NFTs run the gamut of price points, ranging from less than one dollar to literally millions. Digital artworks by some of the most popular artists can also sell at a broad spectrum of prices, but when it comes to buying your first artwork, hitting “bid” can feel daunting. Whether you're thinking about making your first purchase or trying to own a piece of an expensive work, there are many ways to venture into the world of NFTs.

With fractionalized NFTs, collector DAOs, and protocols like PartyBid and Transient Labs’ Shatter contract, it’s now easier than ever to collect digital art, virtual real estate, and other non-fungible tokens at more affordable prices. Whether you're looking for an introduction to the world of NFTs or a way to get more involved in community building and collaboration, here are some of the most popular options for collecting NFTs at an affordable price.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are digital assets stored on blockchain networks. They represent ownership of a unique digital asset like artwork, virtual real estate, or other collectibles. NFTs are stored on the blockchain and can be bought, sold, and traded like any other digital asset. They are seen as a way to create digital scarcity and to prove ownership of digital assets.

Fractionalized NFTs are a type of non-fungible token that is divided into smaller parts, allowing users to purchase portions of an asset instead of the entire asset. This means that users can purchase pieces of digital artwork, virtual real estate, and other assets at more affordable prices. This helps to make the world of digital collecting more accessible to those who may not otherwise be able to afford the full cost of a non-fungible token. This is a great way to get started in collecting NFTs without making too big of an investment right away.

PartyBid is a fun way to collect NFTs at a lower cost. The protocol lets users bid on digital items together and then split the costs between participants. This is a great way to collect NFTs with friends and family and get more involved in community building.

If a platform supports a PartyBid, you can invite people to join the bid. Each person contributes crypto to the bid, and once the final amount is settled, a joint bid is placed on the NFT. If the PartyBid wins, then ownership is divided based on how much money each person contributed to the bid. Smaller contributions own a smaller portion of the piece while larger contributions own a bigger portion. But everyone who was involved owns a part of the NFT.

Collector DAOs are decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) that use blockchain technology to allow members to pool resources together to purchase digital assets like NFTs. Popular examples include PleasrDAO, Flamingo DAO, and Jenny DAO. These organizations allow members to join by purchasing tokens that represent membership in the DAO. Like with PartyBid, members can put in as much or as little crypto as they want, and that will determine their stake in the collection.

Membership in a collector DAO grants fractionalized ownership over an entire collection, not just a single piece. Furthermore, members can vote on which pieces to add to the collection. This allows for a continued experience with a wider community.

Transient Labs developed the Shatter Contract protocol, which allows users to split one NFT into multiple pieces. This helps to make NFTs more affordable, so that users can purchase smaller portions of a digital asset. If, in the future, someone owns all of the pieces, they can merge them back together into a single work. A given NFT can only be shattered and put back together one time each.

Any exchange allows the partial purchase of any crypto asset, which makes it easy to begin investing in various crypto assets. In fact, buying fractions of Bitcoin and other assets preceded fractionalized NFTs.

There are many options available for collecting NFTs at an affordable price. From collector DAOs and PartyBid to fractionalized NFTs and Shatter Contract protocols, these solutions are helping to bring ownership of digital assets to more people at more affordable prices. If you’re looking for a way to get your feet wet with collecting, or to use collecting as community building, these are some great options to start with.