This week, Society6 announced the biggest change to their platform yet.

Society6 has informed their artists that significant changes are ahead. Some* artists have been notified that their accounts will be shut down on March 18. Others will be allowed to remain on their platform. Their email announcements and website state that they are transitioning to a more curated marketplace, showcasing selected artwork that aligns with current trends which will better meet the demands of their customers in today's market.

I’ve been watching this play out and I know that it’s causing unrest and frustration among the art community. As an artist who has been heavily involved with Society6 since the early days, I wanted to share my thoughts on how this will affect artists and the best way to move forward based on how you were impacted.

*As of now, there is no exact number of artist shops affected by this change. I've heard from artists on both sides, and the majority so far have had their shops chosen for removal.

First, let’s clarify what’s happening.

On February 3rd, Society6 announced that they are shutting down some artists’ accounts. They stated that they seek to maintain the highest quality and on-trend designs, better align with market dynamics and customer preferences, and operate as a more focused brand with a smaller pool of artists.

This new marketplace will have other changes as well for the artists who were selected to stay on the platform. Society6 is now removing artist plans and fees, eliminating shipping fees from artist earnings, standardizing their pricing structure so that all royalties are the same across the board, and implementing a new artwork submission and approval process. Society6 will continue to handle marketing, manufacturing, shipping, and customer support.

If you’re a seller on Society6, you probably got an email notification that either your account is still active or that your shop will soon be removed from the platform.

If you received a notice that you’ll be removed from the platform, that means that your account will be disabled on March 18th. You cannot upload any new artwork to your shop from this point forward. You can read more about this change on their website here.

Whichever bucket you’ve wound up in, know that there is a positive path forward for you (even though it may not seem like it right now for those who were negatively affected). I don’t want to leave you high and dry, so I’m sharing the exact steps I would recommend taking next based on how you were affected.

Society6 sent out two emails– one for artists who were removed and another for those who were selected to remain. Both emails have the same subject line: “Important Updates to Your Society6 Artist Account” and were sent out on February 3rd.

Here’s a screenshot of the email that was sent to artists who were removed:

Here’s a screenshot of the email that was sent to artists who were selected to stay:

Why is this happening?

On their website, Society6 explained their reasoning by stating: “Why is Society6 making this change? To maintain the highest quality and on-trend designs, better align with market dynamics and customer preferences, and operate as a more focused brand with a smaller pool of artists.”

In my opinion, based on over 10 years of experience as an artist in the print-on-demand (POD) industry and witnessing how it has evolved over the years, this decision likely stems from the overwhelming influx of low-quality and under-performing artwork on these platforms. I personally believe that challenges like the rise of AI-generated artwork and spam accounts may have influenced this decision. Of course, I know that many talented artists were removed in this process.

I’ve personally experienced the frustration of having my artwork stolen and sold by spam accounts on POD sites. (And I’ve also heard the same from many other artists.) These nefarious spam accounts often upload low-quality versions of original artwork without the artist's permission, which impacts not only sales but also brand credibility. As someone whose career is built on maintaining a strong artistic reputation, I know how damaging it can be when lower-quality rip-offs of my own work (complete with my signature) are widely available on the same POD platforms I rely on. This isn’t just happening on Society6– it’s been an ongoing issue in literally every POD site I sell through.

Society6 appears to be shifting toward a more curated marketplace with a significantly smaller pool of artists. However, I want to acknowledge that this decision has had a profoundly negative impact on many talented artists. While Society6’s goal might be to reduce the “noise” and create opportunities for their remaining artists, for many, this feels like a rejection of their hard work and passion.

That said, POD platforms like Society6 are businesses, and they must make decisions they believe will serve their customers and their bottom line. While I understand how devastating this change might feel for some artists, I believe Society6 is taking these steps to address broader issues within the industry, such as AI art infiltration, low-quality and underperforming designs, spam, and stolen work. All of these factors make it difficult for independent artists’ artwork to gain traction and visibility in POD storefronts. This is, of course, just my perspective, informed by my years of experience navigating this space.

For those impacted, I want to express my heartfelt support. This is a challenging industry, and changes like this can feel deeply personal. I encourage every artist to continue creating and to seek out new opportunities that align with their unique talents. The world of art is vast, and there is always room for your voice to shine.

My thoughts:

I won’t sugarcoat it—this is a devastating blow for many artists who have been removed from the platform. It’s completely understandable that artists are feeling shocked and frustrated by Society6’s sudden change. Having invested so much time and effort into building a presence on a platform, only to have it taken away, is undeniably heartbreaking.

As an artist with multiple income streams, I’ve seen my sources of revenue shift constantly over my decade in business. I’ve been through situations where a steady income stream was abruptly cut off due to factors outside my control or where it slowly fizzled out over time.

For example, in the spring of 2020, during the height of the pandemic, my in-store art licensing revenue dropped by half as shoppers avoided in-person shopping. At the same time, more people turned to online classes while stuck at home. Recognizing this shift, I adjusted my focus to the education side of my business, which had the greatest potential for growth at the time. Luckily, art licensing eventually bounced back for me, but it was a pivotal moment that taught me the importance of adapting to changing circumstances.

There’s always an opportunity to pivot. We just need to be looking for it and be ready to make changes when external factors outside of our control inevitably happen.

One of the most common frustrations I hear from my students is how saturated the POD industry has become in recent years, making it increasingly difficult for artists to stand out. When I first started advocating for platforms like Society6, I felt POD was a great opportunity for beginner-level artists to showcase their work (often for the first time) and earn passive income. Back in 2014, Society6 was the catalyst for me getting initial exposure and income as an artist, which led to me building a thriving business around art licensing opportunities.

However, over time, as more artists joined and the POD industry evolved, it has become tougher and tougher to find success. While it’s heartbreaking to lose a source of recurring revenue for your art business, the reality is that maintaining a POD shop has become increasingly challenging for many artists, with the time invested not always matching the payout.

While this change is undeniably difficult, it might also be an opportunity to explore alternative approaches. It may offer more potential to earn income and regain control over your products by exploring alternative strategies for online sales. While it’s too soon to say what the full impact of this change will be, I’ve seen artists in similar situations pivot and find unexpected opportunities that were ultimately more rewarding.

The importance of building a business that you own:

Whether or not your account was affected by Society6’s changes, it’s crucial to evaluate how much of your business depends on third-party platforms like Society6, Instagram, TikTok, Skillshare, or Spoonflower.

The TikTok shutdown scare in the U.S. showed us just how quickly entire platforms can disappear. That’s why it’s essential to diversify your audience and sales channels by building on platforms you own—such as your website, email list, or online shop—in addition to using third-party platforms.

Selling through POD sites or social media isn’t inherently bad, but it’s unpredictable. Your art business shouldn’t be entirely reliant on one company. By creating a platform-independent business, you’ll have more stability, allowing you to weather changes and maintain your income even when external platforms shift or shut down. The more control you have, the more secure your business will be.

Next, I’ll share tips and resources to help you take the next steps and thrive in your art business.

What to do if your account has been deleted:

I understand just how shocking and unfair this feels. I’ve experienced many changes like this over the years, and I’ve seen just how powerful it can be when you commit to pivoting and exploring new opportunities - especially ones that you have full control over. This may feel like the end of the road, but it’s just the beginning of a new chapter!

I know it’s not easy to pivot overnight, but if you want to recoup the revenue lost from Society6, there are so many options for you to explore that may have a higher profit margin in the long run. Here are the steps I’d recommend taking if you were impacted.

Notify Your Audience

Notify your audience immediately. Let them know that your shop is unexpectedly closing, but tell them where they can find you and buy your art elsewhere. If Society6 was a main source of sales for you, this is an especially important step.

Update Any Places You’ve Linked to Your Society6 Store

Do an audit of your website and social media accounts to find any links to your Society6 store. Swap those out with live links that will lead to an active marketplace where people can find your products. This can be your own site, an Etsy store, or another POD platform. If you don’t have any of those set up yet, no worries! Your Society6 store will remain active until March 18th, 2025, so you have time to pivot to other sales channels.

Start an Online Marketplace that You Own

If you’ve uploaded your artwork to print-on-demand sites, you have everything you need to set up your own shop. Whether it’s hosted on your own website through Shopify or an online marketplace like Etsy, you’ll have more control over this kind of shop than you will on POD platforms.

And setting up your own online store doesn’t mean that you’ll have to spend thousands of dollars on inventory or even hold any inventory at all! In fact, there are lots of dropshipping and print-on-demand companies that allow you to white label their products as your own. These companies handle the printing and shipping of your products just like Society6 does, but you have more control over the sales platform side of things. Most of these platforms integrate with ecommerce plugins like Shopify and online marketplaces like Etsy so it’s easy to fulfill customer orders.

Here are a few dropshipping print-on-demand companies to check out. I personally use Printful, but I know other artists who use some of these others:

Explore Other POD Options and Society6 Alternatives

There are still many print-on-demand sites with open registration processes. If you want to stick with POD, here are some additional sites to check out:

Keep an Eye on Society6

After this initial change, I suspect that Society6 will be actively searching for new up and coming artists that have potential to be strong sellers on the platform. They have mentioned on their website that they will be rolling out a new submission and approval process and to keep an eye on their Sell Your Art page for the latest updates.

For emerging artists, gaining visibility has always been a significant challenge on crowded platforms like Society6 and it could get a lot easier if you are able to get accepted as a seller on their new more-curated marketplace.

What to do if your account is still active:

Congratulations! This is really good news for you. With fewer sellers on the platform, there’s the potential for increased visibility and sales.

I’m hoping that this shift will make Society6’s SEO stronger so that your products will be able to show up more consistently in search results now that the marketplace is much smaller.

I’d still recommend diversifying your income streams, though. You never know when things might change again. Consider selling products on your own site using dropshipping fulfillment tools like Printful so that if another shift like this happens with Society6, you’ll be primed and ready to pivot.

Final thoughts:

I believe strongly that it’s important for new artists to be able to put themselves out there through accessible and low-cost channels.

If this shutdown has negatively impacted your business, I’m so deeply sorry. The good news is, there are still so many low or no cost options for selling your artwork online – many of which are accessible no matter what stage of business you’re at.

If print on demand isn’t available to you or if it’s simply not bringing in enough income, you don’t have to force yourself to keep investing your time into these platforms.

Society6 opened so many doors for me at the beginning of my career, but print-on-demand is not a requirement for success in art licensing. There are so many opportunities to make income as an artist. Experimenting with multiple diverse income streams and putting your time into the ones that work for you is the key to creating a successful art career.

Stay adaptable, keep trying new things, and do what’s best for you. 💪

Society6 is Shutting Down Artist Accounts - Here’s What to Do If You’re Affected