Tips for Selling Your Art on eBay

Whew I probably can't tackle this topic all in one post today. So let me at least start a discussion about it. First, let me answer the question, can you as a self-representing artist really sell art on eBay?

Yes, I personally have done so (I sold the abstract show here) and you can find a number of artists online who claim to have been quite successful. Did I make a fortune?

No, not exactly. But I did get commission work from selling smaller affordable (let's say under $50) pieces. And I was not working it at it full-time as you will often hear successful eBay artists do. So I think you do have to be committed to making it a success.

What did I sell? I sold mostly small original signed acrylic or oil paintings (but also representational like figure studies) for typically under $50 category. Here is one of the largest paintings I sold, it's 24 x 24 in the $100 range.

Now you may say, I want more for my paintings and I understand. But as a marketer, I look at eBay first and foremost as a "virtual gallery" with a very large international audience to help you gain exposure and build your brand.

Given that here are some quick tips that I think will help you sell more effectively on eBay:

1) Take a good clear picture of your art unframed and unmatted.
2) Offer Free Shipping and build that into your starting price. Be sure you know how much shipping will cost. Large pieces can quickly get expensive to ship. I kept my pieces to 9 x 12 or smaller.
3) You may have to sell lower than you would like to at first--as you build a buyer base, you can slowly raise your prices
4) Include links to your blog, website, etc. to help you build your personal art brand--you may have collectors contacting you directly as a result
5) Take some time to carefully research what type of original art is actually selling--you may need to tailor your art accordingly (smaller, more abstract, etc.) For example, I often see "Daily Painting" type small landscapes. still lifes, and figures (done skillfully) appear to be good sellers.
6) To help avoid fraud and payment problems, I only take PayPal and while I take do returns, offer only exchanges/credit.

I'll post more on selling art on eBay soon, in the meantime give eBay a try and good luck!