Last time in this series I answered some of the most common questions concerning Ebay, such as what kind of art sells best and who buys artworks at E bay. In this post I will give you some tips and tricks for using Ebay to auction art online.
There is much debate as to whether Ebay is a good source of income for artists.
Some say that auctioning art online is not as effective as it once was. Ebay is filled with cheap imitations and forgeries, but there are ways of setting yourself apart from these. As you know, selling art does not come easily, especially on the web. But, it can be done, and many artists are doing it with Ebay!
Please review our previous articles in this Ebay series before moving on.
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Tips and Tricks for Selling Art With Ebay
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Choosing the right category
It is important to list your artwork in the correct categories. Check out the other art that is listed in certain categories. Is your artwork similar?
Your artwork should match the type of art listed in the category of choice.
Figure out what category your art fits in and focus on that. Having a niche will benefit because some people search for specific types of art. If you have too big of a variety, you may appear unfocussed and individual pieces may be lost in the mix.
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Take good, clear photographs of the artwork.
If the artwork is a painting, take a full photograph, plus close-ups of details, including the signature. Also, include a photo or scanned copy of your certificate of authenticity, if that is to be included.
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Create your own Ebay About me page.
Other Ebayers will find out all about you here. Include a brief bio, your achievements, awards, and training, and photographs of your best artworks. If you have an artist website and social media profiles, you may include these here as well.
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Keep your Ebay listing well organized.
Fill in all relevant information, and format your text. Many people overlook this step and just include the regular small unformatted text. This makes the auction listing look unprofessional. Make use of bold, italics, text size, colored text, etc., and check your spelling with the spell check tool.
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Certificate of Authenticity
Artists who mention that they are including a certificate of authenticity have much more success with Ebay. Many buyers want a certificate of authenticity to prove the legitimacy of the piece.
As E bay has been an attraction for fake art, art forgeries, and art scams, a certificate of authenticity will instantly set you apart from these.
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Before selling on Ebay, you need a Paypal account.
Setup a premier or business account for handling transactions. E bay fees are automatically withdrawn from here once a month, so make sure you have enough money there to pay the fees. But, if you do not check any of the extra options, you will not be charged fees unless you sell an artwork.
When you set up your Paypal account, make sure you use the same address and email address you used for Ebay.
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Reputation and Feedback
Ebayers look at the reputation and feedback to see if sellers are trustworthy. If you are new to Ebay, the fastest way to get feedback is to start selling things you do not need in your home. Make sure to give feedback to buyers as well.
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Shipping Artwork
Ship your painting as soon as possible, after receiving the full payment. Ensure it is packaged securely, and insure the package in your post office in case it is damaged or lost during shipment.
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Send an email of thanks to those who win auctions.
Let them know that you are available to answer any questions that may arise. If you have a newsletter, let them know about it.
People who buy your art now may become repeat buyers if they have a way of following your art career.
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Try to have a few pieces up for auction at one time.
With greater quantity comes an increased chance that people with find you on Ebay.
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Ebay Stores
Once you sell a few pieces, consider starting your own Ebay store. Its easy to setup and comes with an email list feature. This will establish your presence at E bay and help you to sell more. The main advantage of an Ebay store over individual auction listings is that you can link to it, and that link will never expire as long as you have a store. The store will always stay updated with your recent items available for sale. Share that store everywhere you are online, including Facebook, Twitter, your art blog, and more.
Now that I have shared a few tips and tricks with you for auctioning art through Ebay, do you have anything to add?
Are you one who has sold or tried to sell artwork there?
Please leave your comments below.
Graham
ReplyDeleteI find that using the buy now/best offer facility creates far more sales that auction style. I think it allows would be buyers to view - watch and decided without getting into a 'Dutch auction' and having to remember to keep an eye on auction times and prices.
It appears that my feedback from buyers is that it is a more relaxed way of buying and the cost is quantified albeit as in any market they can make an offer should they want to - over three years best offers have generally been at around 15% below the buy now price.
It also allows me to protect the selling price as a mistake people make is to set start prices on auctions to low and therefore are vunerable to having to sell at a low price if only one bidder is attracted. Reserve prices can be set but why not set a buy now with a reserve price being the lowest you would accept?
Richard.
@Witham
ReplyDeleteThanks Witham!
How do you protect your images from being stolen by someone and resold? Watermarks?
ReplyDelete@John
ReplyDeleteThere is no sure way of protecting images online... but there are ways of preventing them from being resold. That is, making the image resolution small enough so that it can't be printed large. (76px)
I have a full post on some other techniques one can use... http://www.artpromotivate.com/2011/12/how-to-protect-your-art-from-online.html
John - I understand how you feel, it's definitely a downside to online selling, but ebay only allow a certain resolution and watermarks help - also, you could set your photographs of your art at an angle, or "stage" it on an easel, or with other products, so you aren't placing a complete squared up image.
ReplyDeleteAnother reassurance is that there will always be those who are prepared to pay for a genuine and authentic item of good and high quality - so the stealing doesn't feel quite so personal :)
John - I understand how you feel, it's definitely a downside to online selling, but ebay only allow a certain resolution and watermarks help - also, you could set your photographs of your art at an angle, or "stage" it on an easel, or with other products, so you aren't placing a complete squared up image.
ReplyDeleteAnother reassurance is that there will always be those who are prepared to pay for a genuine and authentic item of good and high quality - so the stealing doesn't feel quite so personal :)