Selling High-End Art Online – artmarketblog.com

Selling High-End Art Online – artmarketblog.com

There are many different websites where one can buy and sell art but most of those websites are for artists to sell their work directly to the public. What if you want to sell a valuable and prized work from your collection?. Are there websites that cater to the secondary market?. The answer to both questions is definitely, yes. When selling a valuable work of art on the secondary market the first thing that would pop into most people’s heads would be one of the major art auction houses. Of course, the big art auction houses are extremely good at what they do but if you feel that the work of art you want to sell would benefit from being exposed to a much wider audience, or you would like a more flexible selling option, then there are several online alternatives. The sites that I have chosen represent the very best of the secondary market online art brokers. There are several less prestigious alternatives but when it comes to selling a valuable work of art you will want to make sure you have the right people for the job. It might not seem like a big deal but displaying your work of art for sale through an online broker with a bad reputation could not only result in your work not selling but could also mean that your work will continue to be associated with that dodgy dealer for years to come. Therefore, if you are wanting to sell a valuable work of art on the secondary market I suggest you use one of the sites that I have listed below or do plenty of research before using another site.

http://www.artcycle.com

ArtCycle is a new online art broker that not only provide a place to sell you art but act as the agent for the whole transaction. One of the great things about ArtCycle is that there is no cost to you if ArtCycle do not sell the artwork. According to their website:

“As a consignment service, we offer a unique environment for art collectors to buy and sell work in a way that is personally and financially rewarding. We are not an auction house nor are we a traditional gallery. We are collectors, like you, who bring years of expertise coupled with a fresh take on how art should be purchased.”

ArtCycle is a very attractive option for those wishing to sell higher end works of art but don’t want to take the traditional art auction house route.

http://www.artnet.com

Artnet are one of the world’s top online destinations for pretty much anything to do with buying and selling fine art. As well as a price database, online magazine, videos, event listings and more, Artnet also conduct online auctions. Artnet online auctions are only for serious collectors as you have to apply to become a seller on artnet. After your application is reviewed by artnet, you will, if approved, be offered the opportunity to sell via artnet Online Auctions. The vetting process ensures that the quality of work auctioned via artnet remains high and that the sellers are reputable.

http://www.artquid.com

Artquid are another relative newcomer to the online art broking world who have proven themselves to be worthy of inclusion in this list. According to their website:

“ArtQuid is a global marketplace for Art and Antiques, where professionals (Art dealers, Art galleries, Artists) and individuals (Collectors) from around the world can create their own online Private Gallery so that interested buyers can browse and purchase any items they want directly from any location.”

A very professional site combined with very low fees starting at 9.95 euro makes artquid well worth considering. Because the site is relatively new I would suggest using artquid in conjunction with another more established site such as artprice.com.

http://www.artprice.com

If you have anything to do with fine art you will undoubtedly have heard of artprice, the world’s most popular database of art auction results. As well as the price database, artprice.com also has an online classified section where you can advertise works of art, antiques and design that you want to sale. The great thing about the artprice.com classifieds is that when you search the price database for a particular artist you also a list of the works by that artist which are advertised for sale in the classified section. This means that every time someone searches for information on the artist who created the work you are selling, the item you have for sale will

http://www.askart.com

AskART are a very well known and well established site that is primarily an online database that contains information and price data on over 155,000 artists. As well as providing information on artists, askart.com also provide a marketplace section where anyone can advertise a work of art that they want to sell.

According to their website, the benefits of using AskART are:

• Your ads go live on AskART immediately, giving you exposure to our over 70,000 daily visitors.

• Ad notification is automatically sent to all collectors in our database who have registered an interest in your artist.

• They offer low fees and easy administration

• Buyers contact you directly – AskART collects no other fees or commissions.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post there are many more websites that allow people to sell art online but many of them are far from adequate for those looking for a secure and reputable broker with a proven track record. The sites I have listed above are by far the best of the online art brokers and offer superior service plus a greater chance of a successful sale.

**Nicholas Forrest is an art market analyst, art critic and journalist based in Sydney, Australia. He is the founder of http://www.artmarketblog.com, writes the art column for the magazine Antiques and Collectibles for Pleasure and Profit and contributes to many other publications.