Selling Art on Ebay Part 1: Should You?

If you're thinking of selling your original art on Ebay and you're an unknown artist then there are a few things you'll need to consider before deciding if Ebay is the right place for you.


Your Long Term Goals

Most importantly, what is your long term goal for your art? Are you just looking to make a small profit on each artwork you create so you can continue or are you looking to create a body of work that appreciates over time to become a commodity for art investors.

If the latter is your goal and you're looking to be represented by a credible gallery then you need to be aware that selling art on Ebay is not highly regarded by most galleries and may actually be a set back for getting your career up and running.

When you are represented by a gallery it is usually the gallery that sets the value of your work. Built into this price is some of the costs they incur as a result of promoting and selling your work on your behalf i.e. their overheads. By selling on Ebay you run the risk of undercutting your galleries sales as you don't have the same overheads to consider. You also make it harder for the gallery to raise the value of your work over time simply because of the perception that Ebay has of being a place to find items at a bargain price.

If you are looking to be represented by galleries and have a long term investment strategy for your art. then my advice is to steer clear of Ebay and any other similar websites. Focus your energy on getting gallery representation rather than sales.

Not all artists are concerned about whether their art will appreciate over time. If your long term goal is to:

• Sell your art as you make it.
• Making enough money to keep you stocked up in art materials.
• Have an alternative long term sales avenue to gallery representation.

Then Ebay may be a great fit for you. Typically, in all these cases, you are in total control of the prices you sell your art for and therefore only have your bottom line and overheads to worry about.


Ebay - What to be Aware of.

As an unknown artist on Ebay you should understand that people buying your work will be doing so because of one or more of the following reasons.

• They like the subject matter.
• They like your style.
• Your art suits their decor (It's very common for people to buy art to suit a room or space rather than because an artwork has any real meaning to them. It's a perfectly valid reason to buy art).

There are other reasons too, of course, however the main point here is that you aren't likely to see many buyers looking for your work specifically when you're first starting out.

If you're happy to sell your art with these points in mind then Ebay is a great way to get your work out into the market. Note though that Ebay is not an easy place to get your artwork seen and it's an even harder place to get your artwork sold for a good price.

The reason being that, whilst Ebay is getting millions upon millions of visitors each day, it's not millions upon millions of people visiting each category and your auction or Ebay store. The particular category you list your art in may not get very much traffic at all. In fact your auction listing may only get between 10-20 visitors in total during time the listing is active.

Millions upon millions of visitors to Ebay does not translate into easy sales. The reality is there is still a lot of work in the way of promoting your Ebay listings. Much of what you would need to do if you were selling in a gallery or any other more traditional market also applies to getting your Ebay listing seen. Be prepared for some hard work and probably many unsold listings - particularly in the early stages. (Don't forget to read my  15 tips for Self Represented Artists on Ebay)

Hopefully I've given you something to think about. If your long term goals lie in creating a body of investment art then Ebay my not be a good match for selling your work. On the other hand if you want to be in complete control of your bottom line and/or just want to earn enough money to cover your own overheads then Ebay may well be a great option.

Like this article? Then why not read part 2: Selling Art on Ebay: Who buys on Ebay? Pricing Considerations.



Footnote: This article is based on part one of a series of Ebay videos that I created back in 2007 on my Youtube channel. The videos were ad-libbed and received much criticism for my slow delivery and monotone voice however, those that stuck with them, always commented that the information its-self was good. The above article updates the content of the video and hopefully better expresses what I was trying to say. (I've always said, at the time I had no enthusiasm for making the videos and wouldn't have made them at all if I'd actually done what I should have and scripted them properly). If you want you can watch the video here - don't say I didn't warn you and please refrain from leaving a comment... I already know!