by Leslie Griffin

Created on: March 04, 2008

Selling on eBay is a wonderful convenience that has effectively revolutionized how individuals and businesses approach commerce. Since eBay Inc.'s founding in 1995, the company has developed such a widespread global infrastructure, virtually anyone with internet access can buy/sell/trade goods anywhere, at any time. For artists, eBay can provide an excellent means for selling your art. It can even supply the means towards generating a fairly consistent income, once you understand how the system works.

Understanding the ebay Market

By strict definition, a buyer's market is one in which there are more sellers than buyers. Although eBay has the potential for countless buyers as well as sellers, it often functions similarly as a buyer's market. What people are willing to pay for similar works sets the competitive market price you can expect for your art. Perhaps the largest appeal to eBay buyers is the ability to purchase items at significant savings, which often results in final purchase prices being lower than through other venues. On the other hand, the listing fees and commission eBay takes when an item does sell is typically significantly less than that of a gallery. Basically, although a work of art may sell for a much lower price on eBay than it might elsewhere, you get to keep a higher percentage.

EBay has many selling options available, such as setting a reserve price for an auction. You'll want to familiarize yourself with the various methods and means to sell through eBay's system. Fortunately, there are many guided menus that help you navigate the process, as you're posting an item in a store or in an auction. Keep in mind, how much you initially charge for a piece of art plays a huge role in the likelihood of it being bid on or sold. Therefore, it's necessary to figure out the minimum acceptable price you require, to make selling your piece worthwhile. A simple formula to arrive at a minimum acceptable selling price for an auction listing is the following:

*Calculate your materials used.

*Add the minimum monetary value you're willing to accept for your labor and time

*Add the listing fees for eBay.

*Add an estimated amount for what you would like your item to sell for, as eBay final value fees (5.25% for anything that sells for $25 or under, plus 3.25% for anything between $26 and $1000.)

*If you accept paypal: Add estimated paypal fees for what you hope item sells for (2.9% + 30 cents for payments $3000 or less)

*Add the cost of packaging and shipping

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