Let us know what you'd like to see on an Asian art auction and selling site.
For over a decade we like so many have become increasingly dissatisfied with the available options for buying and selling Asian art on the web, as either a seller or a buyer. This includes both auction sites and fixed price sites. We keep asking ourselves, why can't a site do both much better than eBay? or CATAWIKI, Trocadaro etc.
Don't get me wrong, eBay is okay, but it's also a very problematic platform in many aspects. We all have our own horror stories.
eBay has options for both auctions and fixed price transactions. However, the other hassles and limits of using this very impersonal site often outweigh the advantages they provide.
- eBay's Ever-increasing already high fees.
- No policing of sellers who routinely misrepresent items, i.e. Fakes.
- Virtually no repercussions for non-payers.
- Limited ability to deal directly with sellers and buyers.
- No linking your own site to your listings.
- Communications between buyers and sellers MUST be done through eBay, where they do police what you do and say.
eBay has a lot of complaints here are just a few.
Many other sites are ok, but not fabulous, flexible, reasonably priced, empowering of their users or particularly transparent. Which is why we added the Global Member Auction pages and the auctioneer Report Card.
Virtually all of the available web options have one major underlying flaw for sellers and buyers. The site operators have all of the control over both parties and more often than not it is very limiting. The structure of all platforms by their very nature stands in the way of sellers really getting to know their customers and visa versa.
Whats the solution? What does a dream Asian art auction and selling site look like?
So a few years ago we began thinking about what could we at Bidamount potentially do to address the issue. We don't think it should be made so difficult, we love what we do and think folks should be treated like adults and be able to transact sales and purchases as they see fit.
The obvious question is why isn't there a site which provides both selling options and can be done without charging terribly high fees and also do the needed policing to remove fakes, copies, and take immediate action to remove non-payers.
Also, a site sellers can use to build their business off of by being able to directly work with customers. A site where buyers can go and feel comfortable doing business transparently with folks they have a relationship directly with. With everyone doing so in a large village or community of Asian art fans, with many dealers and buyers, each benefiting from the law of large numbers and total openness.
As a seller would you like to be able to link your items listed for sale to another site? What do YOU think is a reasonable flat commission rate? How do you want to get paid? Checks? Wire transfer? Pay-pal? Credit Card? Cash? Tell us..
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