 "The Pros and Cons of Buying & Selling Art On-line"We make no apologies for the length of this article. This is crucial information and we didn't want to give you one half of the equation and make you wait till our next newsletter issue for the other half... This in-depth study will give you ample food for thought, and arm you with everything you need, to make the right decision for you. Many art lovers seek out and purchase their art via the traditional venues, just as many artists and craftspeople sell their art or craftworks via the usual off-line means, too. This article addresses an ever-increasing phenomenon in the art world — Shopping for Art in Cyberspace — Buying from the Clicks & Mortar Art Seller Most Industry watchers would say that, comparatively, the Canadian Art & Craft Community is a bit late to catch on to the inherent sales and marketing benefits the Internet offers. However... things are changing. Buying and selling art is definitely on the rise in Canada. What do you think? This article speaks both to the art lover who wants to buy their art on the Internet, as well as to those artists and craftspeople who are considering whether they should sell their art on-line. The same Pros and Cons are important to both Buyers and Sellers. I encourage you all to read both, the buying and the selling information. The avid serious art collector that may frequent the high-end Sotheby's of the world to add to their collection, isn't apt to "graze on our grass", so to speak. Their world may be a little more elite than the rest of us common folk would partake of. This article is for the rest of us art buyers and sellers. It's talking about the newer on-line venues, the small to mid-size on-line art galleries, art auctions, and individual artists who sell their art on the Net.
This article will give you some background on both points of view. We'll let you be the judge. Has the on-line Art Revolution stalled before it even got its legs? Or is it still growing? THE TRUTH BE TOLD... Apart from some major on-line art auction houses and galleries, the Industry hasn't had many great years for on-line sales of art.
On the one side, skeptical observers note the high "burn-rate", stating that online sales/e-commerce, in general, is unsuccessful in generating profit for most art-sellers — Many art websites have folded, and others are barely hanging on, pressured to turn profits. On the other side, the Industry optimists point to an increasing number of new collectors who are shopping on-line every year, as well as more and more new artists' websites emerging on the Net — The "stats" are definitely there to support that. Perhaps it's just more time and further market evolution that's required??? Many art websites have simply NOT been able to translate their site traffic into tangible sales revenues. Is the problem the Internet medium? NO. Does the world of on-line art selling still have some evolution to go through? "We at A&CNet say, YES. These are just typical initial growing pains, and some early starters have come and gone...it's the natural 'weaning out' of the market that's been happening. Some early players have attempted to lead the way but there's still a lot of evolution going on. The Art & Craft market is in the process of finding its way with on-line sales. There's a lot of learning 'what to do' and 'what not to do' that's taking place...both for the art seller and buyer."
Can it be? Yes, for some people it can work very well, for others, not so well. Actually, the choice is very much yours. Art Lovers - BUYERS: There are great finds to be had, and surely some great bargains out there, but you have to know both the Pros and the Cons of buying art on-line so that your shopping/collecting experiences will be good ones. Artists & Craftspeople - SELLERS: Be sure about what you're thinking of getting yourself into. There can sometimes be a heavy cost to not thoroughly investigating something enough before jumping on board. Learn all that you need to and be prepared. Firstly... if you choose to sell your art on someone else's website — You need to work with reputable, experienced, "proven" sites, on-line art galleries and auctions where tangible sales results (real actions) speak louder than vain promises of customer traffic and sales that in reality may amount to little or nothing. Secondly... if you're an artist or crafter who wants to sell via your own website, be sure to remember the following —
Allow some time and plan accordingly; it doesn't happen over night. It takes time, dedicated effort and money to make that happen, as well as maintain that. Never underestimate what it will take to get customers to your site and to come back repeatedly, and to have them refer others to it, as well. You might say, that as soon as you start selling your art you've graduated from hobby to business. You're now not only an artist, but also out of necessity, a bit of salesperson and entrepreneur, too. As soon as you start selling your art on-line, you're taking your career and business to the next level, broadening your market, raising the stakes and increasing your potential. You're getting even more serious about your ongoing success and things can't help but start happening! Sellers' Bottom-line: If Buyers can't find you on-line, easily, (when they perhaps don't even yet know your name or of your art), how do you really plan on generating any serious revenues? You need to have much more that just a business card type of website to tell people about you and your art — Until you're getting sufficient customer traffic of the buying kind, your revenues are apt to be minuscule, and your return on investment may be very little or even a loss. Do not be fooled by vain promises of easy automatic results or little to no effort required on your part. There's more than enough disappointed, disillusioned people out there who bought into over-simplified misrepresentations of what the Web can do. Unfortunately, they got their bad taste and they now shy away from the Net. It need not be that way.
Those art-selling websites, virtual galleries and art auctions, and individual artists who are selling lots on-line have learned something that the others who are languishing and struggling for sales, have not. There's an art to selling art over the Internet, but mostly a lot of common-sense. We, at A&CNet, can help you with this. The Pros and Cons that follow are a small part of that. We can offer you not only professional web design, but also the necessary guidance, business coaching and marketing advice to ensure that your art website is designed to deliver you tangible financial results! A good website, whether an artists', or an on-line gallery, an art auction house, or art or craft store, or whatever, can be designed properly, and marketed and advertised effectively to enable you to sell lots of your art.
We all know about it, we've all been party to it or at least tempted by it... Someone does something that's working well, or people hear how it's made someone a ton of money, and then everyone jumps on board, charting the same course to prosperity, hoping to get their "piece of the pie" and some of the same action and results. Even after the early days of the Internet Boom and subsequent Bust, there were still thousands of people jumping on board without thinking twice. At the beginning everything was new and exciting, and seemed to have a ready-made market hungry and waiting. Some people made a ton of money; many didn't. So, is the medium no good, the messages flawed? Or do we abandon the Net? NO. Or... Does the wise person adapt accordingly? YES. Sellers' Reality Check: We talk to many artists who desire to make a good living selling their art or craft. Many are afraid to fully utilize the Net. Many have heard more bad stories than good. Some will dabble or give it a half-hearted try, but many are reluctant to jump in with both feet. For some, it no doubt requires some extra effort and learning, which they may or may not be willing to put in. For most it's simply not their comfort zone nor familiar territory. Some who have tried it, have been to one degree or another, sold a bill of goods about how much money they were going to suddenly make by selling on-line, and then they barely sold anything. Why? What's wrong? What happened? As web developers ourselves, this concerns us because it means that some of you in the Art & Craft Community may not be having success with this... BUT YOU DEFINITELY COULD!
We're web & business developers and small business consultants here at A&CNet, too, so please don't misunderstand us. We're not being pessimistic nor trying to discourage anyone from buying and selling on the Net! We only want you to make the right decision for yourself. We're counseling you to "be prepared" and to remember that "you always get what pay for". We're encouraging you to "be an informed seller or buyer". We simply don't want you to learn the hard way when there is help out there to avoid the pitfalls, the false starts, or any wasted efforts and money. * FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO SELL ART ON-LINE – Do your research & homework first.
* FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO BUY ART ON-LINE – Do your research & homework, too.
Will A&CNet offer an on-line Gallery where art lovers can purchase artists' works? YES. We do plan to offer an on-line Gallery store where artists and craftspeople can sell their artwork. It's coming, but timing is everything. Though we're very pleased with the substantial amount of site traffic we continue to receive, we first want our site to gain further visibility and Industry presence. We want to be sure to be well-positioned within the Industry so that we can net artists and craftspeople the most exposure and the best sales revenues. We see some new peers arising to do this and not having great success, nor their buying customers sharing great testimonies or success stories just yet. So, we humbly believe the art and craft market still has some growing to do. Despite its well-documented explosive growth and incredible "promise" & "potential" and despite the realization of secure financial transaction technology, it's our opinion here at A&CNet, that the Web as a sales "promised land" for the Art Community remains comparatively, "uncharted" here in Canada. There's no doubt that more and more art business ventures are staking out the Web as a potentially lucrative additional venue for sales, but there are relatively few reports of anyone hitting "the mother lode" of commercial success. Still...the Web is increasingly populated with the virtual presences of well-known and distinguished galleries along with a rising tide of cyber-upstarts, the individual artists and craftspeople selling their works on their own websites. Both types are finding there's a bit more to it than first imagined. Independent artists' sites face a particularly harsh competitive climate. While most artists have embraced the Web as an expedient way to communicate and network, and reach new collectors/customers, they have been slower than the galleries and auction houses to exploit the Internet as a primary sales vehicle for art. Those who have experimented with selling on-line generally report lackluster results. We still believe, as do many artists, that the key benefit of a web presence for an artist is to inform and educate the public about their art, first and foremost. It's a useful medium for giving greater exposure to emerging artists and making interesting and profitable contacts. The Internet is a great advertising and marketing tool for artists! At this time in our Canadian Art & Craft Industry's growth, the question is, just how well does it serve as a primary sales tool for artists? There's no doubt in our minds here at A&CNet that in the near future "on-line buying and selling" for the Art & Craft world will inevitably become a very important crucial part of its culture and ways & means. Other business sectors have fully embraced cyberspace already. The Canadian Art & Craft market is "in the process" of doing so... There's some excellent sites out there where artists can sell their art and where buyers can truly make some satisfying purchases, particularly in the U.S. In Canada, we're still evolving; it's not commonplace here yet. Artists – Be Cautious: Buyers – Beware:
So, let's get on with it... What follows is not rocket-science. It's some very important Pros and Cons for Buyers to consider before you spend any money to make an on-line art purchase, OR for the Seller, before you decide to make the investment of time and money to sell your works via the Internet. We believe in the Internet. We KNOW it can be of tremendous benefit to Buyers and Sellers. But we want all of you to fully understand the Pros and the Cons of it so that you can make the best decision for YOU and have the kind of success you desire. We trust this Pros & Cons list will help you. First we'll paint the good picture. These aren't in any particular order of importance; they're all important. "The Pro's of Buying & Selling Art On-line"
The on-line art market is essentially open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can access artists' websites and you can visit on-line gallery collections and auction catalogs anywhere in the world at any time that's convenient for you. Millions of people who may never have ventured into an art gallery will have no quams about visiting one on-line. All you need is an Internet connection and a computer.
The Internet has no boundaries, no geographic limitations. You now have access to on-line art galleries and auctions all over the world. You can contact any gallery, museum, art-selling web site, or artist via their website, email, or telephone. You can now make a purchase from virtually anywhere in the world, not just locally.
Depending who you talk to, it's estimated there's somewhere between 1/4 million and 1/2 million artists worldwide. Whether it's via galleries or studios or artists' own websites, the amount of choice available to art lovers nowadays is unprecedented, and it's growing every year!
With so much choice, you can now "pick and choose" exactly who you want to deal with, from the local artist's website, to the most exclusive galleries and auction houses, to fine art websites anywhere in the world, let alone the large menu or diverse selection of art available for purchase on some of these sites.
The Internet is the greatest and most accessible library of all time! Virtually anything you want to know about any artist or gallery can be found on the Net. Whether it's information about an artist and their art works, gallery events or museum exhibitions, other art shows or events, or related Industry info, it's all at your fingertips on the Net. You can spend as much time as you want, at your leisure, to find out everything you need to before you make the decision to invest any time or money to purchase art on-line, or to even consider driving somewhere to buy it.
Physical brick & mortar galleries, exhibit venues, and art and craft shops will necessarily have far more overhead expenses such as rent, cleaning costs, special event costs, more staff required, to name but a few. Art-selling businesses on the Internet do not have as many overhead expenses. Consequently, on-line art-sellers are typically able to charge little or nothing for the viewing of art. Art lovers will have a greater inclination to investigate art if it is at no cost to them. They may also get the benefit of more attractive prices as the on-line seller doesn't have to pad the price of the art to cover off, what would otherwise be, their higher overhead costs.
Your time is valuable. Less time spent to shop is perhaps money saved that can be spent elsewhere that's important to you. On the Net, you're always only a few mouse clicks away from the next art piece, or even the next gallery or artist's website. Whereas, as the off-line alternative, how much time do you need to spend to get yourself ready, and then drive to nearest Gallery or art store? You can typically get significantly more researching and shopping done on-line versus traditional off-line means.
With today's easy-to-use "real-time" credit card payment processing options, available on many art websites, you simply fill out the on-line form to process your payment and within a few minutes you've likely completed your entire transaction, and you're done!
If you received a product that's not exactly what you agreed on, you may have recourse with a credit card company. You may not have to pay; you may be able to stop funds from being withdrawn from your bank account.
One of the greatest advantages of the Internet is the anonymity it grants to its users. It has completely changed the world of collecting. Some art lovers prefer to make art purchases privately in order to maintain the privacy of their collections. When you buy art on-line, it's only between you and the artist or gallery. You can build up your own private art collection and nobody has to know about it.
Currently, here in Canada, you don't have to pay PST (provincial sales tax) for on-line purchases if you are buying out of province. This may save you anywhere from 7% to 10% of the final sales price.
Many people feel uncomfortable negotiating prices face to face. Most people do not like a salesperson pressuring or "pitching" them. Over the Internet you can still negotiate, but the face to face pressure is gone. You can also take as much time as want to think about the negotiating process, and any factors affecting your decision. You're in control of the negotiation on your terms. Now, we'll paint the other picture... This is the flip-side of the Pros – and where the Buyer needs to Beware! "The Con's of Buying & Selling Art On-line"
The last thing you want is to NOT get the quality of art you thought you were paying for! In recent years there has been a major push by many Internet marketers. They see the money to be made from an ever-growing worldwide market. On-line art auctions are springing up everywhere making a play for a piece of the potentially very lucrative business. We are all inundated with spam and junk email offers and unsolicited advertising. And of course, everything is "pitched" to sound like it's the "be all and end all" or the highest quality at the most attractive prices, or the best deal around... But it's a "Buyer Beware" world, especially on-line. Do everything you can to validate and ensure that the art you are buying is of the high quality you're seeking. It happens more often than most realize, that many do NOT get what they paid for, after the piece has already been delivered to their door, but by that time it's too late or else the beginning of one enormous hassle to do anything about it.
One of the disadvantages of looking for art on-line is the lack of personal help. Many art-selling sites don't provide much for customer service help, or an FAQ that answers their questions, nor someone that can be talked to if their questions are not answered on-line. Some may encourage you to send an e-mail if you have a question about a particular piece but how soon they reply to your email is questionable. Sometimes purchasing a "great find" is all about timing and you may need an answer much sooner than later.
Depending who you bought it from and how you paid for it, if the artwork turns out to be different than advertised, you may have little or no recourse to do much about it, especially if the seller is out of province or from another country. Be sure you're confident of the seller's legitimacy and credibility. Be sure you ALWAYS thoroughly check for any "fine print", or oftentimes, "what's NOT said" that should have been. If the seller's site says nothing for Terms & Conditions of Sale or Auction, or has no Satisfaction Guarantee, Fraud Protection, Privacy Policy, or Refund or Return Policy, be wary.
One of the great pleasures in acquiring art is the experience itself. Going into an art gallery or visiting an artist's studio or workshop is a treat in itself. There is always a certain air about viewing art in its actual environment. There is no reason to miss out on that rich experience. Many art lovers like to purchase from artists that they come to know personally. They want to see it, feel it and taste it, so to speak, before they make a purchase. They love talking to the artists, as it makes the purchase more of their own. You can't get this on-line, only face to face. When people buy art, they usually can see the exact size of the piece and can imagine how it might look on the walls of their home or on top of the table. They can see the quality (or lack thereof) of the matting and framing. They can see the fine details of the fine art they're purchasing. The fact is, many people can't imagine size from an image. Colour and resolution on a monitor can vary greatly, too. Depth and texture may also be distorted online. On the web, much of this is lost and most people aren't too quick to part with their money for something as intangible as a piece of art they see via a picture on the web.
Many art auctions and art-selling websites do not provide enough high-quality images of the art or craft they're selling. Just as you would if seeing it in person, you may desire to see the front, back or other important areas of the art, or some close-ups of signatures, or any areas of damage, etc. On-line viewing leaves something to be desired in this regard. Too many sites offer too little information about the artwork, or too small of images, that are sometimes poor quality and difficult to make any decision with. Worse yet, some sites may misrepresent, bend the truth, or deliberately leave out important information about the art you're considering buying. ALWAYS, if you don't have enough information or answers to your questions about the art in question or about shipping issues or whatever it may be, CONTACT THEM! If the art-selling website doesn't encourage you to do so, if you have any questions or comments, be wary of doing business with them.
It's next to impossible to tell if an artwork is damaged by looking at an image of it on your computer screen. A piece of art in perfect condition can be scanned and re-touched so that you're seeing the best possible image, but a damaged or inferior piece could easily be sold instead, by irreputable sellers.
Many times an original lithograph is based on a painting. It may be signed and numbered and have a high value. Sadly, some unscrupulous Dealers or Sellers will sell a poster that looks identical to the original graphic. Ask questions to confirm exactly what you're getting. Allay any concerns you may have as best you can. Know what you're paying for.
It's almost impossible to tell the difference between a mechanically reproduced artist signature and an individually signed graphic by the artist over the Internet. And of course, with any art or craft work, validate its authenticity as best you can. Be sure of what you're buying. Fraud in the art world is not as uncommon as some might think. Authenticating art has some serious limitations for art-selling websites, and on this point, it's not easy to totally satisfy discriminating art collectors.
You have to be careful about trusting a certificate of authenticity from an Internet art seller because you never know what they will leave out. With modern word processing equipment it is easy to alter or even create false certificates of authenticity. Unfortunately, with some on-line art sellers there is little or no recourse.
A website must be updated frequently. It does you no good to get interested in an art or craft piece that is old and no longer available, but the website hasn't yet taken it off their site. Or worse yet, to proceed to buy that art on-line only to subsequently find out, much to your surprise that it was actually not available any longer, or already sold, or back-ordered. Be sure that the site you are buying from updates their art stock statuses daily. This may seem rather obvious, but many websites are not managed or kept current at all, and some may even have in their FAQ, a statement covering them off, and warning you of that, too.
All art-selling sites are not created equal. Be sure the seller provides industry-standard payment processing security. Be sure that the site's server utilizes Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology which encrypts your credit card information. If you purchase art on a site where there is no such security or protection from fraud or measures to protect any personal information you may provide in making the purchase, you're asking for trouble. Be sure that the website you're buying from has a Privacy and Security Policy and some kind of on-line purchase guarantees.
Some Internet art sellers have so many charge backs from upset customers that the credit card companies are canceling business all the time. This could mean that after you place your order you risk not receiving the artwork or might have to wait months to get your money back. Know what kind of company you are dealing with!
One of the most frustrating things is trying to cancel a purchase or ask for your money back. Often-times there is nobody to talk to, or at best nobody rushes to get back to you. Prompt service can be a real problem. If you buy art on-line, pay with a credit card, particularly if it's a seller that isn't well known. Always call first to confirm that somebody is indeed there, let alone the overall reputability of the seller. Do they provide some means for customer feedback? To what extent are they obviously (or not) committed to customer service? If there is no physical business address posted on the website, no fax or telephone number provided, or nobody to answer the telephone, do not be foolish enough to buy art over the Internet from that art seller. If they're only providing you with an email address or an answering machine, as your only recourse for contact, be careful. They may be hiding something or pretending to be something they're not; are you sure you want to take a chance with that kind of seller? There's far too many unmonitored, classified ad—like art marketplaces and virtual art auction houses on the Net that have introduced on-line consumers to a fair number of fraudulent schemes. Visit some of the other pages on the art-selling website — Check to see if this seller is indeed a reputable "real" one or just a front for a much smaller web operation than portrayed to be.
It's true. There's not usually any additional freight costs for most purchases at your mall or art gallery. However, when you are buying on-line, from an art seller who could be anywhere in the world, factor in the cost of shipping and insurance, duty, etc. Factor in that it may also take time before your purchase arrives on your door step, particularly if you bought it out of country. In Summary — Needless to say, the best on-line art sellers do what it takes to avoid all the cons for the buyer. There's some good ones out there, but be very wary of all those others who present you with any cons. A good Art Seller will do what it takes to effectively design their website, and properly run their on-line art-selling business to ensure that you are a satisfied art collector, and a happy customer that may come back again. Art Buyers — Remember this. You do have "choices". Our purpose in this article was to arm you with some key points you can use to assess the good and the bad of Shopping for Art in Cyberspace. However, it's up to you to do your own homework to ensure that you're buying from a reputable seller. On the Net it's unavoidably for the most part, about "buying sight unseen". A picture of an art piece or craft work is just not the same as seeing it and touching it in person... So you MUST get all the information you need to make an informed buying decision and satisfied art purchase. Happy Shopping! Courtesy of Daryl Stratichuk, President and Founder of A&CNet Inc.
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