"Problem is, Dan, it's impossible to "pre-sell" a work to somebody 8,000 miles away. That's supposed to be the "magic" of the internet."
If you rely on Ik as the first stop, sure, it's going to be a tough road. So don't do that. You need to find buyers — and they you — some other way. I've sold work to people in Canada (I'm in the US) who only know me through online discussion boards and my website. Not even a phone call in those cases, which is unusual.
If I can impart one grain of good advice for other artists, it is this: People buy YOU at least as much as your art. With most of my sales, I am convinced that I would not have sold art to Canadians (or anyone else in my customer base, which frankly isn't that large) based strictly on the art. Ouch. And my art has rave reviews, too. So that was a big reality check for me.
If your prospects know you, think they know you, would like to know you, have heard of you or otherwise been referred to you — now you have a shot. Now they're not just looking at art, they have a window to your soul. They look longer; try to see what you see, feel what you feel. In other words, there's a connection that isn't otherwise there, and that's often the tipping point between a sale and a shoulder shrug.
All that points to blogs, discussion boards, social media, newsletters, websites and personal contact. Your art can't do it alone. You have to put YOU into the effort.
Dan