Buying original art online - eBay, Artbyus, Yessy, Webstore
Julia Trops
The internet is a magnificent doorway for artists and potential clients
to meet, as we are no longer reliant on local and regional sources.
However, having said that, a few words if I may, about purchasing art
online. If I can say only one thing, it would be to do some research
and to ask questions.
I have done extensive checking on the net, because that is where most
of my online sales come from at present, but I do sell my work locally,
out of my studio as well.
I have noticed that there are a lot of artists out there - and with
some, I just shake my head. A strategy many use is to claim these
amazing gallery values, (interesting that most have a gallery value of
$2000 - $2400 or thereabouts), and then sell their artworks at garage
sale prices. The perception is that the buyer would be receiving a
wonderful deal, but what is the basis? Believe it or not, some actually
inflate the prices on their eBay sales, and sell for a fraction of the
cost in a real world gallery. When I saw that, I was floored.
Ask questions.
You, as a buyer, are fully within your rights to ask the artist/seller
how they are pricing their work. Art is not a widget with a
predetermined wholesale cost. The price of art is subjective, and
completely reliant on perception, reputation, maybe even potential. You
should also ask if they are the artist, or if they are a "front
artist" - a figurehead under which others do the work, but they
sign the work as their own. You can differentiate these listings as the
words "we" "our" etc is used. Questions you should consider
when buying original art are the following:
1. Are "you" the artist. Google them!
2. If they claim to be in a gallery, google the gallery. ie "Gallery
Odin". I am in this gallery, and you can find it easily on the web.
3. What is your background/education. Self-taught is a misnomer as
all artists are self taught - we all do exploring and learning on our
own. Self-taught means they haven't gone through the hell of formal
education (but I wouldn't trade it for the world.)
4. Where are you physically located, and can I come to your studio
to see your works in production.
5. What is the substantiation for your prices - both auction and in
the store.
6. Is it original, or is it an embellished print - ie the artist
paints on top of a print to make it appear original.
7. Look at the photos presented - especially if displayed over a
couch or other furniture. It is possible to have pictures to scale,
quite easily in fact. Be careful of those who do not go the extra mile
to ensure accuracy in representation.
These are just some of the questions that I, myself, would ask. Artists
who are serious about their work will be able to answer each one of
these easily. Of course, with art, sometimes it is just how much
someone is attracted to a piece, regardless of the cost, or claims. You
can receive some wonderful artworks from folks online that will go up
in value. The key is just to be very discerning and to use common
sense. If it sounds too fantastic, it probably is. :-)
Comments or questions are welcome!
Julia Trops