Hand Painted Items 

I am writing this guide in hopes of helping other tole/decorative artists to gain a higher profit when selling their items on eBay. I myself being a painter, would list my hand painted items on occasion.  became frustrated when the auction ended I would  barely make enough to cover the cost of the surface I purchased to paint. I decided I would do a little research to find out what the difference was between me and the so called "highly sought" decorative artist, because I knew mine were just as nice if not sometimes nicer..... Keep in mind that these artist take time to prepare the surface, create a design and painstakingly paint the surface to near perfection. All of these take a lot of time and dedication and are well worth the money!

 I have been following hand painted auctions for over 2 years and have observed that the same artist/sellers are profiting way above other artists.

Well, here is my findings along with my remedies:

1. They had beautiful fancy auction templates. Well, these can be costly if you try to purchase them from auction template sites. My remedy for this, search for free auction template sites that support eBay. I use Auctiva. They are the best in my opinion.

2. Copyright. Every artist that I have observed "making the bucks" here on eBay have copyrighted their designs. They advertise it boldly in their listing, proudly. The remedy for this is easy, easier than I thought! All you do is make your drawing of your design, make yourself a copy to use and mail yourself the original drawings and when you receive them back in the mail, file them unopened.  That will keep you covered for a lifetime,supposedly.

3. I found that the most successful sellers stay friendly in their listings. Almost as if they were speaking to you face to face about their art. Telling of what inspired them to paint the design and why they chose their perfect color choices. The remedy is to spice up your listing as if you had the buyers sitting in your home admiring your art. Explain every detail down to the little frog you may have painted just for whimsey. Buyers of primitive, decorative, folk art, and tole painting are a select group and usually are a more personable type.

4. I have also found that in the most successful listings that it is ok to be proud of your own work. Do not down play yourself, but rave on yourself, what a masterpiece you have created. No one wants to buy from someone who is not sure that their work is not good enough.

Well, I am sure this guide will open a few doors for some aspiring artists in the eBay movement. I know that I was truly frustrated for a while, but I feel more confident now when I list my items.