If you‘re a photographer looking to monetize your work in 2024, you have more options than ever when it comes to selling photos online. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll cover the top websites for selling your photos, from building your own online store to listing on popular marketplaces and stock agencies.
Here‘s an overview of the sites we‘ll be covering:
Sell Photos on Your Own Website
- Sellfy
- Wix
- WooCommerce
Marketplaces
- Etsy
- Fine Art America
- Redbubble
Stock Photo Sites
- Shutterstock
- Adobe Stock
- Getty Images
Niche Sites
- WunderPics
- Displate
- SmugMug
Subscription Sites
- Envato Elements
- 500px
For each option, we‘ll discuss the pros and cons, fees and commissions, exclusivity options, and more to help you decide the best platform to earn money from your photos. Let‘s dive in!
1. Sell Photos on Your Own Website
The best way to maximize profits from selling prints and digital downloads is to build your own photography website. When you sell directly to customers, you keep 100% of sales after payment processing fees of around 2-3%.
Platforms like Sellfy and Wix make it easy to create an online store without any coding required. You can customize the design, set your own prices, process payments, and deliver digital products.
Sellfy
Sellfy is purpose-built for selling photography and other digital files. Plans start at $19/month, and you can even integrate print-on-demand to sell canvas prints shipped directly to customers.
Wix
While best known for website building, Wix also enables ecommerce. Add Wix Stores to any Wix site to sell prints, personal use licenses, or more.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce powers over 30% of all online stores. Integrate it with WordPress sites for maximum customization of your photography storefront.
When using your own website, you maintain creative control over your branding, products and pricing. You also build direct relationships with collectors of your work.
The only downside is that you lose out on exposure from the built-in audience of large marketplaces. But with some marketing effort, you can drive traffic and sales.
2. Sell Photo Prints on Etsy
Boasting over 90 million active buyers per month in 2024, Etsy is a top choice for selling photo prints.
Over 75% of Etsy sellers make craft supplies, jewelry or paper and party goods. But photographers can still find an audience amongst shoppers seeking wall art and personalized gifts.
Etsy charges just 6.5% transaction fees on the item price plus $0.20 per listing. Your first 40 listings each month are free.
Consider connecting Etsy to Printful to easily sell canvas and framed prints fulfilled automatically. Or sell digital downloads for phone backgrounds, blog posts and more.
3. Reach Art Collectors on Fine Art America
While Etsy has a craft focus, Fine Art America exclusively serves fine art photographers and painters.
Sign up for a free account, then upload your photos to products like canvas prints, metal prints, t-shirts, phone cases and more.
When buyers purchase your products, Fine Art America handles printing and order fulfillment. Currently over 100,000 artists use FAA to sell over 7 million products.
They offer studio space, in-person and online exhibitions to help you market your work. Commissions vary based on products sold but tend to range between 20-30%.
4. Sell Trendy Photo Goods on Redbubble
Redbubble takes a creative spin, with photographers selling unique products like spiral notebooks, yoga mats and throw pillows featuring their designs.
Over 1 million independent artists use Redbubble to reach over 9 million customers globally.
You determine the base price then set your profit margin. Redbubble deducts their base product price and production costs, then pays you the remainder.
5. Earn Stock Photo Royalties on Shutterstock
Boasting over 2 million video clips, images and illustrations, Shutterstock is amongst the internet‘s largest stock media libraries. Over 1 million customers access Shutterstock content.
As a contributor, you earn royalties each time someone licenses your photos. Shutterstock pays 15-40% based on annual sales volumes.
They also distribute content across their subsidiary sites like Offset and PremiumBeat, allowing you to earn from multiple agencies simultaneously.
6. Reach Business Users on Adobe Stock
Adobe Stock grants contributors access to over 225 million assets with seamless integration into Adobe Creative Cloud applications like Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.
Over 90% of Fortune 100 companies use Adobe Stock. When they license your photos in creative projects, you earn a 33% royalty.
Adobe Stock also provides precise data on when, where and how often your images get used thanks to built-in analytics.
7. Score High-Paying Licenses with Getty Images
Getty Images connects creators with leading brands and publishers willing to pay premium rates for photos.
Clients include Samsung, Spotify, Men’s Health and Buzzfeed. Contributors earn 20-45% royalties on licenses.
While microstock sites like Shutterstock host inexpensive stock images, Getty Images focuses exclusively on high-quality, often exclusive content.
This means fewer sales, but larger payouts. Expect your work to undergo a selective review process before approval.
8. Capture Niche Sports Photos for WunderPics
WunderPics enables sports photographers to sell action shots directly to the athletes and subjects pictured.
Photographers upload and tag event images, allowing participants to easily find, preview and purchase digital downloads.
You set your own prices while WunderPics takes a 15% transaction fee. With niche appeal for active sportspeople, this remains an untapped sales channel.
9. Print Photos on Stylish Metal with Displate
While most sites focus on paper or canvas prints, Displate pioneered printing photos on metal.
These aluminum prints allow vivid colors and extreme sharpness. Hung without frames, they create a modern, eye-catching display.
Photographers earn 30-50% commissions on Displate print sales. Some large metal plates sell for over $100 each.
Achieve greater reach by allowing Displate to also sell 3D magnets, puzzles and even gift cards featuring your photography.
10. Store, Share & Sell Photos via SmugMug
Established in 2002, SmugMug combines unlimited cloud photo storage with built-in ecommerce.
Paid plans which start at $8/month (or $72/year) allow you to create galleries then sell digital downloads and prints.
SmugMug production partners BayPhoto and WHCC print and ship photos on your behalf. You earn 85% from print sales and 100% from digital products sold.
11. Monetize Via Subscriptions on Envato Elements
Envato Elements operates on a subscription model where creators earn royalties based on downloads by paying subscribers.
98% of approved contributors on Elements earn money annually by sharing photos, video, graphics and more.
Signing up is free. Envato Elements splits 50% of its subscription revenue amongst artists whose work gets used each month. The more downloads you receive, the greater your royalty share.
It feels less direct than selling your own products. ButElements provides recurring passive income as your work keeps generating sales.
12. Join a Photography Community with 500px
500px balances social networking with built-in licensing options. Join for free or upgrade to sell royalty-free images.
Paid tiers allow setting download prices then earning 100% sales commissions minus payment processing fees.
The 500px team curates submitted photos based on technical qualities plus overall aesthetic. Upload your best shots to pass approvals and start selling.
Which Website Should Photographers Use to Sell Photos?
The "best" platform depends on your goals and photo niche. Here‘s how to choose:
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Sell direct – Your own online store means keeping the most money from print and digital download sales. But you also handle marketing, order fulfillment, and more.
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Tap niche buyers – Sites like WunderPics, Displate and SmugMug appeal to specific photographer types or print formats. Research the one matching your skills.
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Gain passive income – With subscription sites like Envato Elements, your work gets recurring exposure rather than one-time sales. Great for building long-term licensing royalties.
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Access high-volume sales – Microstock sites like Shutterstock and Adobe Stock provide incredible reach…if your work meets quality standards. But plan for low per-unit payouts.
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Get creative – Print-on-demand platforms allow you to easily sell photo mugs, t-shirts, phone cases beyond just paper prints.
No matter your goal – earning maximum profits, reaching niche buyers, simplifying sales, or boosting exposure – selling photography online has never been easier or offered more options.
Determine whether you wish to spend more time on marketing and order fulfillment or prefer passive sales volume even if commissions are lower. Match this approach with a platform aligning to your monetization strategy.
