Selling Art on Ebay Part 3: What Sells on Ebay?

In part 3 of this blog series, Selling Art on Ebay, I'll talk about what sells on Ebay and how you might use that information to sell your own art. If you haven't read my two previous posts then here are the links: Part 1, Selling Art on Ebay - Should You? Part 2, Selling Art on Ebay - Who Buys on Ebay? Pricing Considerations.

If you've read other posts in this series then you're probably wondering when we're going to get to the part of actually selling your art on Ebay? Well unfortunately this post isn't going to be about selling your own art on Ebay either because knowing what sells on Ebay could determine whether your art is a good match for the site and is likely to sell at a good price.

So what actually sells on Ebay? From my own experience, flowers as a theme, tend to sell well as do beach scenes and images of the sea side. If you're already painting these themes then there is a good chance there will be demand for your work on Ebay.

However tastes change and vary over time so one of the best ways to see what is popular on Ebay at any given time is you use Ebay's dedicated popularity tool Ebay Pulse and specifically the category of Art. There you will get an overview of popular searches, the largest Ebay shops and the most watched current items.

You can also use Ebay's Popular keywords tool and narrow this down to Art as well to get some indication of what searches are currently popular on Ebay.

Once you have this information you may like to see how it compares to your own art. For example do some of the popular searches relate to the kind of work you make? If so then maybe there is demand for your work on Ebay.

If not there is something you might consider trying. That is to look at what subjects people buy or what style of art they buy and then try to paint subjects and styles that match either or both of those things.

It's a perfectly valid technique as, if you're painting to what is popular on Ebay, it could attract buyers to your auctions and encourage a bidding war as your art will be something that is in high demand. Thus increasing the chance of your auction finishing with a high final bid.

That said my personal experience is, if you're just trying to paint to a market rather than painting something you actually enjoy then that will be reflected in your artwork and you'll end up painting artworks that are perhaps not the best examples of the kind of art you're actually capable of.

Note: people often think well, it's only Ebay. I don't want to sell my best work there since it's not going to get a good price anyway but, if you want a good price for your art then producing inferior work is not the way to get a higher price. You should be listing your best work so that people see the quality and, as your reputation grows, collectors will be prepared to pay more for your quality work.

If you're not someone who is already painting to popular themes and styles already then think hard before attempting to paint to popular themes and styles. Remember you will be competing with people who do enjoy those themes and are likely creating far better quality pieces than you.

Don't despair if your work doesn't relate at all to popular searches and keywords. It just means that your work is better suited to a niche market (which could potentially still be thousands of possible buyers) that isn't large enough to influence Ebay's statistics.

In general when it comes to answering the question of what kind of artworks sell on ebay I would say all kinds of art have the potential to sell on Ebay.

What will get your work sold and what will determine the kind of price you get is the amount of promoting and marketing you do for your auctions and, on top of that, it will also be the quality of the work you make.

Hopefully I've given you some more things to think about before making that final decision to sell on Ebay.



Footnote: This article is based on part three 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!

Selling Art on Ebay Part 2: Who Buys on Ebay? Pricing Considerations

In part 2 of this blog series, Selling Art on Ebay, I'll talk about the Ebay market and what you can expect when pricing your art to sell on Ebay. If you haven't read part1: Selling Art on Ebay: Should You?

Many first time Ebay artists think they'll be able to list their art on Ebay at the same prices that they would sell their work for in a gallery. Unfortunately this is unlikely to be the case.

Unless you're already an established artist with collectors that value your work as an investment then it's very rare for a new, unknown artist on Ebay will command gallery prices.


Who Buys on Ebay?

People who shop on Ebay are generally looking for bargains. Whilst most shoppers know original art has value, they wouldn't be looking on Ebay if they wanted to pay gallery prices. Hence this is why selling your art on Ebay has the perception of devaluing the investment value of your artwork.

To sell your art on Ebay at gallery prices you're going to have to do alot of work convincing people that your art is worth the prices you are asking and you're going to have to attract buyers to your auctions that aren't so much looking for a bargain but looking for art that may become a great investment piece as your reputation as an artist grows (not easy to do if Ebay is your primary sales outlet).

It's more likely you are going to have to accept that starting out you are never going to sell your work on Ebay for gallery prices so you will need to set prices that are much more in tune with the average Ebay shopper's bargain hunting mindset.

This is an idea that many artists struggle with because all artists like to think their work is as valuable as any other similar artists that command high prices (even those that get higher prices on Ebay). What is often overlooked is those artists have spent many years promoting their work, building their reputation and gradually raising their prices as demand for their work grows.

Realistically, as an unknown artist on ebay, people aren't buying your work as an investment. As I said in part 1, they are buying your work because they like your subject, style or because they have an ideal place where your work on display would finish off the decor of a room.


Pricing Considerations

Knowing that people shopping on Ebay are looking for bargains, you will need to take a close look at your pricing and seriously ask yourself;

• What is the least amount of money that you would accept for each individual artwork that you list for sale?
   
• Would that price look attractive to someone searching for original art at a bargain price?

In setting your prices there is one pricing strategy that you should definitely avoid - and I can't stress this enough. Ebay from time to time will reduce their listing fee or give free listings to people who place a starting bid on their items of $1.00 or less. When you're setting your prices, never, ever have your opening bid for $1.00 or less.

I guarantee you that, if someone bids and buys your work for $1.00, it will definitely leave a bad taste in your mouth, you will believe your experience with Ebay to have been a bad one and, it will be really disheartening when you realize that the cost of posting your artwork is actually more than the price the person paid for your original art.

So take the question of what is the minimum price you would sell each individual piece of your artwork very seriously. Compare it to what other similar artists are listing their works at. If that looks like a price that is acceptable to you and looks like a price that is likely to find a buyer on Ebay then by all means go ahead and list your work with your minimum price as the opening bid on your Ebay auction.

Even if your price looks reasonable it doesn't mean that selling your art will be easy but certainly it is worth giving it a go. As I said in part 1, even though Ebay its self gets millions of visitors per day, your actual listing may only get 10 to 20 visitors for the whole time your auction is live.

If you really want to sell your art at the prices you want rather than the lowest price you would accept you're going to have to spend a lot of time promoting and marketing your auction listings, getting them seen, establishing a collector base for your art and gradually raising prices as the demand and competition in bidding for your work increases (which can take months or even years of regularly selling work on Ebay).

Hopefully this post has given you some idea of what kind of market you're selling to, got you thinking about pricing and whether you'd be willing to sell your art at prices considerably less than what you might expect to sell them for in a gallery - particularly in your early months and possibly years selling on Ebay.

Just like selling your work through gallery representation, getting higher prices on Ebay is something you have to work towards because bargain hunters usually aren't looking to spend a lot of money the first time they see your art.

Like this article? Then why not read part 3: Selling Art on Ebay - What Sells on Ebay?

Footnote: This article is based on part two 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!

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!

Time and Project Management for One

Over the years I've tried various methods to keep my productivity on track. From diaries, to monthly planners to just making lists of things I need to do. What they all have in common is that they all, invariably, fail me... or perhaps, more correctly, I fail them.

I'm not talking about time management and productivity on paid work. The one thing that I'm very consistent about, no matter what, is that paid work takes precedent over all other projects, and should be done in a timely fashion, ensuring I meet any client deadlines.

However, as the only person who works on my personal, creative projects, I'm often overwhelmed by the number of projects I start. Many never make it to completion or, in the case of ongoing tasks like writing for my three blogs, it can be weeks before I 'get around' to writing a new article.

Invariably I end up with a big list of projects and tasks, some of which I work on, and others that never seem to get a look in but, I'll get around to them... some day. Ultimately I end up doing what most people do, slack off, procrastinate or just be plain lazy and not work on anything. That's what happens when you have a big list of stuff to do and nothing you can be bothered to start.

Diaries are good for planning dates, meetings and marking birthdays etc. but they're not much of a time or productivity management tool when you're working on something that doesn't really have a deadline (and you don't want to add the pressure of having a deadline).

Monthly planners have kind of worked for me but it doesn't take much to throw them out of whack. I find my life becomes too planned with them. Then, if some paid work comes in, it throws the whole schedule out and I find it very hard to get back on track.

Making lists also works for a while but inevitably I get out of the habit of list making very quickly. Lists are very fleeting things that you don't need all the time because you don't need to make a list for only one or two items that you want to get done in a day.

To solve my problem I spent quite a bit of time researching free online project management tools. Out of the ones I found, I finally settled on Freedcamp - Free Project Management. I chose it because it was free (if I can find what I need for free then I'll always go for that first), it was online (so I can be on any device to view my projects) and because it looked like it wasn't going to be too hard to use.

The trouble is, project management tools rely heavily on projects having start and end dates. They also seem to be more appropriate for teams rather than single person projects. Especially not personal projects. I don't need to log hours and fill in time sheets for my projects. I don't need to set deadlines either. These are things I'm doing for my own personal interest. There's no executive, sitting in an office somewhere, angry because I'm still painting a picture or making an animation that I initiated for myself.

After realizing that project management software wasn't really what I needed I thought maybe a weekly planner is what I needed. So I started searching for free online Weekly Planners. I found two that I liked. Weekly Planner - Weekplan and TeuxDeux: Minimalist Web-Based To-Do List Tool.

Both are very good for people who like the idea of making lists (and crossing off tasks as they're done) but want to make lists for as many days into the future as they need - rather than just for the day they are about to embark upon. Both also allow you to make a list of tasks you want to begin 'Someday' - so you can keep them in mind and slot them into your daily lists as space opens up.

Weekly Planner has an extra section (or list) for Roles (and Goals within those roles). For example you might have goals that you want to achieve in your personal life (e.g. spend 1 hour a day with kids), then you might have goals that you want to achieve as a creative person (e.g. write 10 pages of my book per day/week etc.)

The good thing about the layout of both is that each are simple and ideal for individual time/project management, where the goal is to complete tasks. They also allow you to mark in deadlines, meeting dates and more if you want to because you can plan ahead and write those things into your daily lists as needed.

Of the two I've been using Weekly Planner (into my second week of using it at the time of writing this). Weekly planner was inspired by the book "Seven Habits of Highly-Effective People" by S. Covey. It has extra sections for keeping track of your vision, mission statement and achievements. However I mostly prefer it for the Roles and Goals list which I use to keep track of my ongoing tasks from week to week.

Weekly Planner also has a 'Growth Journal' - if you're into that sort of self assessment. In it you list what you've learned about your productivity and list what you could do better. Could be useful I suppose.

The use of Weekly Planner made me more productive last week. I've written one article for all my blogs, applied for a job on oDesk on every day of last week, completed a painting and completed a GoAnimation.

This week I spent ten minutes planning my week, first thing Monday morning, and I'm off to a good start with this article. 

I think what I like is the flexibility of the weekly plan. I just list the things I want to get done this week and then try to stick to the schedule. My life isn't planned right down to the minute or a month in advance.

If you've read through this article and can relate to my situation then maybe one of these weekly planning sites is something you should look into as well. It's early days for me but I'm hoping this is something I can really incorporate into the way I get things done.