Friday, February 29, 2008

All change at eBay

Well there seems to be a lot of upset artists as well as other people on eBay these days. The monopoly is massively increasing its Fees that it charges sellers, softened by a very small decrease, 10 cents! in the cost of listing, and discounts, if you can qualify! Overall it a huge increase in costs. Not only is this a blow to the small sellers, eBay will decide whether the seller's item gets seen on the site according to the star feedback rating system.

It works like this, if you score below 4.6 then tough your listings will be at the bottom of the pile and not seen by the buyers, also if your rating is low you can't qualify for listing discounts. Now eBay says that a score of 4 is 'Good' thus guiding the buyers to select that out of possible 5 where 1 the lowest. So at a stroke they are skewing the system so it is unlikely they will have to give the sellers any discounts, and with their search system skewed pushing the low scorers out of sight. As an added bonus sellers can no longer leave a negative for the buyer that messes up or rips them off ( yes it does happen to some folk unfortunately ) I'm pleased to say that all my buyers when I was selling on ebay were excellent, and I had no problems.

No wonder so many people are unhappy, a lot of sellers and buyers are now deserting the place and going to alternatives sites like Tazbar and eBid so there will be less choice for buyers on eBay and they should now start looking for their bargains elsewhere.

I have been selling my art on both Tazbar and eBid for some time, and getting some great bargains as well, including a SatNav system on Tazbar that has been invaluable when I have been delivering paintings.

So check out these new auction sites, and see what bargains you can find, in the meantime, I must press on with a commission, and sort out some paintings for the next exhibition.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

A new beginning

With the proposed changes at eBay, artists along with many sellers who are unhappy with the situation at the monopoly, are moving away to sell, and also buy at new alternative venues. Sadly eBay seems resolutely set on its move to a department store approach, where big retailers who have been recruited by eBay have destroyed the community feel, that was once the big attraction to both buyers and sellers.

I already shifted away from eBay to new locations 18 months ago, a move that I don't regret. Many others are now waking up to the fact that they are working for eBay rather than eBay helping them to work, with the never ending escalation of fees and their failure to deal with scammers. So you may want to check out Tazbar or eBid and get back some of the pleasure that you used to have buying online.

There is a seller boycott of Ebay from 18th -25th February, so if you were thinking of buying or selling there, why not support the sellers, and try out some of the alternatives. You can see a list of other auction sites Here

There is an exciting new art only venue due to be launched so check back later for more details.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Independent Artists Group Exhibition

I have been busy over the last week or so changing broadband suppliers, and getting ready for an exhibition which is currently being held in Rugby Museum and Art Gallery in the centre of town.

The Exhibition is by a group of us, who form the Independent Artist Group who come together, to exhibit our work throughout the country, in addition to our normal online selling activities. This presents people with the opportunity to see our art work in the flesh so to speak.

There are exhibits from 15 artists covering a wide range of styles, so if you are near the area why not pop along for a browse. Full deatils of viewing times can be found here

This is one of four watercolours that I am showing. Victory Entering Portsmouth (c) www.artyman.co.uk

To visit my website just click here, if you are interested in puchasing a Limited Edition print or a painting, they are also available from the Tazbar online auction site.

Many new sellers are arriving at Tazbar and eBid another auction site, as well now, following eBays recent moves which has alienated thousands of good sellers, who are unhappy with the changes eBay is making. I can recommend a visit to either of these venues where you can pick up some real bargains.