How can I re-sell a piece of art that I bought?

November 7, 2007 10:51 PM

Selling art -- I bought a piece of art and have had second thoughts. How can I re-sell it?

I was at an art auction and ended up buying a piece of art. It's very good, but after having it hanging in my room for a while, I realized it's not exactly my style. I'm wondering if there's a way to re-sell it. Any ideas?

The art itself is 18" x 24", mixed media (pen and ink, chalk pastels(?), some collage), sort of post-modern, somewhat sci-fi themes -- you can see it here. It's probably worth a few hundred dollars. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I'd guess there must be someone who'd be interested in this, but I have no idea how the art world works. Any ideas?

(I did read this question, but I think this situation is a bit different since the artist is probably not as well known.)

posted by salvia to Shopping (10 answers total)

Ebay?
posted by amyms at 11:04 PM on November 7, 2007

depending on how much it's worth... it may have to go to an art dealer... or just donate it back to the AIDS charity and take the write-off.
posted by Mr_Crazyhorse at 11:33 PM on November 7, 2007

It looks like a very acquired taste to me. You would almost certainly be wasting your time hawking it around art dealers and galleries where you live. So perhaps either ebay or take the write-off. Alternatively, you might find a local auction house (bricks and mortar) that takes art, ideally one that holds specialised art auctions, but expect a low reserve.
posted by londongeezer at 1:00 AM on November 8, 2007

eBay
posted by fire&wings at 2:47 AM on November 8, 2007

At least you live in San Fran, can you imagine trying to sell that in Idaho?
posted by BackwardsHatClub at 3:37 AM on November 8, 2007

I would try selling it on Craigslist first, it's free and you'll be reaching a local audience. It's pretty doubtful you'll get what you paid for it though, you should probably just consider most of the money a donation to the Aids charity.
posted by Melsky at 8:17 AM on November 8, 2007

If you can use a tax deduction, you could donate it and take the amount you paid for it as a tax deduction. It's hard to get the money back unless the artist becomes well-known, and donating is not much hassle. (IANAA I am not an accountant)
posted by theora55 at 8:55 AM on November 8, 2007

etsy.com
posted by almostmanda at 9:42 AM on November 8, 2007

Why don't you try contacting the artist and ask if any of his/her collectors would be interested? Seems like the best and easiest way to get a good price.
posted by bradbane at 10:53 AM on November 8, 2007

etsy.com is only for selling your own creations, not for resale art.
posted by Melsky at 2:35 PM on November 8, 2007