Where do you buy your art ?

[MHoes]

Hi,

 

Although I own some original art pieces, I still consider myself very much new to the hobby. Recently I've been thinking a little more about something I really hadn't thought much about before: dealer/seller 'reputation' and/or 'reliability'.

 

Fortunately for me, I have had nothing but good experiences. Perhaps that is due to the fact that I stuck with either the dealers that had a really big inventory and sold/represented 'big' and/or reasonably well known artists, or with the reasonably well known artists themselves selling their own art. Likewise, I've never had the guts to go after art on something like eBay as in that case I'm assuming you (mostly) don't really know who you're dealing with.

 

So this made me wonder: Where do you (mostly) get your comic art (and why) ? Just the big dealers / artist representatives ? Artists themselves ? eBay ? Auction houses ? Comic conventions (which sellers ?) ? All/none of the above ?

[Garf]

Mostly eBay, dealers and direct from artists. IMHO eBay is fine if Paypal is used. I have also made auction house purchases, purchased at conventions and on these boards... I don't think that you can be too picky about where you buy seeing as it is all a one off so they either have what you want or they don't.

 

Just make sure you listen to your spidey sense when something seems off or too good to be true. If you are still in doubt then I am sure you have seen threads started here before where people ask if a particular dealer / person is reputable and they usually get the answers they are looking for. I know I would ask here if I couldn't work something out for myself.

 

 

[Pete Marino]

about 90% of my collection is direct from artist.

[MHoes]

I don't think that you can be too picky about where you buy seeing as it is all a one off so they either have what you want or they don't.

This, of course, is very true. If you really like a piece you don't really have the luxury of buying it someplace else: it's an unique item.

 

IMHO eBay is fine if Paypal is used.

The main reason I haven't tried eBay, is because even buyer protection won't protect you from fake's/forgeries. You may have a piece hanging on your wall for years, only to find out that it's not the real thing.

 

Just make sure you listen to your spidey sense when something seems off or too good to be true.

My spidey sense, in general, seems to err on the side of caution. I more likely have something like a 'hulk-sense': if it doesn't smash me on the head with obviously legit I don't buy it.

 

If you are still in doubt then I am sure you have seen threads started here before where people ask if a particular dealer / person is reputable and they usually get the answers they are looking for. I know I would ask here if I couldn't work something out for myself.

Yes, I've seen the posts/questions. Guess that that means for me personally, I really need to start doing that.

 

 

Thanks for your reply.

[Mighty Hal]

Occasionally eBay, occasionally one of the auction houses, occasionally from a CAF seller (most recently, thanks George!), more often from one of the respected comic art dealers, and -- when I can -- directly from the artist.

 

Purchasing from eBay hasn't been too great of a concern because I focus on published comic art by "lesser" artists, the pages that the scammers have yet to fake and the artists that don't command enough attention for them to be fake-bait. I stay away from sketches, "commissions", or anything with a shaky description. If the seller says, "I found this at a garage/estate sale...", then I'm not giving them the benefit of doubt. Doesn't mean the auction's not legit. Does mean I have my doubts.

 

And if seller offers you a certificate of authenticity? It's generally worth exactly the value of the paper it's printed on. Most dealers, artists, auction houses don't issue them.

 

Buying from the artist doesn't work nearly so well if he or she is deceased but, since I primarily collect modern comic art, that hasn't been as much of a problem for me. Living in the middle of nowhere, I rarely get to go to a con. Most artists have a Facebook page, or a DeviantArt page, and many of them will list when new artwork is available for purchase. I was able to buy three of my favorite five pages this way.

[JadeGiant]

eBay – I watch a lot but purchases are few and far between. Worth the exercise for me as I tend to find good deals a few times a year

 

Artist direct – great way to buy (so long as the artist has a good track record)

 

Rep – great way to buy (as long as price is FMV)

 

Dealer – infrequently but I do from time to time.

 

Shows – great way to buy as sellers are usually motivated and I enjoy the interaction.

 

Direct from other collectors – I don’t buy a lot this way but have secured some of my best deals from fellow collectors (and some good friends).

 

Auction houses (HA/Comic Link, etc.). Sporadic at best. None since the shilling fiasco from last year. I still actively watch and will pursue an auction if it is a really nice piece. I will NOT bid early on these auctions. I ask myself what I would like to pay for a piece, then what I would be willing to pay and that is my ceiling. If the item is below that number in the closing minutes I will put in a snipe bid and live with the result.

 

You really have to put the work into all avenues in order to dig out the best pieces for your collection. The grind is worth it and I actually enjoy all the legwork it takes to find art to add to my collection. The chase is a fun part of the hobby for me.

 

[Meeley Man]

I buy mostly from eBay, a couple dealers whom I trust, and sometimes artists directly (when I can make the shows). Can't say I've had bad results doing it that way. Haven't done much with other collectors, though, mostly because so many seem to be a bit "overly optimistic" in terms of what they think they can get for their stuff (not Donnelly's bad, but bad enough). Like others have said, just keep your wits and don't let your avarice lead you by the nose. You should be fine.

 

And if for you are looking for people to do business with, I'd say Anthony Snyder is good, as is Tom at Fanfare. Or, of course, you can always do business with me. As I rep for several artists, you can always trust the art is legit and I don't jerk you around with price or anything like that.

[Fred Chamberlain]

I most enjoy buying from the artists. The reality is that most of the artwork that resonates with me is decades old and so that is often not a possibility. I buy from ebay, occasionally from reps and rarely from dealers. My focus on auction buys have been extremely minimal since becoming aware of shilling and seeing pieces sell for multiple times what they had only a year ago and with no precursor before the jump.

[MIL0S]

I stay away from sketches, "commissions", or anything with a shaky description. If the seller says, "I found this at a garage/estate sale...", then I'm not giving them the benefit of doubt. Doesn't mean the auction's not legit. Does mean I have my doubts.

 

What he said. I think eBay is fine for published art, it's the unpublished sketches you have to be careful with. Check the other listings, if the same seller has sketches or unpublished art by Charles Schulz, Bob Kane, John Romita Sr., Dr. Suess, Picasso, Bill Watterson, and Jack Kirby that was purchased at a NYC street fair years ago RUN FAST. When in doubt post here for a second opinion. Back to eBay, one seller of published art to be aware of is valnstevez.aol, aka coolinesart, aka the Donnelly brothers. They have been known to alter art or add dress/logos and misrepresent art, also their stuff is ridiculously overpriced.

[rocket1312]

I'm still relatively new to all of this, but even in my short time collecting, I've purchased art from ebay, Comic Link, dealers, reps, artists and other collectors via CAF. I haven't had a single problem with any of them.

 

As far as ebay is concerned, I agree with what other posters have said. For published art, I say have at it. However, I'd be very wary of commissions and sketches and the like unless you know for sure what you're looking at. I'm not particularly interested in that sort of thing unless I'm getting it direct from the artist anyway. With that said, I find the biggest issue with ebay to be sifting through the enormous mountains of in order to find the good stuff. So much ...

[Fred Chamberlain]

Spoons galore. Tick would be overwhelmed by the volume of SPOON.

[Solar]

I prefer buying from other collectors, as well as from artists/reps. It's been a long time since I had any luck on eBay and I'm not a fan of paying extreme top dollar so I tend to avoid auctions/dealers.

[Monkeyman]

I buy most of my art on Comic Link with a smattering from other sources. I don't have specific pieces I'm looking, but just look through auctions for stuff that fits my collecting focus. I will decide on a fair price for the piece and put it in as my max bid and see what happens. Once in a while I find something I have to have and will overpay, but that's rare.

 

Mike

[Bird]

clink and HA, but CAF is the best place to find and buy art IMO

[Panelfan1]

Auctions can be fun but also stressful. It's always a crapshoot as you wait to see if you 'won'.

 

If I can find a piece I am interested in from another collector or dealer at a rate that is close to what I imagine my max bid would be at an auction - that's my first choice since it's far less stressful.

 

I know it's not gonna happen - but sometimes I think wouldn't it be great if collectors who put their items into auctions would announce it publicly first. Then other collectors could make private bids without the trouble of an auction. If the seller was satisfied with the price they would be better off too as they save on auction fees.

[Terry Doyle]

Over the years I've bought some great pieces off eBay. If you can wade through all the cr@p, and know what you're looking at/for, hidden nuggets can still be found.

 

Other collectors are also a good source. Learn to network.

 

I don't pay too much attention to the major auctions. The high publicity brings out the competition, so for the best pieces you've gotta be prepared to pay top dollar.

 

As such, don't just follow auctions . . . pursue other leads and venues (do the leg-work). The extra effort can often prove worthwhile.

[Meeley Man]

I know it's not gonna happen - but sometimes I think wouldn't it be great if collectors who put their items into auctions would announce it publicly first. Then other collectors could make private bids without the trouble of an auction. If the seller was satisfied with the price they would be better off too as they save on auction fees.

 

Actually, this happens all the time. It's called "being an art rep." And I ought to know.

[John E.]

I'm glad this question was posted because I was wondering this myself. I wanted to post a new thread that asked, "Where do you buy your comic art and how often?" I was interested in comparing my buying habits with others, so I can understand how disciplined I have been this past year. This year I told myself that I was going to avoid buying the hundred-dollar pages and go for the "better" and more expensive stuff. The problem is that sometimes I come across good pages at a value too good to pass up. I crunched the numbers last week. Not including convention sketches and prelims, I have purchased 11 pieces this year, but have kept only six. Of those 11:

 

10% was purchased from an art dealer.

27% was purchased at conventions directly from the artists.

27% was purchased from an art rep.

36% was purchased privately (4 pieces at once, here on the boards)

 

A glaring absence is eBay, not because I don't trust it, but because eBay had a tendency to eat up all my money with $100-$200 buys here and there. I think you can get the best deals for art via auction through eBay, but the sniping is frustrating. Also, every art i have purchased from a non-professional has arrived damaged. That's my biggest concern over forgeries.

 

I average 4.75 weeks in between purchases. In actuality, the least amount of time between art is one week, with the most being 7 weeks. I think I have one more buy before the year is over, so I'll average about one page a month.

 

I had hypothesized that you all waited for the seasonal auctions on HA or C-link, and that perhaps your trophies were won at auction every few months while building a war chest in between that time, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The buying seems to happen at multiple marketplaces, with some people avoiding particular outlets. Like someone said in a recent thread, "You just can't plan these purchases.

 

 

 

[Terry Doyle]

 

. . . I think you can get the best deals for art via auction through eBay, but the sniping is frustrating.

 

 

If you submit your very best bid (and don't worry about the sniping at the end), at least you can walk away comforted by the knowledge you gave it your best shot (if you lose out).

 

That's what I do. I don't try to penny-pinch. If I'm serious about a piece of art, I give it my best shot.

[Pete Marino]

 

. . . I think you can get the best deals for art via auction through eBay, but the sniping is frustrating.

 

 

If you submit your very best bid (and don't worry about the sniping at the end), at least you can walk away comforted by the knowledge you gave it your best shot (if you lose out).

 

That's what I do. I don't try to penny-pinch. If I'm serious about a piece of art, I give it my best shot.

 

I put my very best snipe in when I see an auction i'm interested in, try my best to forget about the auction (never works) and then see if my snipe panned out. That way I'm not as tempted to "up" my max bid through the week or however long is left.