Wise to Art

Unfortunately, the only really successful venue for fixed-time online auctions today is eBay. We say unfortunately because of the indifferent standpoint that eBay management takes to fraud and undisciplined sellers. In spite of announced new measures in favour of buyers, meant to secure transactions, eBay shows no discernment as to listings. Take for example the below rather sinister third rate home-made ‘Monet’ sold with full provenance and guaranteed authenticity by a zero feedback hopeful renegade. This is just one in a serious of astonishingly bad paintings that this totally new seller tries to peddle these days to a public presumed excessively moneyed and naïve to the limit of disbelief. And in spite of individual prices ranging up to 65,000 USD proposed by this newbie, eBay does not seem to raise an eyebrow.

Who cares, you may say, only a complete idiot would try to cash in on this deal. Hmmmm, I would retort, Damien Hirst November sale ‘Beautiful inside my head forever’ still fresh in mind. Bad taste and discernment IS the trademark of upstart well-offs, we may like it or not. But anyway, the market is always correcting itself, look at what’s happening right now. The Hirst and Koons collectors can best start to panic.

So while having no other choice than to bear with hilarious offers such as the one below, eBay still gives us incomparable possibilities to sell art directly and circumvent costly middlemen as galleries and auction houses. The fees are in comparison quite reasonable.

As for the prevalence of fraud and junk art, it suffices for a trained eye to be selective and to accommodate to the flittering if not flattering images of the eBay offering. Ebay offers excellent communication facilities with the seller and a couple of emails will quickly give clear indications.

When talking risk, do know as well that eBay’s obsession with PayPal isn’t altogether negative. The fact that PayPal, in questionable cases, will hold payments until buyer satisfaction is recorded, will no doubt dissuade the smarter crooks from posting their most outrageous incongruities.