The Joy of eBay

If you read the eBay discussion groups that deal with art you'd be forgiven for thinking that eBay and artists just don't get on. The boards seem to be full of artists lamenting the lack of sales, low selling prices and high eBay fees.

But I sold a painting yesterday, not for much (£50). I'll pay about £6 in eBay and PayPal fees and about £10 in taxes. The raw materials (canvas and paint) probably cost £6. So I'll probably come away with about £28 profit. Not much, but the painting probably only took 2-3 hours to paint and I had the priceless joy of painting it.

And although pictures don't sell for much, they do sell REGULARLY. And thats just great! I'd rather have 10 paintings sell each month for £40, that sell one for £400. Any financial expert will tell you that a steady, reliable income is the best way to make a career. Relying on one-off, sporadic sales is just too risky.

Its not the money that makes eBay so rewarding - you get the personal feedback from the customers. The person who bought my painting says that she fell in love with it, and just had to have it. I've got eBay customers who keep coming back for more paintings (some with 6 or 7 purchases in the last 12 months).

Compare eBay with a commercial gallery - sporadic sales, huge commission, actively discouraged from any contact with customers, geographical exclusivity contracts...