How to Sell Art Locally — A Practical Guide for Independent Artists
By Herehood Team
A practical guide for artists who want to sell original work in their own neighbourhood. How to price, where to display, and what to consider when selling art locally.
Selling art is one of the most personal things you can do. You made something that did not exist before, and now you are offering it to someone else. That takes a kind of quiet courage, and it deserves a process that respects it.
This guide is for independent artists who want to sell original work locally — not through a large online marketplace, not through a gallery that takes half the sale price, but through channels where you stay close to your work and the people who connect with it.
Start where you are
The simplest way to sell art locally is to put it where people in your neighbourhood already go. Cafes, wine bars, retail shops, co-working spaces, community centres — these are places with wall space, foot traffic, and a built-in audience that already spends time nearby.
When your work is on the wall of a local cafe, you are not competing with thousands of other pieces in a search result. You are the art in the room. Someone notices it while waiting for their coffee. They look at it properly. They come back a week later and look at it again. That kind of slow discovery often leads to a more meaningful connection than any online scroll.
How to get started. Approach businesses in your area and ask whether they would consider displaying your work. Bring photos or a small piece to show scale. Most business owners appreciate being asked directly — it shows you have chosen their space specifically, not sent a mass email.
Pricing your work
Pricing is where most artists hesitate, and understandably so. There is no universal formula, but there are some principles that help.
Cover your costs first. Materials, framing, your time — these are real expenses. Your price should cover them at a minimum.
Consider the context. A small acrylic on canvas in a Fitzroy cafe is in a different context than the same piece in a commercial gallery. The audience is different, the expectations are different, and the price range should reflect where the work is being experienced.
Be consistent. If you sell a piece for $400 in one venue and $250 in another, you create confusion. Set a price and stand behind it, wherever the work is shown.
Do not apologise for your prices. If someone asks "why does it cost that much?", the answer is that it is an original work of art made by a human being. That is always enough.
Research what others charge. Look at artists in your area who work at a similar scale and in similar mediums. You are not trying to undercut them — you are trying to understand the range so your prices sit comfortably within it.
Where to sell
There are more options than you might think, each with different trade-offs.
In a physical space
Displaying in a cafe, shop, or venue puts your work in front of people every day. The conversion rate is lower than a dedicated gallery — most people walking in are there for coffee, not art — but the reach is broad and the cost is zero. A QR code next to each piece lets viewers learn about you and purchase directly.
Through open calls
Open calls are themed exhibition opportunities where you submit work in response to a brief. Some open calls are specifically designed to create sales opportunities in non-traditional venues. On Herehood, open calls are free to enter, and at least 40% include reserved places for emerging artists.
Online through a community gallery
An online gallery can extend the reach of your physical exhibition. Someone sees your work on a cafe wall, scans the QR code, and later browses your full portfolio from home. The key is choosing a platform that does not bury your work behind pay-to-play visibility systems or charge a commission that makes selling feel unrewarding.
Herehood's online gallery charges a 10% commission — one of the lowest among curated art platforms. There are no listing fees, no subscription costs, and no paid visibility tiers. Every verified creator receives equitable exposure regardless of their sales history.
At events
Art walks, mixers, open studio weekends, and community markets are opportunities to sell in person. They let you meet the people who connect with your work, tell the story behind a piece, and build relationships that lead to future connections.
Directly through your own channels
Social media, your own website, word of mouth — direct sales mean zero commissions and full control. The trade-off is that all the work of finding the audience falls on you.
What commission rates really mean
When you sell a $500 painting, the commission rate determines how much of that $500 you actually keep.
| Platform type | Typical commission | You receive from a $500 sale | |---|---|---| | Large online marketplace | 25-40% | $300-$375 | | Traditional gallery | 40-60% | $200-$300 | | Community platform (Herehood) | 10% | ~$435 (after processing) | | Direct sale | 0% (+ payment processing) | ~$485 |
These numbers matter over time. If you sell 20 pieces a year at $500 each, the difference between a 40% commission and a 10% commission is $3,000 in your pocket. That is materials for a year. That is studio rent for several months.
Making sales feel less awkward
Many artists find the selling part uncomfortable. That is normal. A few things that help:
Let the work speak. You do not need to convince anyone. A QR code with your name, the title, and a link to your portfolio is enough. The people who want to buy will find a way.
Be reachable. Make sure someone who wants to commission a piece or ask about your work can actually contact you. An email address or a link to your profile is sufficient.
Separate the art from the transaction. Your job is to make the work and put it where people can see it. The sale is a natural consequence when the right person encounters the right piece. You do not need to perform the role of salesperson.
Price fairly and do not negotiate. Discounting devalues the work and sets a precedent. If someone genuinely cannot afford a piece, it simply was not the right match.
Getting started
Selling art locally begins with making your work visible in your own neighbourhood. The infrastructure matters — where you display, how people find you, what happens when someone wants to purchase — but the foundation is simpler than it seems. You make the work. You put it where people can see it. You let the connections happen.