How to Sell an NFT

There is no doubt that the NFT craze has taken the world by storm. Everything from crypto art, digital collectibles, trading cards and other forms of digital assets, such as virtual real estate and even real-world objects, are being tokenized thanks to the blockchain technology underlying the NFT revolution. Even physical paintings are being converted into NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and sold on NFT marketplaces by traditional auction houses, such as Christie’s and Sotheby’s.

With all this hype going around, you may even have wondered whether you could start creating some NFTs yourself. “But don’t you have to be a geek, or a programmer, to create NFTs?”, I hear you ask. Well, the good news is that not only do you not have to be any of those things, you don’t even need to be an artist to get started!

Almost anything can be tokenized, i.e. converted into an NFT. Whether it’s your wedding photos, a video, a 3D model, a gif, a Tweet, a book or a design blueprint — anything can be turned into an NFT.

All you need is a crypto wallet (we have written a detailed tutorial on how to create one here), a file you can tokenize, and the desire to do it.

So, if you’ve ended up here because you want to learn how to sell your first NFT, this article is for you. It will guide you through the steps you need to take to create your very own NFT and explain a number of things you should take note of on the way. Ready? Let’s go!

How to Create an NFT

The following is a detailed guide on how to create an NFT on Mintable.

Step 1: Decide What You Want to Use to Make Your First NFT

The first thing to do is to decide what you’re going to use to create your first NFT.

Anything that’s already in digital format, such as digital photos, digital art that you may have created in Photoshop or other illustration software, 3D models you created in Blender or Maya, etc. are perfect. You can also use anything you may have found on social media, such as gifs or memes (just make sure that they’re in the public domain, or you have the rights to use them if you didn’t create them yourself). To find out more about how to make NFTs, feel free to read our guide on How to Make an NFT.

If you want to create an NFT of something physical (i.e. not a digital file), you will have to go through the extra step of scanning or taking photos of it before you can create an NFT out of it.

If you’d like to first make something specifically for the purpose of creating your first NFT, then you can do so now. On the other hand, if you just want to learn how to create an NFT, then pretty much anything will do. You don’t have to worry about having to spend money on it, as we will be showing you a way to create your first NFT entirely for free in this tutorial.

We will be using a random art image as an example:

Step 2: Get MetaMask

Next, you’ll need a digital wallet that supports smart contracts. Currently, most NFTs are created on the Ethereum blockchain, meaning that you’ll need a wallet that supports Ethereum smart contracts.

Fortunately, it’s super easy to get one. I recommend using MetaMask since it’s super easy to set up, doesn’t cost anything, and is perfect for beginners since it also has the most support documentation.

To get MetaMask installed in either your browser or on your mobile device, head over to the MetaMask home page and download it.

Once you’ve successfully installed MetaMask, its icon (an orange fox) should appear in the top right corner of your browser (assuming you’re using the browser version).

Of course, if you’ve installed the mobile app version, it will appear as a regular app icon on your mobile device.

Step 3: Create an Account on Mintable

The next step is to choose an NFT marketplace to create your first NFT and get it listed. There are a number of options out there, but unless you’re already a well-known artist, you’ll have to choose a non-exclusive platform.

My own recommendation is to start with Mintable. The reason for this is that it’s currently the only NFT platform that makes it possible to create and mint NFTs entirely for free — perfect for the purpose of learning how to do it!

To create an account on Mintable, simply do the following:

1. Open the Mintable homepage at mintable.app
2. Click on the “Create Account” button towards the top right corner of the page
3. In the popup window that appears:
   
   • Create a username (anything you like).
   • Enter your email address.
   • Confirm your email address.
   • Set a password
   • Click the checkbox at the bottom of the popup window.
   • Click the “Create Account” button at the bottom.
4. The Mintable dApp will send you a confirmation email with a 6-digit numerical verification code.
   
   • Enter the code into the “code” field
   • Confirm your account by clicking on the “CONFIRM ACCOUNT” button at the bottom of the popup window.

Congratulations! You now have a Mintable account!

Step 4: Connect your MetaMask Wallet

If you successfully installed MetaMask (Step 2), then all you need to do now is to connect it.

Here are the steps to connect your MetaMask wallet to Mintable:

1. Click the MetaMask icon in the top right corner of your browser.
   
2. Enter your MetaMask password, then click the “Unlock” button if prompted to do so.
3. Click the “Connect a Wallet” button towards the top right of the page.
   
4. Now click “Connect a Wallet” again in the popup window that appears.
   

This will connect your MetaMask wallet to Mintable. This means that you will now be able to transact with the dApp on the Ethereum network.

Step 5: Mint Your NFT

Now we’re ready to start minting NFTs!

1. 1. Click on “Mint an item” in the top center of the menu bar.
      
   2. Click on “Create a new item” in the popup window that appears.
   3. In the next popup window:
      
      
      • Leave the “Advanced / Easy” toggle set to Easy.
      • Click the big “Create a new item” button. (As you can see, it clearly states “No transaction fee – completely free”).
   4. Now you will be able to enter the information describing your NFT.
      
      
      • In the “Listing title” field, enter the name you would like to give to your NFT.
      • In the “Listing subtitle” field, enter the subtitle you would like to appear under your title once your NFT has been minted and listed.
      • Next, click on the button with the “+” symbol inside it. This will open your computer’s file navigator, from which you can upload the file you chose in Step 1. This will also be the thumbnail that is displayed once your NFT is listed.
      • If you would like to include a private file or other unlockable content for buyers to download after they have purchased your NFT, you can tick the checkbox next to “Attach a private file/unlockable content?”.
      • In the next field, you can enter a description for your NFT in the “Item Description” box. Feel free to write anything that relates to the content of your NFT, e.g. what inspired you to create it, what it represents, how you created it, etc.
      • By clicking on the checkbox below the “Item Description” box, you can sell the rights to distribute and use your work commercially if you wish to do so. In the vast majority of cases, this is not generally done. However, if you think it will increase the value of your NFT, or you have some other reason to want to sell the rights to your work, feel free to click it.
      • In the “Price and type” section, you can choose how you would like to sell your NFT. There are three options: “Fixed”, “Auction” and “Auction with Buy Now”.
        • Click on “Fixed” if you would like your NFT to be listed at a fixed price.
        • Click on “Auction” if you would like to make your NFT available for bidding. If you choose this option, an additional field titled “Auction length” will appear at the bottom of this section. Here you will be able to set how long your auction should last (you can set your auction’s time frame from between 12 hours to 24 hours). The “Auction” option will enable buyers to make offers on your NFT. The highest bidder will be notified once the auction length has elapsed, and will then have 3 days to make the payment.
        • Click “Auction with Buy Now” if you would like to make your NFT available at a fixed price whilst also remaining open to offers. If you click this option, two additional input fields will appear, and you will be able to set the auction length as well as the “Buy Now Price” (i.e. fixed price). If a buyer purchases your NFT at the fixed price you set (see next item in this list), the auction will automatically end.
      • In the “Fixed price” field, you can enter the price you would like to list your NFT for. By default, the price will be in USD. However:
        • You can also choose to switch the toggle to the right of the “Fixed price” field to display the price in ETH.

        Whichever option you choose (USD or ETH), the equivalent amount will be displayed below the “Fixed price” field in real time as you type your price. The amount displayed is calculated based on the current exchange rate between ETH and USD.

      • Finally, once you are satisfied with all the information you have entered, click the “LIST THIS ITEM” button.
      • Now click the “Proceed” button in the popup window that appears. This will open MetaMask, where you will be able to sign the transaction.
        
      • Click the “Sign” button in MetaMask to sign the transaction.
        
      • You will now be presented with a success popup. Congratulations! You have just created your first NFT!
        

To view your NFT, you can simply click on the “View your item” button.

This will take you to a page showing your new fully-minted NFT.

To view all your listed NFTs, click on “My Account” towards the top right corner of the page. Then click on “Profile” in the dropdown menu that appears.

This will open your profile page. Now click on “Listing”.

This will display a list of the NFTs you currently have up for sale or auction. If you click on any NFT in the list itself, it will take you to the NFT details page (i.e. the same page that buyers see if they click on your NFT’s thumbnail in Mintable’s gallery pages).

You can also click on the “View” button to display detailed stats on your NFT, including how many views it has received.

Step 6: Become a Rich and Famous NFT Artist!

Now all you need to do is wait for someone to buy (or bid if you have chosen the “Auction” or “Buy with Auction” options) on your NFT masterpiece!

You can mint and sell as many NFTs as you like on Mintable. The process for creating NFTs on other platforms is very similar (although unlikely to be completely free as is the case on Mintable).

Good luck and have fun on your journey to becoming the next Beeple or Grimes!

How Much Does it Cost to Mint an NFT

NFT marketplaces charge different fees and commissions for creating NFTs on their platforms. Here’s a list of the top 3 marketplaces with their fees:

1. 1. • OpenSea
        Although it technically doesn’t cost anything to mint NFTs on OpenSea, you do have to pay fees to actually be allowed to sell them, i.e. list them as visible items on the platform’s marketplace.OpenSea charges two one-time fees to get set up as an artist on the platform. The first fee is to initialize your account on the platform, and the second one is a fee which is charged to process your sales for you.
        • The initialization fee can be anything from around $70 to $300 at the time of writing.
        • The sales processing fee generally costs around $10 to $30.

        Most platforms only accept payment via cryptocurrency (usually Ethereum) via a crypto wallet (e.g. MetaMask), but there are some, such as Nifty Gateway, that also accept credit card payments. As mentioned, you only have to pay these fees once. After that, you can mint and sell as many NFTs as you want for free.

      • Rarible
        Rarible also charges an initial setup fee to create your first “collection”, which is required to be allowed to list your NFT on the platform’s marketplace. In my experience, this can cost anything ranging from $400 to $700.
      • SuperRare
        Getting set up on SuperRare (assuming you have been accepted as a seller) doesn’t cost anything.Minting an NFT on the platform can cost anything from $40 to over $200 at the moment. The actual cost depends on the amount of congestion on the Ethereum blockchain at any given time.

How to Sell an NFT

Depending on the platform you have chosen to mint and sell your NFTs on, you may want to consider doing some marketing to increase awareness of your NFT.

Exclusive marketplaces, such as Nifty Gateway, SuperRare and KnownOrigin, do their own marketing (often quite aggressively), meaning that they send mass emails out to collectors and other users of their platforms, notifying them of upcoming NFT “drops”. Unless you have been accepted to such a platform, however, it’s unlikely that you will be able to enjoy this kind of marketing on your behalf.

On the other hand, even non-exclusive platforms do provide the benefit of making your NFT visible to potential buyers and collectors browsing their marketplaces, simply because once your NFT is listed, it will be displayed on their gallery pages.

Here are some examples of how you can take advantage of the built-in features on various platforms to promote your NFTs.

Mintable

Most platforms include sharing features, such as Share buttons, which enable sellers to easily share their work via popular social media platforms, such as Twitter, Instagram and Whatsapp. In Mintable, for example, this can be found on the NFT details page.

Some platforms, including Mintable, also enable artists to promote or “Boost” their NFTs by paying fees.

As mentioned, there are no fees to mint and sell NFTs on Mintable.

OpenSea

Thanks to its open policy towards artists and the types of NFTs that can be uploaded to its platform, OpenSea has become the biggest NFT market on the internet right now. As such, it also enjoys the most traffic.

This means that if you’re willing to pay the “2 one-time setup fees” to get yourself set up as a seller on the platform (on average this can cost anything from about $70 to several hundred USD at the moment), you will have access to thousands of buyers, collectors and resellers who browse OpenSea’s marketplace daily.

Of course, OpenSea also has a share feature, which you can access by clicking on the button with the 3 dots towards the top right corner on the details page of any NFT listed on the platform.

Clicking on it will give you the option to share an NFT directly to Facebook or Twitter and will also give you the option to either copy the link to the NFT listing directly or obtain an embed code.

Sales fees on OpenSea
When a sale is successfully completed, the buyer pays a 2.5% transaction fee. The only time you, as a seller, would ever have to pay a fee when one of your NFTs is sold, is when you accept an offer. In other words, the buyer pays 2.5% for fixed-price sales, and you pay a gas fee for offers (i.e. if the price is different from the sale price you listed your NFT at). This is because changing a condition (such as the price at which an NFT was listed) on the blockchain requires a mining fee, meaning you have to pay gas if you accept a bid from a buyer, i.e. to sell it at a different price.

Bear in mind that you will also have to pay OpenSea’s setup fees to list your first NFT for sale.

Rarible

Like most NFT marketplaces, Rarible has the option to share NFTs (including your own ones) via a Share function, although only via Twitter, Facebook, Telegram and E-mail.

To access the Share function, simply open the details page of any NFT, then click on the round button with the 3 dots towards the top right of the page.

This will open a dropdown menu with the option to “Share”.

Rarible also lists all NFTs created on its platform on OpenSea automatically, so you get to enjoy the benefit of having your NFT listed on two different platforms at the same time.

Sales Fees on Rarible

On Rarible, both sellers as well as buyers have to pay a 2.5% fee on successful NFT sales — i.e. a fee of 5% in total. There is, however, also the option to pay the entire 5% in fees if you are the seller. Rarible does, however, allow sellers to set their own fees.

Remember that you will also have to pay setup fees to get your first NFT listed (see section How Much Does It Cost to Mint an NFT? above for setup fees).

SuperRare

Exclusive NFT marketplaces tend to market the NFTs uploaded by their artists on their behalf, and SuperRare is no exception. If you’re interested in super high-end art created by curated digital artists, and are willing to spend a bit more on your NFT assets, SuperRare is a good place to look.

If you do happen to be a curated artist on SuperRare, you will in all likelihood have no shortage of traffic to your listings. However, SuperRare does not feature any convenient social media sharing buttons on its pages — most likely because its designers wanted to preserve its minimalistic and clean design aesthetic.

If you do want to share an NFT listed on SuperRare, however, you can always just copy the URL in the address bar of the details page of any NFT listed there (this of course applies to all other NFT marketplaces too).

SuperRare charges a 15% commission on all sales in addition to a 3% fee on all transactions (paid by the buyer).

Conclusion

The art of selling NFTs (and online marketing in general) is of course something that could be discussed at length. Another factor to bear in mind is that the fees charged on different NFT marketplaces may be restrictive when it comes to choosing a platform to sell your own NFTs.