I just discovered that some art pieces I recently sold (on eBay) are up for auction through an outfit called ebth (everything but the house). My name is still there, as is my signature, so nothing really wrong. But I’m feeling a tad disappointed that my work was purchased simply for resale. Anyone else familiar with ebth or saw their work up for resale?
Hello Nan,
I don’t personally know anything other than wonder if some of my paintings go on in a similar way. One danger of my own lower pricing I suppose.
I look forward to any other replies.
I did a little research on the auctions. Everything starts at $1 and runs for 7 days. Seller decides if final bid is accepted (reserve price I guess) otherwise the items go into a group box that’s auctioned off. If no sale then, the item is donated or destroyed.
On the one hand, the artists name is still being shown. On the other hand though, the artists name and their work are being sold off at yard sale pricing.
There are quite a few people who are selling art on there. They search and buy items that are cheap, then resell to try and make a profit. Most of the people are based in Ohio. And I found a lot of different artists work on there.
I have not seen this myself, but it doesn’t surprise me. When I see paintings going for less than they are worth, it has occurred to ME buy and resell them. If a gallery in my town had a snowflake’s chance in h*** of prospering (which it doesn’t), I would seriously consider it. Knowing this at least reinforces my resolve not to under-price.
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I visited this site and sure enough 2 of your works are there. It advertises itself as an estate sale place. Is it possible someone who purchased your art passed on?
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Not unless they passed on in the last 5 days! Those 2 works just sold on eBay & were shipped out a week ago! They are part of a 237 piece “estate” being sold individually. I see the 1 has only $6 bid on it, the other is $55. I just shipped out 3 other paintings to a different person in Ohio, and now have a bid on 2 other paintings on eBay. I’m guessing those 2 will go to Ohio also. I’ve stopped putting things on eBay now, waiting to see what is happing. I had 1 sale on DPW of late, but that person spoke with me. These sales don’t reply, respond & I had to almost beg for positive feedback. The whole thing just seems odd to me. But maybe I should consider doing my own estate sales on there, especially seeing a $55 bid. Odd, and yet interesting at the same time.
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I just spoke with EBTH. Very nice place, located in Ohio. They basically do consignment selling. Items are either shipped to them or brought in. They take photographs of the work & place it up for auction for 5 days, all auctions start at $1. If there is a bid at all, that is what it sells for. They handle ALL shipping, both what you would send in for sale & out to buyer at end of auction. Their commission is steep, roughly 40-50% – the higher the final sale, the lower the commission. Both of my pieces of art have active bids on them - I am watching for what they end at.
Bottom line, what is happening is all legal and of course, whomever buys a painting has the right to resell it if they desire. This is simply a case of someone buying cheap & trying to sell higher. Something to keep in mind if you are pricing your work low.
The woman suggested I sell my work through them if this continues to happen, and if my pieces sell high enough to make it worthwhile. Just thought I’d pass all this information along to all.
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Wow that is really odd. But as you said, interesting at the same time. Keep us posted on what’s happening.
A piece of mine ended up in a local consignment shop. My ego was crushed! Oh well, the dangers of the market place.
Ok, Final outcome of my 2 paintings - both sold. The landscape one sold for only $9 (6 bids). The still life sold for $85 (16 bids).
I had these uploaded on DPW for $15 each, free shipping. No bids. I then posted them on eBay, same pricing and they each had 1 bid & sold for $15 each. These were old paintings of mine from 2010 and have been sitting on a shelf for quite a while. I thought they were good, but I couldn’t find a buying market for them. My profit was very small, especially if you factor in the low price, the free shipping, eBay’s fee, PayPal’s fee & my time.
As far as the re-sale, my buyer bought them both for $30 (no shipping charges or tax), then resold them both for $94, and pocketed 1/2 of that at $47. Subtracting the original purchase of $30, they made a $17 profit.
Not a quick get-rich practice by any count, but still a method to make money. I knew someone who use to go to the Dollar Store & buy whatever he found on closeout & cheap. Then he’d resell them on eBay individually - he always made a profit from it.
Lesson learned - selling cheap does entice the entrepreneur! And many people, at least in the US, are trying to make a buck.
Other lesson learned - ebth is worth investigating further. At least for selling the old pieces that can’t seem to find a market elsewhere. If you’re willing to let it go for $1, rather than have it sit on a shelf for 8 years, then it may be an avenue for selling for you.
And David, everyone’s work, unfortunately, can wind up in the discount rack.
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Nan, thanks for all that research. The marketplace is really interesting. I’m sure most pieces of art go through several owners. I don’t have a problem with my work being resold at a higher price. I’ve sold my paintings locally for more money than I sell for here but with a commission so in the end the difference is not as much as you would think. At this time I’m just trying to cover the cost of my materials, reference books, etc. I’ve never looked at selling on Etsy.
That is a consequence of selling too low I suppose. I see so much extremely low priced items on DailyPaintworks. I won’t do it because of this reason of people wanting a bargain so they can resell. It’s not illegal but it’s unsavory. That’s probably why I don’t sell much. Maybe I should leave the site. Too many artists so my art gets lost in the mix. Just my two cents…
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I do want to emphasize that my sales on EBay are being resold. I have not had that issue on DPW - all my sales on here seem to be actual buyers.
And as much as I felt sad that my work was resold, I am glad to learn that a painting I could not sell for $39 (it’s original price) actually resold for $85. Has me thinking that maybe my work isn’t too bad 
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I stumbled across two of my paintings for sale at a home furnishings shop online. Yes, I had them priced too low but it doesn’t bother me if someone out there is trying to make an honest buck. They are gambling that they can move it so it’s all their risk. But I will say that I don’t send the same “thank you” that I used to after seeing what’s going on. In the past I would send a note to them thanking them and hoping they enjoy it, etc.Now I only do that if I know them.
The good thing about it, you might have a new buyer out there if they happen to look you up and want more of your works.
I thought of that too Ken. I always label the back of my paintings with my website, email and even DPW gallery URL. Hopefully someone will follow up and like more works of mine!
Keep this in mind,…you sold the paintings for exactly what you asked for.
After that transaction, unless you have some type of written agreement before hand, the rest of it is really of no concern of yours.
If any lesson was to be learned here it is about pricing art work.
I would be looking at how you price your work and why you do it that way?
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Thanks Jim, but if you had read my various comments on this, you’d see I came to much of that same conclusion myself. Just sharing for others now, but thanks for your comments.
Thanks for all this info Nan.
I’ve often wondered if there should be a minimum starting price for artwork on here, on a sort of sliding scale:
say $40 for a 6 x 6
$60 for an 8 x 8 and so on.
I think that would violate anti-trust laws.
So, how is this any different from someone who bought one of Andrew Wyeth’s early paintings for $200 and kept it all these years and can now sell it for $2 million?
The artist got what her or she was willing to sell the painting for at the time, and the buyer has no way of knowing whether the artist’s prices will go up or down over time, so they are taking a risk. If the artist’s career takes off the buyer could make a bundle. If not, it may go to the thrift shop.
Is the artist who wants a share of the “profit” when the price goes up also willing to share the “loss” if the price goes down?