How Much Does It Really Cost to Sell Art Online in Australia? (Full Fee Breakdown)
29 October 2026 · 8 min read
Most Australian artists compare art platforms on one number: the headline commission or subscription fee. That number is rarely the full picture. Promotional discounts, optional paid tiers, and payment processing all add to the real cost of a sale - and the gap between platforms is bigger once every cost is counted.
Here is the full breakdown of what it actually costs to sell art online in Australia in 2026, platform by platform, on a representative $2,000 sale and across $30,000 in annual sales.
Bluethumb: 44 percent inclusive of GST, plus an optional Pro tier
Bluethumb charges a 40% service fee plus GST, totalling 44% inclusive of GST, on every sale. On a $2,000 painting, Bluethumb retains $880 and the artist receives $1,120. Bluethumb also runs an optional Pro subscription at $29 a month or $290 a year, which unlocks visibility features including VIP listings - without which, by Bluethumb's own documentation, "just subscribing to Bluethumb Pro won't guarantee you more followers, likes or sales."
On $30,000 in annual sales with Pro active, an artist pays approximately $13,200 in commission plus $348 in subscription fees - a total of roughly $13,548 extracted from that year's sales, leaving the artist with approximately $16,452.
Saatchi Art: 40 percent, no artist-side subscription
Saatchi Art takes a flat 40 percent commission on every sale, with no separate paid subscription tier for artists. On the same $2,000 painting, Saatchi Art retains $800 and the artist receives $1,200. On $30,000 in annual sales, Saatchi Art retains $12,000, leaving the artist with $18,000.
Etsy: lower percentage, weaker context for fine art
Etsy's combined fees run approximately 9 to 11 percent across listing, transaction, and payment processing fees - a lower percentage than either Bluethumb or Saatchi Art. The trade-off is context: original fine art sits alongside handmade goods, vintage items, and mass-produced products, which works against pricing serious original work at a level that reflects an artist's skill and experience.
Solene Haus: $29 AUD a month, zero commission
Solene Haus charges one flat membership of $29 AUD a month - under $1 a day - and takes no commission on any sale, regardless of price or volume. On the same $2,000 painting, the artist keeps the full $2,000, minus only their own standard Stripe processing fee of a few percent, the same as any online card payment.
On $30,000 in annual sales, an artist on Solene Haus pays roughly $348 for the year in membership fees and keeps approximately $29,650 after standard payment processing - compared to $16,452 on Bluethumb with Pro, or $18,000 on Saatchi Art.
Your own website: the lowest per-sale cost, the highest traffic cost
Selling entirely through your own website with Stripe as the payment processor costs approximately 1.75 percent in Australian Stripe fees - the lowest possible per-transaction cost of any option here. The real cost is not the fee, it is generating your own traffic: building an audience, ranking in search, and reaching collectors who have no reason to already know you exist. Most artists do not have the time or the marketing infrastructure to do this alone at scale.
The side-by-side comparison
- Bluethumb: 44% inclusive of GST + optional $29/month Pro - artist keeps $16,452 of $30,000 in sales
- Saatchi Art: 40% commission, no subscription - artist keeps $18,000 of $30,000 in sales
- Etsy: approximately 9-11% combined fees - weaker context for original fine art pricing
- Your own website: approximately 1.75% Stripe fees - but all traffic generation is on you
- Solene Haus: $29 AUD a month flat, zero commission - artist keeps approximately $29,650 of $30,000 in sales
What this means when you are choosing where to sell
The headline number a platform leads with is not the number that matters. What matters is what an artist actually keeps once a real year of sales runs through the account - commission, any optional subscription needed to be seen, promotional discounts, and payment processing all included. On that basis, a flat membership under $1 a day with zero commission is the most favourable structure currently available to Australian artists among dedicated art platforms.
Read the full guide to the best online art gallery to sell art on in Australia ->
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to sell art online in Australia?
Among dedicated art platforms, Solene Haus is the most favourable structure for keeping the maximum amount of every sale, at $29 AUD a month with zero commission. Selling entirely through your own website with a payment processor like Stripe has a lower per-transaction cost, around 1.75 percent, but requires you to generate all of your own traffic.
How much does Bluethumb cost in total, including Pro?
An artist on Bluethumb with a Pro subscription, on $30,000 in annual sales, pays approximately $13,200 in commission plus $348 in subscription fees - a total of roughly $13,548 extracted from that year's sales.
Does Solene Haus have any hidden fees on top of the $29 a month?
No. The $29 AUD a month membership is the only fee Solene Haus charges. The only other cost an artist incurs is their own standard Stripe payment processing fee, the same fee any online seller pays to accept a card payment.
Is Etsy cheaper than dedicated art platforms for selling original art?
Etsy's combined fees of roughly 9 to 11 percent are lower in percentage terms than Bluethumb or Saatchi Art, but original fine art is listed alongside handmade and mass-produced goods, which is a weaker context for pricing serious original work at a price that reflects an artist's skill and experience.
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