Gas fees have reached cost-prohibitive levels for many artists. Fortunately, there are several ways to lower or even avoid gas fees. Ethereum is the most popular blockchain for NFT transactions, but it’s quite expensive for most artists. Alternatively, try other blockchain networks like Solana that tout lower fees. Another way to avoid paying the gas fee for minting NFTs is by using “lazy minting”. Using this method, the NFT isn’t transferred on-chain until the first purchase or transfer is made. Once a purchase is accepted, the gas fee is paid and included in the sale price. Meaning, you’re paying only one fee instead of two (one for minting and one for transaction).
The next way to lower the fees is to list multiple NFTs as a collection. You can combine multiple NFTs as one transaction and sell an NFT package to a buyer to lower the amount of gas used on the Ethereum network. But the most effective way to avoid the fees is by using a sidechain network. A sidechain is a separate blockchain that runs independently of a parent blockchain but is connected to the parent. Many sidechains like Polygon allow for faster and cheaper transactions than the primary Ethereum network. The Polygon sidechain is supported by OpenSea and some other marketplaces and has no gas fees.