Big question on ACEO Pricing...

[corvette1984]

Hi! I have came a long way since starting selling ACEOs on eBay...I remember selling my 1st one for .99 cents! Then I moved my starting price to $3.99 and then $4.99 and finally to $5.99. I am trying to figure out if I should leave my auctions at that for a starting price or what to start my work out on...As it is I ship for free and my winning totals minus ebay and paypal fees plus shipping fees leave me a little...I was wondering if that would be a good or bad thing and could someone please explaing their views on ebay stores..I am considering one... Thanks!

[gweddus]

Thanks Jeanne...still think I am 18....rofl.... very interesting Fran on pricing....I seem to get more bids when I start low on price....I did sell a couple just after Christmas for £46 (UK money)...that was brilliant..but it seems very quiet now.... perhaps this is linked to people's pay days? In the UK a lot of people get paid at the end of the month, so that might mean that they bid now until they run out of spare cash.....hope they send some my way...:) Brenda

[trinemeyer123]

I think pricing is a combination of not starting where you can not accept to end, and be proud that our work is one of a kind originals. On the other hand, some people are willing to pay $8 if only they are allowed to start at $3. It kind of makes them feel less frivolous. Better to be teased upwards bit by bit hehehe. I also think it is a matter of building up a costumer base bit by bit. So I will be patient and do it all slowly. I must admit I do find the whole Card of Authenticity thing a bit ridiculous. These days ANYONE can make any great looking document on their own printers,so I for one do not take them seriously. I as a collector myself want the artwork itself labelled and signed. And yes, Country mentioned is important. Trine

[photosbyrose4u]

Kathy, this is my 'art only' name...only 5 fb on 10 sales (repeat/multiple) which is GREAT but my other ID has all the fb (auntrosie706).I will continue my current pricing for a bit longer, but I am still making a little $ - enough to list others, anyway..

[poozybear]

Rose, I just bought one of your photos on my art only name! I love raccoons and couldn't resist . . . plus it will be one more piece of feedback for each of us. Can't wait to see the little guy. :) Kathy

[photosbyrose4u]

TY

[hauntedswampdesigns]

Pricing.... I just raised my prices by $1 - Listings this week - ending next week. Went from $4.99 to $5.99. Sales - watchers - lookers.....went flat! I have ten items on and 2 watchers! Did the tiny price raise scare them off!?! What the heck! Keeping my prices where they now are and not going back :-) I hope it's just a EBay thing and not me!!!! Lynda

[poozybear]

Lynda, I doubt that a one dollar increase would scare anyone away. The last five or so cards that I've sold went to new buyers who probably didn't even know what my old prices were. And IMO any regular buyers that you have won't mind. If they know the art is good, they won't leave over $1. You can't even buy a cup of coffee for that. Your auction prices are more than fair. One little suggestion (hope you don't mind) . . . your mermaids with the crystals were a bit hard to see because of the scan being actual size. You might want to try adding a second, larger scan to show greater detail of either the entire card or one specific section, maybe the crystal. I found that I started getting more bids when I began doing "enlarged for detail" scans. And don't let a slow week discourage you. I just entered a theme week for another group, and we're all scratching our heads because no one got any bids. The weather has been bad throughout most of the country. Bad week. Things will pick up. But don't worry . . . it's NOT you. Kathy

[photosbyrose4u]

I like to use Auctiva to list because the big picture is free

[hauntedswampdesigns]

Thanks....I am going to go try to enlarge the mermaids. Keeping fingers crossed! Thanks, Lynda

[bdelcb]

"Pricing: If you are selling 90% of what you list and getting several bids on each ACEO, then raise your starting price." -- great advice

[kellyscolorstudio]

I wanted to bring this thread back up because we have alot of new people who are popping up and I think this will be very helpful. All in the same breath but on a somewhat different note, I got my brother interested in aceos and he bought some last week. When he received his very first one in the mail it was NOT SIGNED on the back, or anywhere...for that matter. He was very disappointed. I don't think I've ever received one unsigned, and I have alot..so I told him I thought this was the exception...but I think I speak for anyone who would purchase an aceo when I say BE SURE TO SIGN YOUR WORK S O M E W H E R E !!! Eh? When I sell a card, it has something like this... "title" ACEO by "Artist's Name" Copyright 2007 ebay name website email address "Thank you!" and if I have room I might doodle at the bottom, a small flower or whatever. Anyone else? Kelly

[artistjillian]

I've received them unsigned, with nothing, and never bought from them again. I wasn't mad at them or anything, it's just my personal choice with art work. I even went to a gallery of an artist friend, bought a print of her work, and made her undo the shrink wrap and sign it, and she was puzzled as to why. I was in a bidding war over one once, and later got an email from the other bidder who belongs in ACEO group who was a friend - she said, well, be glad you DIDN'T win it - it was unsigned - nothing at all on the back. Can I just add to above, that I also put medium. For watercolor I'll put: original watercolor For collage, I'll specify what I used, vintage paper, plant material, etc. Thanks for resurecting this Kelly. ~Jillian

[jeanze*art]

Excellent discussion to reopen, and excellent points on signing ACEO's. A lot of what follows is rehashed from previous discussions... from which I learned a lot when I was an ACEO newbie. At a MINIMUM, please: 1. ALWAYS sign your ACEO's on the reverse side, whether they are originals or prints. 2. ALWAYS print your name. 3. IF SOLD ON EBAY INCLUDE YOUR EBAY ID. (It helps people find you again and can generate additional sales.) 4. If it's a limited edition print, number it. If it's an open edition print, write "open edition". To be THOROUGH, you could also: 1. DATE your ACEO somehow. I just put a (c)2007. In the folio in which I mail the card, I do put the month and year. 2. LOCATION. Town or City, State, Country (Some people just like to know this info.) Anything else is icing on the cake! I have a "mascot" that gets doodled on the back of every ACEO. I also put the title of the piece if I have titled it. I can say with great certainty that anyone who has received an ACEO with either in illegible signature or no signature at all has been disappointed. I'm even disappointed if I just get a card sandwiched in cardboard without a note, packing slip or anything else from the artist, but if the back of the ACEO has info on it, even that's okay.

[poozybear*art]

2. LOCATION. Town or City, State, Country (Some people just like to know this info.) This is one that I feel is very important to collectors. I collect as well as paint, and have ACEOs from all over the world. Usually, they just come with a signature on back, but I like to go through my collection and remember which countries they all came from. And when I show them to friends, I love to tell them, "This one came from France, this one came from Italy" and so on. I sometimes feel stupid about this, but I've taken to emailing sellers and asking them to add the name of their country on the back of the card. Those that don't . . . I cut out the return address from the envelope and slide it between the protecive sleeve and the toploader. IMO half the fun of buying art from around the world is knowing where is came from. Kathy

[kellyscolorstudio]

That's a great point. I never really thought about that. Thanks guys! K