not easy. It has little to do with the venue you are on.
Posted at 11:19 am Dec 15, 2011 EST
You are here selling things like ACEOs though and so are many others who do have high levels of sales. While I wouldn't personally expect to pay £/$000's for fine art on the internet, at the sort of price levels we see here I don't think that is really an issue. People buy all sorts of things on-line at quite high prices without seeing them - clothing and lawnmowers being two examples that come immediately to mind.
The real point though is that ETSY is promoting this as a place to sell art. If they believe that to be possible then they should be doing all they can to make it happen and I don't think they are, hence this thread.
Posted at 11:50 am Dec 15, 2011 EST
The topic for discussion is simple: What can Etsy do to maximise the exposure of fine artists on the site for the benefit of both artists and Etsy.
ETSY is promoting this as a place to sell art. If they believe that to be possible then they should be doing all they can to make it happen and I don't think they are, hence this thread.
Posted at 11:53 am Dec 15, 2011 EST
Selling a ACEO for about $ 20 is no comparison to a painting for $ 1000, I think. I sell larger mixed media objects, but not on the internet because of the reason I gave you. Besides that, shipping is an issue too, I think.
We, the sellers have to promote our art, not Etsy. Etsy is promoting nothing, only providing us a place to sell. That's what we are paying fee's for.
I only gave my opinion, sorry that my reaction doesn't fit in this discussion.
Posted at 12:06 pm Dec 15, 2011 EST