best time to sell is after the artist dies.

if you don't believe me, ask Tailgater...I am like a idiot.

Matching the buyer w/ your art can cost you upwards of over 50% commission by truthful people or shady people.

Auction houses charge big commissions too and a buyers premium.

Get it appraised first by a reputable appraiser.

Most of the time, a private sale can be all cash and no commission....figure out what is best.

The art world is full of experts waiting for morons to sell great original art for less than pennies on the dollar....you dont want to be that moron.

Many idiots work in the back rooms of thrift stores...

I depend on them to make my profits.

I have collected and sold art for decades....what you think was painted or made by a two year old or a wack job can be worth six figures....outsider art, folk art, tramp art, prison art, abstract art, out of perspective and comic like art....all bring huge sale prices....

Do your homework...if you dont know what it is ...dont sell it, if a person comes to your yard sale and gasps! Then tries to talk the price down...tell him its not for sale and watch them freak out...

If people start turning stuff over or pulling out jewelry loops and whispering...dont sell it.

I could go on and on...fingers are tired.

All very good tips. Some I knew some are new. I recently hoped in about a year ago. I was able to snag up a couple decent pieces and sent a good part of it to auction. Some went well below expected which made me feel as though the buying market was still wide open. But then I had a couple get just the right bidding war going on. That is always good to see. I still have a couple pieces left from that first move. I'm just shaky about putting them in the market around here. Sotheby's helped a bit too.

That place doesnt always auction everything.

You'd be surprised what just gets arranged and sold by those guys. All the super big names may not even get to auction if the seller gets a great offer and wants to really remain anonymous....just because you wear a suit and have an English accent doesnt mean side deals dont happen...they just want Everybody to think that.

Are you talking from actually selling there or watching their auctions, reading past sale prices and old catalogs w/ prices listed.

There are well over two dozen art and antique auction price websites, some cater to specific items but you have to pay a monthly fee to get access.

Ragos(spl?) In jersey or philly area is a big one too.

First it was IPO's, now its fine art?

Have an original Picasso lithograph I've considered selling.

http://www.cigarbid.com/FORUM/c/posts/623016/Art-Collectors-and-Lovers-Found-a-LE-Picasso-Poster 

There is no fast buck.

Sotheby's gave me an option. At the time I really didn't want to wait for their best time of the year to sell. They don't just take anything. They were very accommodating but scrupulous. They also suggested Stairs auction house in New York.

I just decided to open up some topics I'm interested in. Maybe get some info on things other than cigars. I'm into a lot of things. All bucks are the same but I can also certainly to better than 1% in a savings account or 0% in my mattress

When he retired 20 years ago, he dedicated himself to art at a much higher level.

Now, he does well for himself, and his works sell, he's won numerous awards, blah blah,......I'd wager any of his larger paintings that can be had for $1,000 to $2,000 or so would probably be a good long term investment.

In his words...........art is a VERY difficult business........in EVERY aspect......making it, selling it, promoting it, marketing it, investing in it, speculating in it, and on and on.

But, then there's this.............true story.

My wife and I had a friend many years ago, a beach bum of sorts (who was actually a burned out high level executive....breakdown??...........we never knew).

He made money by doing dump runs, hauling junk out of people's yards and the like...................he was a "Got Junk?" guy before that business even existed.

Well one day, he gets a job to totally empty a house, to get it ready for the market. A woman had passed on, and her kids were selling the house, and wanted everything gone.

They (the kids) had spent a few weeks taking everything they wanted, had some yard sales, etc.

So our beach bum friend takes on the job, with his little contract specifying what he's going to do, and that they want everything out, etc.

There was old crappy furniture, dirty tired rugs, broken lamps, boxes of clothes and nicknacks, broken mirrors, more junk, and a whole bunch of paintings, posters, photographs and prints, most all of it kitchy junk.

However, he had an "eye", and several of those paintings were the real deal, and worth BIG dollars.......very big dollars.

The kids, somehow, found out about it after-the-fact, and tried to get the paintings back by suing our friend, making false claims that he stole them, etc..............after quite a lengthy court battle................he won.

We haven't seen him since...............

Check into a credit union for your Savings acct. They generally offer. a higher interest rate

I get a chub when i see old mattresses out front in that pile...i inspect w/ a fine tooth comb...it has

been very lucrative.

You can make a serious living from your avg day idiots living in your town and their trash.

When you are in the Estate Cleaning business YOU ALWAYS get a signed contract w/ every immediate family persons name involved signed ....before you set foot in the Hut.

I know "Estate buyers" who are very well off, who have ads in the local weekly rag that comes in the mail....and they all look like paupers....