How do I sell an Adoptable or Exclusive?

Exclusives are one-of-a-kind works of art you can sell directly to your audience on DeviantArt.

You can opt to sell your Exclusive a number of ways:

  • Fixed price only:
    • You set a specific price
    • The first person to buy becomes the owner
  • Accepting offers only:
    • Set a minimum price
    • Set a sale duration (24 or 48 hours)
    • Choose when the countdown starts:
      • Immediately after listing
      • Or after the first offer is made
    • If countdown starts after the first offer:
      • The item can remain open to offers for up to 12 months
      • Once an offer is made, the sale period will end 24 or 48 hours later (based on your selection)
    • You can choose which offer to accept at any point during the sale or up to 24 hours after the selected sale period ends
  • Both fixed price and accepting offers, whichever comes first. 
    • Every sale is set to this by default and can be changed to one or the other as desired.
Note: The seller’s ability to choose a buyer is subject to DeviantArt’s review and approval process.

Resales are an option to transfer the ownership of an Exclusive. By default, resales are enabled, but this can be disabled.
If allowed:
  • Future owners can resell the Exclusive
  • You, as the seller, will receive royalties from any resale

You can offer early access for deviants who have previously purchased an Exclusive, Premium Download, Subscription tier, or resold an Exclusive. If enabled, these supporters have 48 hours of access to purchase the item before it's for sale to the general public. If it's not purchased in that time, your Exclusive becomes available to all deviants.

How to set up an Exclusive for sale

You can list an Exclusive for sale either while submitting a deviation or after it has been published.

During submission
  • When submitting a new deviation, select the option “Submit as Exclusive.”
How to set up your online digital art, or Exclusive, for sale on DeviantArt.
  • First, you’ll set:
    • The sale type: fixed price, accepting offers, or both (the default)
    • The price or minimum offer
    • Attach the source file
  • In Advanced settings, you’ll:
    • Select the topic that best fits your Exclusive (e.g., "Adoptable" for adoptables, "Photography" for photos, etc.)
  • Decide whether to allow resales
  • Choose whether to enable early access for supporters
  • Choose when the offer countdown begins (either immediately or when the first offer is made)

After submission
  • Go to the deviation page and click “Sell Deviation.”
  • When prompted, choose “Exclusives” (not Premium Downloads)
  • Select the relevant topic for your Exclusive
  • The sale type: fixed price, accepting offers, or both (default)
  • Set the price or minimum offer
  • Choose when the offer countdown begins (either immediately or when the first offer is made)
  • Decide whether to allow resales
  • Attach the source file
  • Choose whether to enable early access for supporters
You can sell published deviations from the Studio individually or in bulk by selecting the deviation(s), clicking "Sell Selected" in the top right, and choosing "Exclusive." This process allows for the bulk sale of up to 25 deviations at one time.

You can also sell Exclusives privately without publishing right from the Sta.sh page itself or from the thumbnail in the Sta.sh Studio tab. As with published Exclusives, you can still choose categories, set prices, accept offers, enable early access, and allow resales. 

Send buyers a link directly to the Sta.sh page. After purchase, the buyer will be listed as the owner.

You can always submit this Sta.sh deviation publicly after it's been sold as an Exclusive, as long as you have the buyer's permission.

When setting up your Exclusive for sale, either publicly or privately, you will be required to attach a source file URL (a Sta.sh link, for example) that will automatically be provided to the buyer on the deviation page once purchased. This will let you give the buyer the high-resolution file or additional content with no extra hassle!

If you choose to accept offers, you do not have to choose the highest offer you receive, and you can select an offer before the sale duration ends. This will end the sale early and decline any other offers you received. You can also end the sale at any point without accepting an offer. If you don’t accept an offer within 24 hours of the sale duration ending, the sale will be canceled.

Exclusives should include a clear description of the specific files and the terms of purchase to ensure buyers fully understand what they are purchasing.

How do I promote my Exclusives?

Once you’ve listed your Exclusive for sale, post on DeviantArt and social media channels about it. As long as your Core Membership is active, your art sales will also be shared in various places across the network via promotional banners, and you can also Boost your Exclusive.

Selling Exclusives is a Core Membership benefit. Learn more about Core Membership benefits and DeviantArt’s platform fee structure.

Common seller questions

IN THIS ARTICLE