Sebastien & Ida Bush

We historically offered paintings at Sotheby's, Christies and all of the different effective auction houses really useful on our site.  Most of those public sale homes now require a minimum selling price (pre-sale auction estimate) of $5,000, although they'll generally estimate a painting at $three,000-$5,000 if they really feel confident that robust interest and competitive bidding will translate to a $5,000 price.  As defined in our Q&A, "reside" public sale homes add a 20% "buyer's payment" to the hammer price.  The hammer price is the best bid, at which level the auctioneer slams down his hammer / gavel and calls out "Offered!"  Bidders usually forget that after they bid $5,000 in a stay auction (even when they bid by e-mail or cellphone) they are truly bidding $5,000 + 20% = $6,000.  The auctioneer collects the additional $1,000 as part of his fee, and does not share it with the vendor / consignor.

     In distinction, there isn't any 20% purchaser's charge on eBay.  When you win an artwork public sale on eBay with a $5,000 bid, that is the actual price you pay.  So in a sense you could possibly buy a portray on eBay for 20% less than in a stay public auction.  (Plus potential transport charges.)  By the identical token, eBay might provide a monetary benefit to the seller in that if the customer bids 20% more to make certain he / she wins the public sale, we share that extra $1,000 (or extra) with our purchasers 50-50.

     In contrast to stay public auctions, eBay additionally permits the consignor (our shoppers) and the vendor (us) to create a more exciting, extra informative gross sales presentation. We are able to embody numerous photos of the painting for sale, some taken indoors, some outdoors (vivid daylight brings out the true colors of an oil portray, even when it wants a cleansing).  We will additionally include photos of latest auction records with prices realized (courtesy of AskArt) so the customer can make a "worth and quality" comparison between the portray on the market and different paintings by the same artist of comparable measurement and topic matter.  

     Thus, in many instances (especially paintings priced in the $3,000-$10,000 vary) eBay could also be a viable different, and even a better possibility than reside public auction.  It also offers a lot faster last results (days slightly than months) and payments.    

     If we resolve to sell your painting(s) on eBay, our analysis is just as comprehensive as Sothebys and Christies.  We consult the same specialists as the major auction houses if there may be any question of authenticity.  We additionally realize the importance of selling artwork with provenance (a historical past of earlier ownership and exhibitions) in addition to documentation (unique bill, gallery or other labels, letters, etc.)   In the end, we all the time focus on every particular person portray with our purchasers to decide one of the best public sale sales venue.  Generally that could be a live auction, sometimes it's eBay.