I have never seen this done before, what do you think?
Hi fellow sellers,
I have an ERTE artist proof I'm listing and I want to add to the title FRAME AVAILABLE. I bought it framed, but I want to open it up and just sell the screenprint. I hate to dump the frame though, it's lovely. I thought I could say the frame is free, if the buyer will pay for the shipping, I'll ship it. The thing is the frame weighs 15 pounds and measures 33x23, so shipping will be very high. But I'm not sure that will fly and the buyer might not read the whole description and expect me to ship it for the $15 the shipping tube will cost.
What do you think?
8 comments
fm2000
·6 months agoYou could also try selling it framed locally if it is worth $750-1000, even without the frame shipping there is some risk and liability as with any higher dollar transaction. For that kind of money, if it is was always flat, I'd ship it flat and not roll it into a tube or box (but not flat in a huge, heavy glass frame of minimal value.) It would still be a big pain to ship flat without the frame, but for $1000... I'd grin and bear it, some might and some might not agree. I can see rolling it and then a buyer having a fit about it being rolled if originally flat, even if they are putting it inside a frame anyway, maybe demanding a partial refund or other such drama. I'd at least ask a buyer and get an eBay system-recorded buyer "ok" before rolling it up for shipping.
Shipping that frame would terrify me, weight, fragility, size and the delicate artwork underneath glass that is begging to be shattered if shipped. If the art is as expensive and desirable ice as you say (it is outside my knowledge base so I don't personally know), someone might drive a distance to get it.
cambriachick
OP6 months agoI agree people probably won't read the whole description, so I'll unframe it. His work goes for about $750-$1000 unframed. Great tip about how to ship without shipping tubes. Thanks everyone.
tobaccocardyahoo
·6 months agoI have several pieces of Erte art that I bought framed, in person.
If I had to pay the cost of shipping I would not. Their frames and many frames one finds on these prints are inappropriate and awful. My framer and I have better taste.
meme6253
·6 months agoDepending on the actual value of the piece you have, You may want to consider keeping it in the frame, Anyone interested in a decent piece of art would likely want it to be framed & if the frame is as nice as you say, They would be willing to pay the extra in my opinion. Whatever you choose to do, Good Luck!
gurlcat
·6 months agoHere's something to consider -with Erte being as popular as he is, his art has been mass-produced A LOT. I've even seen posters at places like Target. Even if yours is a higher-quality proof, it may not be hard to find, especially unframed. So I would strongly suggest doing some research on the particular piece you have, to see how much value you're looking at (with or without the frame).
onefootflipper
·6 months agoI sell a lot of art, posters and prints.
Anything big, I toss the frame out, period. Not only does it send the shipping cost to the sky it also greatly increases the chances of shipping damage. If I am getting art from the Goodwill outlet then I take it out of the frame before I even buy it and just leave the frame there.
Tubes are now useless for shipping. USPS charges a huge length surcharge while Fedex and UPS charge a surcharge for tubes. I now use 48x4x4 golf club boxes cut to length for rolled artwork, Usually costs about 7 bucks Fedex.
What I do is cut the extra length off the box and then compress that enough to slide it into the middle section of the main box. That doubles the thickness in the center and keeps it from getting folded in half.
You can get the boxes online from Amazon or half the price picked up at Grainger.
What few tubes I do have left I save for stuff worth more than $100, then I ship with the tube inside a box to avoid the tube surcharged.
gurlcat
·6 months agoThat frame may be what the art was originally sold in (even if just a print), so I wouldn't separate it. Have you taken any photos yet? I adore Erte, would love to see this piece!
By the way I sent this framed piece around 2019 or so, via USPS Ground and it was $30, not bad. Of course the tiers are different now and prices have risen. But this was even bigger than yours, just under 4 feet long, and since the frame was already crumbling a bit, I cushioned it extra thick with a variety of materials including adult diapers I'd acquired in a storage unit -the buyer found that hilarious.
fern*wood
·6 months agoI wouldn't do it. I never want to complicate a listing, because without fail, it will fail. You might list it separately.