How to Sell
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How To Sell - at a Glance
- Please READ this page from the beginning until the end.
- If you do not have an artelino account yet, please create one.
- Contact us by email. Attach a few images of the prints you want to consign and let us know your rough idea of a "reserve" (minimum bid).
- If we both agree, we setup your account for access to our Seller area and send you further instructions.
We are an Online Auction House - Different from Ebay and Alike
artelino is not an auction platform where you upload your images and enter your descriptions and where the seller has to handle payment and shipments himself. We rather keep to the traditional model of an auction house. You must send the art objects to us. We are responsible for correct descriptions, good images, payment transactions and shipments. And if we are successful, we pay you the high bidder price minus our commission. No other fees involved.
We take consignments from collectors, dealers and artists. Since 2001 we have sold more than 80,000 art objects - mostly Japanese art prints - in more than 1,800 auctions. If the quality of your consignment is good and the reserves reasonable, we can sell your art objects.
This is what you should know and what you and artelino agree on.
Which Objects?
We take consignments of Japanese prints from all periods by collectors and dealers, and modern art prints consigned directly by the artist. Contemporary art prints are not restricted to Japanese artists, but they must fit into the style of our auctions.
In general we take only flat art works on paper. Exceptions must be approved by us.
Quality Standard
All art objects must meet a high quality standard. Prints must be unframed and un-matted.
Unwanted Objects
For policy, quality and for commercial reasons artelino is not interested in the following kind of art objects:
- Several prints combined to one lot. The general rule is ONE LOT = ONE PRINT/OBJECT. (exception: complete sets of value)
- Cheap mini-prints, postcards and cheap ex-libris.
- Machine-made offset prints, offset lithographs.
- Cheap book pages.
- Shunga and other sexually explicit depictions. Prints with nudeness or decent erotic appeal are however OK.
- Images with overly cruel or otherwise offending scenes.
- Paintings or prints mounted on scrolls.
- Reproductions - unless from rare designs with a value of at least $100.
- Prints made after 1950 by Unknown, not identified or by artists of whom not even the date of birth is known.
- Scrolls
- Everything that is not flat. Exceptions are possible but must be approved by us for each individual object.
Maximum Sizes
- Max. size accepted: 46/73 cm = 18/29 inches
Minimum Value
- Min. reserve (lowest bid) by item accepted: $100
- Min. reserve recommended by item: $200
The total value of a consignment must be at least $3,000.
Pre-Check
Please send us by e-mail a few images of the art objects you want to consign plus descriptions and your idea of the reserve price in USD only.
Descriptions
Unless available from other sources, consignments must be sent to us with a list containing roughly the following information (where applicable):
- Reserve Price
- Title
- Artist
- Technique
- Date
- Description
- Publisher, signature, seal, literature reference where applicable
Consignment descriptions must be in English. We also accept descriptions in Japanese, but they will be processed at the end of the line. Any other languages including German are not supported.
Commission
We pay you the high bidder price minus the seller consignment fee of 25% for all sold objects. We do not charge any other fees and you do not pay for unsold objects.
Payment
artelino pays usually once per week. You have the choice between payment by
- Bank Transfer or
- PayPal
You can choose between:
- Monthly or
- Weekly Payment
In order to avoid excessive banking fees we avoid the frequent payment of small amounts. Currently the following three conditions trigger our payment:
- The total due amount is above $500 ($250 for accounts in €) or ...
- The sales date of at least one item is older than 20 days or ...
- You have no unsold items left.
If your bank account is outside the EU, we avoid payments of small amounts below $100 to avoid bank fees for the beneficiary - even if the sale of an item is older than 20 days.
We confirm payment. In the SELLER area you can view the payment history, all paid lots and the sold lots not yet paid and the due amount.
artelino reserves the right to back-charge you for sold items that were returned by a client or for which we could not receive the payment. However this happens very seldom. And for reasons of simple handling we usually take lots that are returned or not paid into our own property - unless the value is above $500 or the difference of reserve and hammered price is excessive.
Unsold Objects
With weekly auctions we usually give unsold items more than one chance. We hardly ever offer all your consigned items in one auction, but offer over an extended period of several auctions with breaks in-between for best results. Items that we cannot sell are sent back to you.
Shipments - Insurance
When you send a consignment to us, you bear the costs of transportation and you are responsible for insurance. When we send unsold items back to you, it is the other way around. We pay the postage. But any customs duties and handling is in the responsibility of the recipient.
If shipped to us from outside a member state of the European Union (EU), please specify the text
Commodity code 97029000 - art prints made by hand.
in the field for contents description of the shipment form attached to the package. And please add our EORI number DE5627559 for smooth customs procedure.
Ship to:
artelino GmbH
Fuchsbichl 6a
82057 Icking
Germany
++49-8178-9978839
++49-8178-9978837
German Customs
If your consignment shipment comes from outside the European Union (EU), your package will be processed by German customs before it will be delivered to us. This is managed well by our customs provider. But it is necessary that you attach a reasonable proforma invoice outside the package. You can generate a proforma invoice in a few simple steps from our seller area.
Do not specify for your consignment shipment anything like 'printed matter' or 'present' or 'value $20'. It only causes trouble and additional work and costs for us. Make a reasonable value declaration.
VAT
Consignments by dealers registered in Germany are subject to VAT. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Exclusion
It should be a matter of course. Nevertheless we want to mention that any form of bidding on own lots is strictly forbidden. Sellers who try it, will be excluded forever from artelino auctions - both for selling and for buying.
Rights on Images and Descriptions
With your consignment you agree that artelino is entitled to use the images and all informations connected with the object, like descriptions and prices, for publication and promotional purposes (provided that no other copyright laws are infringed).
Step by Step
We both agreed on your first consignment. What next?
- Please create an account on our website. Select Full Registration from the initial options. When you arrive on the page for Payment Method, please specify not now/later. Do not forget to verify your account as last step.
- We check your account, clear it manually and install your account with seller status. You have access to the SELLER area (visible after login when you have seller status).
- Our system sends you an email with instructions for your first consignment shipment and how to add a few additional information to your seller account like your PayPal account or bank account details, and your preferred payment plan. Select application PAYMENT METHOD from the seller area.
Preparing Your First Consignment Shipment
When you send a consignment to us, you bear the costs of transportation and you are responsible for insurance.
How to Pack Securely?
In our seller area you find illustrated tips for secure packing.
Which Shipper?
Please use the shipper of your preference. We recommend to use the National Postal Service (Post Office) of your country (USPS in the USA, Royal Mail in the UK, Japan Post). The National Postal Services are usually slower than commercial shippers. But they are in general cheaper and in our experience pretty reliable.
Enter your Shipment in the Seller Area!
Please enter your shipment in the SELLER area with a few simple steps - number of prints and value. Use applications HOW TO SHIP and PACKAGE SETUP from the seller area. When you come back from the Post Office, please enter the tracking # in the Seller area. Use application ADD TRACKING #.
Please do not ignore our request to use the seller area. Artelino is an ONLINE auction site, not a mail-order business in the year 1980!
When Shipped from Outside the European Union
If shipped from outside the European Union, you must attach a proforma-invoice outside the package. You can print it from your Seller area.
If you use your own proforma invoice, please specify the text Product group 97029000 - art prints made by hand in the field for contents description of the shipment form attached to the package.
Please attach the proforma-invoice outside the package in a plastic sleeve. Available at the Post Office or from stationary shops. Do not specify for your consignment shipment anything like 'printed matter' or 'present' or 'value $20'. Specify a reasonable value.
By entering your shipment in the seller area our system monitor has it on our 'radar'.
SELLER Area
The SELLER area provides all necessary information to follow the preparations of your consignments, the auction schedule for your items, view your results, print your settlement statements, view our payments, returns etc.. Please use the SELLER Area for your information requests.
Please do use our SEND PACKAGE programs in the seller area when you send a consignment shipment. It enables smooth processing of your consignments from outside the European Union (EU) by providing a pro-forma invoice and by enabling us to monitor your consignment and keep you informed from the moment when you hand your package over to the shipper.
Contact
For your consignment proposal or for further questions please contact us by our Contact Form, by e-mail or by phone ++49-8178-9978837 or fax ++49-8178-9978839.
Author:
Dieter Wanczura
