After three weeks of eBay experiments, I’ve reached an obvious conclusion:

eBay may be fine if you’ve already been selling there and have an established customer base.  Otherwise, your results may match mine.

History: I’ve sold art at eBay — off & on — for over 10 years.  I discovered eBay when it was just a few months old, and hardly anyone had heard about it.  Each time I relaunch art sales at eBay, I have to build from scratch.  That’s okay; usually, I just have to remind my friends, fans & previous customers that I have art at eBay, and prices return to normal.  This time, I’d been away from eBay for several years.

Week One: I listed two pen & ink drawings and started them at what I’d consider a wholesale price.  That is, it was about 50% of what the art would sell for, if those same pieces were in a gallery.

They were 7-day auctions. I linked to the auctions from a couple of websites where my friends & fans would see my announcements.

Results: Both pieces sold, and I received several emails from people who want more of that kind of art.

Week two: Encouraged, I listed four oil paintings in 7-day auctions.  However, since the previous week, I’d stumbled onto eBay’s new rules about where you can promote your auctions, and who can bid on them.

I listed a wide range of art, from “just okay” sketches starting at $5, to one lovely piece that I listed at $40.  I did no promotion on social media, and barely mentioned the art at my websites.

Results: Few views, a few people “watched” those auctions, but nobody bid.  Several people told me that, without direct links to the auctions, they couldn’t find my paintings at eBay.

Week three: I placed two really good paintings in 3-day auctions, and started them at $15, including shipping.  (Since shipping would cost $11 and most of the remaining $4 was consumed by eBay and PayPal fees, that was a break-even point.)

Framed and in a gallery, either of those paintings would sell for $125, easily.

Like the previous week, I did not list my auctions at any social media, and limited my marketing to slightly obscure links from my websites.

Results: More viewers and “watchers” than the previous week.  One painting sold at the opening price.  The other one didn’t receive any bids, but was scooped up by a friend as soon as the auction closed.

So, eBay auctions aren’t a red-hot place for me to sell art.  Surveying other art selling at eBay’s auctions, I can see some ridiculous bargains (gorgeous art selling for under $30) in a sea of “starving artist” (made in China) paintings and some ho-hum work by pre-teens.

My next experiment will be Etsy, where my fine art shop is under my (real) maiden name: Eileen Morey.  My wild art — the collages, art dolls, etc. — will be at my Santa Flamingo Etsy shop.

However, I can already see that Etsy has added tremendous (and free) tools for artists, to help them promote their art to friends & fans, and be “discovered” by others.

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Yesterday, I mentioned that the rules have changed at eBay and they can significantly impact those of us who’d like to sell art at eBay.

In the past, artists — even experienced, full-time artists — would sell art at eBay as their first step, online.

They’d start with a ridiculously low price and watch the bids climb.  It was a fine way to see what the work should sell for, online.

That’s how I established my prices in the mid- and late 1990s.  Small works sold from $40 – $125, medium for about $250, and large works went for around $550.  (When a few collectors had my work appraised, it was valued at about double what they’d paid.)

I continued to sell art at eBay, and later through Etsy as well as direct sales. Everyone was happy.

Now, re-entering the online marketplace, I planned to follow this same process:

1. Sell art at eBay auctions.
2. Use those selling prices as a starting point for all of my online art sales.
3. Continue to sell art at eBay, but also add direct sales, Etsy, etc.

Then, I saw new rules at eBay.  Basically, I’m not allowed to let “family members, friends (including online friends), roommates, or employees” bid at my auctions.  (Ref: Shill bidding policy)

Oh, I understand the problems of shill bidding.  (Hey, “Random Shoes” is one of my favorite Torchwood episodes, and it involves disastrous shill bidding as a plot device.)

However, with my level of visibility online — as one of the first bloggers, ever, and as a prolific artist — I have a lot of wonderful online friends… many of whom I’ve never met in real life.  (Blocking bids from all 1000+ who follow me at one of my Facebook accounts… that’d be crazy. How could I possibly know their usernames at eBay?)

And really, unless someone clicks from a link at Facebook, Twitter, etc., how does eBay even know who’s bidding from a link in a forum or via social media?

Well, I’m the kind of squeaky-clean person who plays strictly by the rules.  I wish I wasn’t such a perpetual Girl Scout, but… well, I am.

If you’d like to sell art at eBay, here are the rules in plain English, in a screenshot from eBay:

So, what’s an artist to do? If someone knows us online, even as a former successful bidder at eBay… well, technically speaking, they can’t bid in our auctions.

And, if we can’t tell others about our auctions via social media — unless we offer items at a Buy It Now price — how do we promote our auctions?  How can we viably sell art at eBay?  We can’t use our mailing lists (after all, the person knows us online), only advertisements, and usually that costs money.

For the average new artist who wants to sell art at eBay… what’s the answer?

I’m not sure.  That’s why I’m testing eBay this week with a few ridiculously low priced auctions.

Currently, my art at eBay starts at about 10% of it usual selling price.  Of course, the only way I can afford this is to sell the work unframed.

(Also, I’m only willing to do this for a few days, as a test.  My rationale is:  If I can’t sell art at eBay when it’s far underpriced, I don’t think an average new artist can, either.)

So, that’s this week’s experiment in art marketing.  As of this morning, I’m getting more views than last week’s efforts, but still no bids.

Stay tuned for updates.  If you’re planning to sell art at eBay, it’s important to know about this.

Currently, I’m exploring online markets for my fine art… mostly the paintings I create under my maiden name.

Wow.  Things have really changed since I last did this, and I need to update my marketing articles as I see what works.

My initial entries at eBay were a rude discovery.  I’m giving it another try this week, with ridiculously underpriced works, just to see if there’s any hope for new entries at eBay.

After I see what happens during this experiment, I’ll share my results and advice.

People who’ve been at eBay for awhile and have built a steady following… many of them seem to be doing okay.  In fact, some are flourishing.

However, I’m also seeing fine artists — especially painters — leaving eBay to focus on other markets such as Etsy.

Since so many people are exploring the option of building a homebased career in art, it’s important to know what works and what doesn’t… particularly for beginners and those re-entering the online marketplace.

The basic concepts of marketing will remain constant.  What changes is where to sell your work and how to achieve the best results with the smallest investment of time & money.  (After all, you’ll want that for creating your wonderful art!)

Stay tuned for updates.