You’ve got the art. Your customers want it framed. The good news: you can sell framed art online without stocking a single frame, cutting a single mat, or taping up a single box. Here at Frame It Easy, we build every frame to order and ship it straight to your customer. The only real question is how your store talks to us, and for most businesses, the answer is our Shopify app.
Below, we’ll walk through both ways to connect, who each one is built for, and how to pick the right fit without the headache.
How Can You Sell Framed Art Without Holding Inventory?
You can sell framed art without holding inventory by partnering with a framer that drop ships: your customer orders from your store, we build the frame, and we ship it directly to them. You never touch the product, and you set your own retail price.
Here’s how it works with Frame It Easy:
- Your customer places an order on your site.
- The order comes to us automatically.
- We frame it to the exact size and style, pack it, and ship it.
- Your customer gets a professionally framed piece, and you keep the margin.
Drop shipping is currently available within the US. There are two ways to connect your store to us: the Shopify app and the API. Both lead to the same expertly made frames, but the setup is very different.
Option 1: The Frame It Easy Shopify App
The Frame It Easy Shopify app is the easiest way to sell custom framed art online. It plugs directly into your Shopify store, so you can offer framed and unframed prints without writing a single line of code.
How the Shopify App Works
Install the Frame It Easy Shopify app, connect it to your Frame It Easy reseller account, and add your art. From there, you choose which frame styles, sizes, and mat options your customers can pick, set your prices, and publish. When an order comes in, it flows straight to us, and we take it from there.
Because it’s built for Shopify, it works with the store tools you already know: themes, shipping rates, payments, and product recommendations. Our step-by-step Shopify app setup guide walks you through every screen.
A couple of perks come along for the ride:
- Your brand on the box. Add your logo and a custom packing slip message with our white-labeling service, so every order feels like it came from you.
- Reseller savings. Reseller accounts get 15% off every order, whether it comes through the app, the API, or our website.
H3: Who the Shopify App Is Best For
- Artists and photographers selling their own work online
- Print shops and Shopify sellers who want to offer framing as an upgrade
- Anyone who wants to start selling this week, not next quarter
One note: the app is made for framed and unframed prints, so empty frames can’t be sold through it.
Option 2: The Frame It Easy API
The Frame It Easy API is a developer tool that connects a custom-built website, app, or order system directly to our framing and fulfillment. It’s powerful and flexible, but it’s built for teams with technical resources, not for a quick DIY setup.
What the API Can Do (in Plain English)
Think of the API as a direct line between your system and our production floor. Your developer uses it to send us everything we need to make a frame and to get updates back, including your customers, frame designs, orders, and shipping and tracking details once an order ships.
Businesses usually use it in one of two ways:
- Saved designs. You create frame designs ahead of time, save them as products, and sell them. When one sells, it becomes an order; we build and ship it, and tracking info comes back to your system.
- Design on the fly. Your site builds each frame at the moment of purchase, mixing frame style, size, matting, paper type, and print. Every order can be one of a kind.
What You’ll Need Before You Start
Here’s the honest part: the API isn’t plug-and-play. To use it successfully, you’ll want:
- A developer (in-house or hired) who’s comfortable working with APIs
- Your own website or platform where the integration will live
- Time to build, test, and maintain the connection
- Someone on your side to troubleshoot technical issues
Getting started costs nothing: there’s no fee and no minimum order to use the API, and reseller pricing applies to API orders too. Hand your developer our API documentation, which covers everything they need to build the connection. Just know that the build itself lives with your developer. We can point you in the right direction, but we aren’t able to write, review, or troubleshoot code for your integration.
If that list made you a little nervous, that’s a great sign the Shopify app is your best path. It’s where most of our business partners start.
Who the API Is Best For
- Businesses running their own custom-built website or platform
- Companies with a developer or technical team ready to build
- Brands that want framing built into an existing app, tool, or order system
- High-volume sellers who need full control over the customer experience
Shopify App vs. API: Which One Is Right for You?
For most businesses, the Shopify app is the right choice: it’s faster to set up and needs no technical skills. The API makes sense if you run your own platform and have a developer ready to build.
| Shopify App | API | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Artists, photographers, Shopify sellers | Businesses with custom platforms |
| Technical skills | None needed | Developer required |
| Setup time | Same day to a few days | Varies by project and developer |
| Platform | Shopify | Any platform your developer can build on |
| Support | Setup guide | API documentation |
| Flexibility | Choose frame options per product | Full control over every frame detail |
Quick gut check: if you just asked yourself “wait, what’s an API?”, go with Shopify. You’ll be selling framed art while everyone else is still writing code.
Shop Our Ashford Picture Frames
Just Need Frames in Bulk?
If you don’t need drop shipping at all, wholesale ordering may be the simplest fit. It’s a great match for a gallery show, an office refresh, or a big client project where everything ships to you. Explore your options on our business page.
FAQs: Shopify vs API
Can I use the Frame It Easy API with a platform other than Shopify?
Yes, the API works with any custom website or system your developer can build an integration for. That flexibility is the main reason the API exists. If you’re on another platform and don’t have a developer, reach out to our team to talk through your options.
Do I need a developer to use the Frame It Easy API?
Yes, you’ll need a developer to use the Frame It Easy API. It connects directly to your own website or system, so someone with API experience has to build and maintain that connection. If you don’t have a developer, the Shopify app is the easier way to go.
How much does the Frame It Easy Shopify app cost?
The Frame It Easy Shopify app is free to install, with no upfront inventory costs or minimums. You pay for frames as orders come in, at your reseller price, and you set the retail price your customers pay. The difference is your profit.
Do I need a developer to use the Frame It Easy API?
Yes, you’ll likely need a developer to use the Frame It Easy API. It connects directly to your own website or system, so someone with API experience has to build and maintain that connection. If you don’t have a developer, the Shopify app is the easier way to go.
Does Frame It Easy drop ship outside the US?
No, Frame It Easy drop shipping is currently available within the US only. That applies to orders placed through both the Shopify app and the API.
Will my customers see Frame It Easy branding?
Your customers don’t have to see our branding. With white-labeling, you can add your own logo and packing slip message so every order arrives branded to your business.
Ready to Start Selling Framed Art?
The fastest path from art to orders is the Frame It Easy Shopify app. Install it, connect your reseller account, and your customers can start ordering custom framed art from your store, built by expert framers and shipped right to their door. Running your own platform with a developer on deck? Hand them our API documentation and let them dig in.
So where do I start?
The best place to start is by creating a business account. Once you connect with us, we can help you find all the right custom matting and framing solutions for your business.
