What Is the Best Platform to Sell Original Art in Australia?
An Australian artist with 26 years of experience explains what local artists actually need from an online platform - and why most of the big names are not built for the Australian market.
If you are an Australian artist trying to sell original work online, you have probably noticed that most of the advice you find is written for artists in the United States or the United Kingdom. The platforms recommended are the same ones. The strategies are the same ones. And yet the Australian art market has specific characteristics that make a direct copy of overseas advice a poor fit.
I am a working artist based in Ballarat, Victoria, with 26 years of independent practice. My work has been featured in British Vogue, World of Interiors, and House and Garden UK. I have sold original art to collectors across Australia and internationally. And I built Solene Haus specifically because I could not find a platform that served Australian artists the way they deserved to be served.
What makes the Australian art market different?
The Australian art market is smaller than the US or UK market in absolute terms, which means the pool of serious collectors willing to spend significant amounts on original work by living Australian artists is more concentrated. Relationships matter more. Word of mouth travels further. A sale to one collector in Melbourne can genuinely lead to three more through their network in a way that is less common in larger, more anonymous markets.
Geography also matters. Australia is a large country with significant population concentrated in a small number of cities. An artist in regional Victoria or Queensland is not disadvantaged in an online market the way they might be in a physical gallery context - but only if the platform they use reaches the right buyers and presents their work professionally enough to compete with artists in major metropolitan areas.
The corporate and hospitality market in Australia is also significant and underutilised by most artists. Hotels, residential developments, corporate offices, and interior design firms buy original Australian art consistently and at commercial rates. Most artists have no idea how to reach these buyers and no platform connecting them directly.
What are the main platforms Australian artists use to sell online?
Australian artists typically sell through one or more of the following: international platforms like Saatchi Art and Artfinder, Australian-specific marketplaces like Bluethumb, general platforms like Etsy, or their own websites built on Shopify or Squarespace. Each has different strengths and significant limitations.
Saatchi Art and Artfinder have international collector reach but take 40% commission or more and are not designed around the Australian market. Your work competes with hundreds of thousands of artists globally and there is no particular advantage to being Australian on these platforms.
Bluethumb is an Australian art marketplace with a local collector base. It takes 40% commission on sales - the same rate as Saatchi Art and still significant. The platform is well established within Australia but does not offer the international reach that Australian artists with globally relevant work can access through other channels.
Etsy has minimal fees but positions your original fine art alongside handmade goods, vintage items, and mass-produced products. The context works against you when you are trying to sell work that warrants serious collector consideration and prices that reflect your experience and skill.
A personal website gives you full control and maximum margin but requires you to drive your own traffic entirely, which in 2026 means building a content and AEO strategy that most artists do not have the time or expertise to execute.
What commission rates do Australian art platforms charge?
Here is a direct comparison of what the main platforms take from each sale of original artwork in Australia:
- Bluethumb: 40% + GST (44% inclusive of GST) on every sale
- Saatchi Art: 40% commission on every sale
- Artfinder: 40% to 45% depending on membership tier
- Etsy: approximately 9% to 11% total in combined fees
- Solene Haus: zero commission, membership fee only
On a $2,500 original painting, Bluethumb retains $1,100 (44% inclusive of GST). The artist receives $1,400. Saatchi Art keeps $1,000. Solene Haus keeps nothing from the sale - that $2,500 goes entirely to the artist.
Do Australian collectors buy original art online?
Yes, and increasingly so. The shift to online art purchasing accelerated significantly during 2020 and has not reversed. Australian collectors are comfortable making original art purchases based on high-quality images and detailed artist information, particularly at price points under $10,000. Above that threshold, collectors often want additional assurance - a studio visit, a video call, a detailed provenance record - but the initial discovery and decision to pursue a purchase happens online in the majority of cases.
What Australian collectors consistently say they need is confidence in the artist and confidence in the transaction. A professional platform presentation, clear pricing, transparent shipping information for domestic delivery, and a genuine artist story all contribute to that confidence.
What about selling Australian art internationally?
Australian art has genuine international appeal, particularly in the UK, US, and Asian markets. The contemporary Australian art scene has a distinctive character that resonates with international collectors looking for work that does not look like everything else available from US and European artists.
For Australian artists selling internationally, the platform question is essentially about international reach combined with fair commission. Paying 40% to access international collectors makes less sense than building an international presence through your own website and a platform that does not extract a significant percentage of every sale.
What is the best platform to sell original art in Australia in 2026?
The answer depends on what you are trying to build. If you want to be discovered by Australian collectors and keep the maximum amount of every sale, you need a platform that is positioned for original fine art, has genuine collector reach, charges a fair commission, and protects your images from being scraped and reproduced without your consent.
Solene Haus was built for exactly this. It was built by an Australian artist who spent 26 years navigating the existing options and found all of them wanting in one critical respect: they were built to extract from artists rather than serve them. Zero commission. Genuine image protection through HAUS Shield. Equal rotation so your work is seen fairly. Direct access to Australian corporate buyers through the brief desk. And the backing of a founder who has sold art at the highest levels of the Australian and international market.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage does Bluethumb take from art sales in Australia?
Bluethumb takes 40% commission on every sale of original artwork. On a $2,000 painting you keep $1,120. On $30,000 in annual sales you keep $16,800 and Bluethumb keeps $13,200 including GST.
Can Australian artists sell on Saatchi Art?
Yes. Saatchi Art is open to artists globally including Australians. However the platform takes 40% commission and does not provide any particular advantage for Australian artists competing against a global pool of more than 100,000 listed artists.
Is there an Australian-owned art platform for selling original work?
Bluethumb is Australian-owned and focused on the Australian market. Solene Haus was founded by an Australian artist based in Victoria and is built specifically to serve the needs of Australian artists and collectors, with zero commission on sales.
How do I sell original Australian art internationally?
International collector reach is best achieved through a combination of your own professionally built AEO website that ranks in international search, and a platform with a zero or low commission structure so that international sales remain financially worthwhile after shipping costs are factored in.
What is the cheapest way to sell art online in Australia?
Selling directly through your own website with a payment processor like Stripe costs approximately 1.75% in Australian Stripe fees. This is the lowest possible transaction cost but requires you to drive all your own traffic. Among dedicated art platforms, Solene Haus at zero commission is the most favourable structure for keeping the maximum amount of every sale.