Discover: Should You Use Fine Art America? A Photographer's Verdict

Fine Art America is the largest “print on demand” site in the world. Artists upload their images and the ecommerce site does the rest, allowing customers to peruse millions of products. Fine Art America fulfills the order by handling the manufacturing and shipping.

How did Fine Art America become so successful? Should you use them as an artist? Should you buy from their site?

How many People Use Fine Art America?

Fine Art America claims they have the “largest print-on-demand fulfillment network in the world.” They offer a satisfaction guarantee and promise to deliver “museum quality” prints. In addition, you can sell through Fine Art America via your own personal website or through other apps, like Shopify.

As a result, their reach is enormous. The number of people who use Fine Art America is reflected in these metrics:

40 million monthly page views
5 million unique monthly visitors.
In addition, 10 million images exist in their database.

As they display on their site, they are “home to hundreds of thousands of artists, photographers, graphic designers, illustrators, and iconic brands.”

They are a giant in an industry of giants, like Redbubble and Printful. Although impressive, and clearly a popular choice for many sellers and consumers, I think buying direct from the “little guys” (like me) makes a great David vs. Goliath story.

With that in mind, here’s a link to my gallery (wink, wink) before we continue. I capture awe-inspiring landscapes on my travels, perfect for large wall art decoration.

This dilapidated and broken pier was a challenge to photograph. It was no longer connected to the shore so in order get the shot I was seeking I had to take a small risk and walk across a long precarious wooden plank from the shore over the water with my camera gear. Once on top of the pier, I stepped over a few missing planks and setup my camera to show the detailed character of the aged wooden pier. I then patiently waited for the sun to go down beyond the horizon and capture the afterglow of beautiful pastel hues spreading across the sky. This calm colorful scene came and went within a matter of seconds but my risk and patience was worth the effort. — "Pastel Pier"
*Prints Available*

Who Runs Fine Art America?

Sean Broihier, engineer, entrepreneur, and CEO of Fine Art America, is passionate about beating venture capitalists and big corporations. He runs Fine Art America with a team of fewer than 20 employees.

Broihier founded the company and website by himself in 2006 with zero investment. He automated the entire process, from sales to shipping. He says he keeps his staff “lean and dedicated.” For most of the company’s history, he had less than eight employees despite netting hundreds of millions of dollars.

Broihier passionately believes most businesses shouldn’t work in the Silicon Valley startup model. This happens when a company raises millions of dollars for marketing and a large staff team, only to be forced to go public when it can’t meet the demand of its investors.

Broihier says to start your own business and keep it; basically, don’t sell your soul. (Incidentally, that’s precisely what I’m trying not to do.) Given Fine Art America’s mind-boggling success, it’s hard to argue with him. As he writes, “The future belongs to lean, profitable, highly automated companies.”

A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. — "Beacon Of Hope"
*Prints Available*

Pros and Cons of Using Fine Art America as an Artist

Should you use Fine Art America as an artist? There are benefits.

Pros:

Artists can quickly upload art
Artists set their own prices
Shipping and orders are processed automatically
However, there are tradeoffs.

Cons:

Less personal connection with the buyers
Less control over sales
Artists aren’t in charge of the production
A cut goes to Fine Art America

While some artists prefer to digitize their art and use large-scale manufacturers to print their work, some artists, like myself, prefer to keep control over the specific materials and printing process.

Pros and Cons of Using Fine Art America as a Buyer

As a buyer, should you use Fine Art America?

Pros:

(Often) Cheap prices
Large database
Satisfaction guaranteed
Again, however, there are some cons.

Cons:

Less connection with the artist
Some money goes to Fine Art America
Fine Art America sells AI art

The sun casts it last rays of light before it tucks behind the clouds and below the horizon. — "The Red"

*Prints Available*

Why you Should Buy Direct from Individual Artists

There’s nothing necessarily wrong with buying from Fine Art America or any other printing commerce site. Rather, buying art is a unique opportunity to propel an artist’s career forward and establish a relationship with them directly.

Fine Art America can be a decent choice for many buyers, but the best choice is always to purchase directly from your favorite artists.

Artists often upload images to Fine Art America and forget about them. I take care with my pieces and, for example, with my VIP club, provide discounts and a personal touch. I don’t post and forget my art; I connect with buyers over our shared love of landscapes.

Get in touch and I can help furnish your home or office with beautiful, large landscape photography, or peruse my galleries and buy art from me, an independent photographer, today.

Posted in Articles and tagged fine art america, print on demand.

← Previous: The 7 Best Art Galleries in Las Vegas, According To An Artist

Next: Biblical Art: Creativity and God's Wonderful Artistry →