how wel do e-bay accounts work for your art sales??

Question

also, does it cost anything to set up your store and start selling on ebay??????

Answer 1

If you want an eBay store, it indeed costs $15.95 a month for the basic store and you need at least 20 feedback ratings to open one. There is also a fee for each item listed (a percentage of both the price you list it at AND a fee when it does sell). You have options to sell as fixed store inventory (cheaper at about $0.04 an item per month regardless of price) or as an auction which is more expensive (again, a % of the item`s starting price) but gets a LOT more exposure and traffic.
I have been selling on eBay for over 2 years and I think it is probably the best way to go on internet: A lot of people complain about the fees but you get SO much more traffic on eBay that on other, cheaper auction sites. I know as an artist that having your own website is appealing but bear in mind that you have to pay for all the advertising, get it listed on search engines and set up your own payment/checkout system... It can take a few months to get your presence established on eBay so be prepared for slim profits at first. However, if people like your stuff and get good service, you get good repeat business and things eventually grow. Check it out and good luck!

Answer 2

I have been asked to put a few of my pieces on eBay, but have not done so yet. From what I have searched, I believe it might have a slightly higher percentage of sales possibility than setting up at an art fair or similar venue. I believe this might be because a greater number of people have an opportunity to view the work, not just the select number that attend a show or fair, plus you wouldn't have the costs of travel. But I have yet to try either way myself.
As for eBay stores, I just checked on it---looks like the basic subscription is $15.95 per month and it goes up from there.
Good Luck with your art work! ;)