I've started selling my prints on eBay

entropic remnants

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Name
John Griggs
I probably should have done this before. I have leftover prints from shows and I'm putting them on eBay. The advantage is the eBay reputations system, easy PayPal payments -- and best of all I don't have to maintain an e-commerce system on my website.

Here's where I'm starting to put them up -- but I have quite a few more to set up sales for and I'll be doing that over the next week or so.

entropic-remnants | eBay
 
Very cool! Hope you do well!

-Eliot "...but if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world..." - Fox, Le Petit Prince
 
let us know if you have any luck. I love your photographs, but I'm not sure people go to eBay to buy original artwork. I hope I'm wrong.

Thanks, Luke.

I'll be linking my eBay site from my web pages and not relying people just to find me on eBay. Surprisingly, a lot of work is sold there "direct from the artist" which is it's own category on eBay. Eventually I can set up sales at DeviantArt and Etsy if necessary -- but this is easy to get started selling other than locally at little shows. One baby step at a time, lol.
 
I think it's a good idea, John, and you've certainly got the chops to pull it off.

There really is an Ebay culture where folks buy many, many items there.
 
Thanks, Luke.

I'll be linking my eBay site from my web pages and not relying people just to find me on eBay. Surprisingly, a lot of work is sold there "direct from the artist" which is it's own category on eBay. Eventually I can set up sales at DeviantArt and Etsy if necessary -- but this is easy to get started selling other than locally at little shows. One baby step at a time, lol.

Try Redbubble as well. They print, frame and send... not cheap, but you dont have to do a thing except promote your stuff. I withdrew from RB ages ago, because I got very caught up in the social aspects and really, thats just fraught because everyone is trying to sell to everyone else who's trying to sell. However, if you promote from your own website and don't get too caught up in the morass of the commenting system there (sycophancy gone mad, people just trying to get noticed) ... should do you some good.
 
Try Redbubble as well. They print, frame and send... not cheap, but you dont have to do a thing except promote your stuff. I withdrew from RB ages ago, because I got very caught up in the social aspects and really, thats just fraught because everyone is trying to sell to everyone else who's trying to sell. However, if you promote from your own website and don't get too caught up in the morass of the commenting system there (sycophancy gone mad, people just trying to get noticed) ... should do you some good.

Tried them and don't like them. I will explain why later.
 
Thanks all. Dave, I'm not sure how "thought out" it is, lol. I have prints I made for shows and selling locally and I might as well see if they'll sell on eBay. It does simplify things but I should have done it some time ago.

I said I'd comment on Red Bubble. Here are the problems selling on Red Bubble.

  • The print sizes aren't actually print sizes, they're matte size. So if you order a framed 20x30" print -- the print is actually a 16x24".
  • When I tried them, you couldn't control the type of paper used -- maybe that's changed I don't know.
  • Limited frame and matte options and maybe the customer has other ideas -- I prefer to sell unframed in standard sizes.
  • I found it hard to figure out how to get my money from them. It was a mess and it seemed like they made it as hard as possible for some reason. Maybe it was just me.
  • I couldn't sign and number each print, or easily control the size of a run. I do only limited editions, signed and numbered.

So, although they might be a nice starting place, they offer very little control over the quality of the work for an artist. That's my impression anyway after having been over there for a bit years ago.

This way, I print them, then decide if a certain paper works for me or not. I can sign and number them and I only ship from "stock" -- what I have on hand. I only print a few at a time.

And some may never sell, lol. That's the learning experience I suppose. They make nice gifts to my family...
 
I am interested to see how it pans out for you. I sell via photo4me.com with a modicum of success. I upload, they sell, I get commission for basically no outlay (other than my time......which is a hobby, not work) It is not for everyone. I also sell via a local gallery. It is worth wearing out some shoe leather with a portfolio and knock door to door around galleries.
 
Thanks all. Dave, I'm not sure how "thought out" it is, lol. I have prints I made for shows and selling locally and I might as well see if they'll sell on eBay. It does simplify things but I should have done it some time ago.

I said I'd comment on Red Bubble. Here are the problems selling on Red Bubble.

  • The print sizes aren't actually print sizes, they're matte size. So if you order a framed 20x30" print -- the print is actually a 16x24".
  • When I tried them, you couldn't control the type of paper used -- maybe that's changed I don't know.
  • Limited frame and matte options and maybe the customer has other ideas -- I prefer to sell unframed in standard sizes.
  • I found it hard to figure out how to get my money from them. It was a mess and it seemed like they made it as hard as possible for some reason. Maybe it was just me.
  • I couldn't sign and number each print, or easily control the size of a run. I do only limited editions, signed and numbered.

So, although they might be a nice starting place, they offer very little control over the quality of the work for an artist. That's my impression anyway after having been over there for a bit years ago.

This way, I print them, then decide if a certain paper works for me or not. I can sign and number them and I only ship from "stock" -- what I have on hand. I only print a few at a time.

And some may never sell, lol. That's the learning experience I suppose. They make nice gifts to my family...

OK, That all makes sense. There's another mob called Photo4Me which I joined, but I've not been that chuffed with them either. UK based, might be good for our UK members. (edit: only just noticed Pete's post... sorry Pete!)

I found RB to be very expensive, so I never promoted much at all (and never sold a thing, LOL)
 
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