If you browse through the art categories at Ebay, you will see that thousands of artists are using the auction site to sell their art. Most of the auction listings end without the art even being sold. But, there are a minority of artists who are making a lot of money through this venue.
What does it take to sell art on Ebay?
What type of art sells best there?
This is part 2 of our Ebay series. In these articles I am exploring how artists can best make use of E bay. I am pretending you do not know anything about auctioning art. In future articles I will guide you through the steps of posting a listing, selling artworks, shipping art, and all the technical stuff that you need to know. Artists who choose to use Ebay to auction their art should research what sells and what does not. It is easy to do this by scanning the auctions that have ended. This will also show you how to list successfully.
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In this article I will answer some of the most popular questions asked by artists about E bay:
Why sell art on Ebay?
How do artists become familiar with auctioning art?
What type of art sells best at E bay?
Who buys art at E bay?
How to price art at E bay?
Why Sell Art on E bay?
Ebay is one of the most popular sites on the web, with over 233 million users. That’s a staggering number! The sky is the limit to what can be sold on Ebay. There are buyers who search for artwork on E bay all the time. E bay is so easy to use and affordable. There are no qualifications or contracts to sign. It’s possible to post a minimal listing for free and only pay if the item sells. If you have an artist website, you can include it on your about page. This may result in a lot of traffic for your website that you would not have achieved otherwise.
How do Artists Become Familiar With Auctioning Art
The best way to become familiar with the whole Ebay experience is to begin by selling items in your house you do not need. In this way, you will build your sellers reputation. This is Ebay’s rating method for displaying how trusted you are. The higher that number, the more likely people will buy from you.
In the meantime, research about selling art on Ebay. When you have learned all there is to know, then it is time to post your first art listing.
What type of art sells best on E bay?
There are those who have done studies on this. You can learn yourself of what sells and what does not by exploring the art listings. Search for auctions that have ended with successful transactions. It is important to realize that some art categories receive very little activity and may not sell easily.
People often buy paintings because they like the style, theme, or they are searching for something specific for their home. Of course, there are those who invest in art, but Ebay is generally not the place for that (unless the artist is a rising star).
Who Should Sell Art on Ebay?
If you plan on making art your career, then you should avoid Ebay. Focus your efforts on gaining gallery representation. E bay is generally for those artists who want to avoid the gallery system. Successful sales there requires pricing that can possibly undermine your gallery art career.
Who Buys Art on Ebay?
The whole function of an auction site is for people to bid on an item, and try to get it as cheaply as possible. The vast majority of Ebay users are bargain hunters. They scan listings searching for certain items at the lowest price. Usually, the same items can be found with a range of different prices from different sellers. But, since art is original, this does not pose a problem for artists.
How to Price Art on Ebay
Some artists make the mistake of trying to sell their best paintings. If you are a renowned artist, you may have success. But, if you are pricing art according to gallery prices you may be bound for failure. Most Ebay users are searching for a bargain, so they normally do not buy an expensive artwork from an unknown artist.
To successfully set your prices, determine the cost of materials. Add in a certain amount for time spent creating. Begin by listing only those pieces you are willing to sell cheaply. I should add that you should not sacrifice the quality or integrity of your art to sell it cheaply. Always make sure you sell “finished” artworks.
Do not list everything you have, especially the expensive pieces. Most people searching are looking for deals. Start off by only posting artworks that are cheap. If you are not selling any artwork, consider E bay as a way for you to get your art out there in the buying public. In any business start-up, you have to start small and get name recognition.
The best way to achieve that recognition is to get your art in as many homes as possible. This does not mean you have to give your art away, or sell it at low profit. This will devalue your art. But, consider creating small artworks that take a minimal amount of time specifically for Ebay. These paintings should be easy to ship, and have low shipping costs. This will ensure you at least receive some profit from your Ebay art business while building your name recognition there. The advantage of this is that others can see that your artwork is selling. There will be a perceived demand. When you are selling steadily, consider introducing higher priced paintings to the mix.
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Have you sold art or tried selling art on Ebay? What are your experiences? Please enter your comments below.
I have found what sold the most for me on Ebay was ACEO art. It is usually fun and fast to paint and original ACEOs can reach the $100's fast when a good bunch of art bidder are on. I have sold more prints of my work than originals. People like to collect what are small editions that are hand signed and dated by the artist and printed on good quality stocks so they are fade resistant. If you prints that can hold small painted detail touchups they sell even better as no 2 are ever alike and people when they can get it prefer unique for the collectors value on such can rise over time. I have successfully sold over 200 art prints and originals on Ebay.
ReplyDeleteSince I had been selling on Ebay and other auction sites, I found it was also important to find a way to promote my art, so I built a site for promotions and then allowed other artists to join where we have organized the site by artists, topics, prices, categories and include on most, links to their ebay and shops they have online such as Zazzle and other POD sites . Cross promotions work well with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+1 and others so that when an artist posts a piece on Ebay, they can basically shout it out from a button on the top of the page on my network~ www.ArtRave.com and freely promote their art online. :)Ave
ReplyDeleteCross promotions with promoters,artists and shop sites works well~!
@Art Rave
ReplyDeleteThanks Art Rave! Congratulations on your Ebay success! I am interested in seeing your Ebay store...
@Graham Matthews
ReplyDeleteArt Rave
I went to your site and it is confusing. Is there some page that explains how to use your site?
Thanks
Great Ebay tips. As for another -- for those artists thinking of getting their ebay feet wet, consider participating in the fun and friendly, monthly-themed art competition known as the Nibblefest Art Contest (NFAC), hosted via ebay. As a promoted monthly event, it has its own set of contest fans who routinely check in to view all the themed entries (all Nibblefest auctions must start at .99 cents-- so, fun for artists AND collectors). Plus NFAC artists are asked to include in their auction entries a clickable banner that brings up ALL other contest listings -- great for collective visibility and views. It's also common strategy to list one or two Nibblefest entries (or more - the limit is 3 entries per month) along with a slew of non-contest auctions, to help piggy-back on the publicity. For more info about the contest, including rules and upcoming themes, check out the Nibblefest Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/nibblefest), or Blog (http://nibblefest.blogspot.com/).....
ReplyDeleteArt Rave, I've never done ACEOs but that sounds like something worth looking into for me so thanks for sharing! I started selling smaller paintings on watercolor paper on Ebay in November 2012 & have posted several of my paintings on canvas. What I've noticed is my works on paper get more views & sales than the canvases because I'm able to price them lower. The buyers have been friendly, & although my prices are low, I'm thrilled to send my art to places I may never go to. Thanks everyone for the helpful tips! (My seller id is karawillisart if anyone is into abstract stencil art btw) Also anyone who wants a 'like' back, leave a link on my FB page "The Art of Kara Willis" I'm always interested in seeing everyone else's works! ~Kara
ReplyDeleteI've just recently sold a couple of ACEO cards on ebay. Really good way to sell and collect affordable artworks. There's some really talented artists selling on there. Feel free to check out my work, my ebay seller id is Thistleart80.
ReplyDelete