artelino.com

How to Sell Japanese Prints

How to Sellkeyboard_double_arrow_upkeyboard_arrow_upshopping_cartemail

A similar page in: Japanese   Dutch   Deutsch   French   Italian   Spanish

How To Sell - at a Glance

  1. Please READ this page from the beginning until the end.
  2. If you do not have an Artelino account yet, please create one.
  3. 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).
  4. If we both agree, we set up your account for access to our Seller area and send you further instructions.

New: Please, No Unsolicited Packages!

Please refrain from sending unsolicited packages. We are not interested in just any Japanese prints. We want consignments that we can sell, which adhere to our size limitations, meet our minimum reserve requirements and respect our exclusion criteria (see below).

We are More than an Online Auction Platform

Artelino is not an auction platform where you upload your images and enter your descriptions, and where the seller handles payment and shipments. We follow the traditional model of an auction house. You must send the art objects to us. We are responsible for accurate descriptions, quality images, payment transactions, and shipments. If we are successful, we pay you the high bidder price minus our commission.

We accept consignments from collectors, dealers, and artists. Since 2001, we have sold more than 80,000 art objects—mostly Japanese art prints—in over 1,800 auctions.

This is what you should know and what you and Artelino agree on.

Which Objects?

We accept 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 must fit the style of our auctions.

In general, we accept only flat artworks on paper. Exceptions must be approved by us.

Quality Standard

Art prints must be without obvious flaws, such as large tears, extensive soils, creases, wormholes, foxing, dark toning unless the object is very rare and valuable. Prints must not be shipped rolled (shipped in tubes).

Updated: Objects which are Rejected

For policy, quality, and commercial reasons, Artelino does not accept the following types of art objects:

  • Several prints combined into one lot. The rule is ONE LOT = ONE print/object. Complete sets may be combined to one lot if the reserve is at least $500 and if the set does not consist of more than 6 single prints.
  • Postcards or ex-libris unless the reserve is at least $300.
  • Machine-made offset prints, offset lithographs or any other photo-mechanical mass-produced works.
  • E-hon (Japanese books) are only accepted if made from handmade woodblocks and if the reserve for the single e-ehon is at least $300. Several e-hon combined to one lot are not accepted.
  • Any other forms of books are not accepted. Artelino does not deal in books.
  • Single book pages unless the reserve is at least $200. Several book pages combined to one lot are not accepted.
  • Shunga and other sexually explicit depictions. Prints with nudity and not overtly sexual in nature are acceptable.
  • Images with overly cruel, violent or offensive scenes.
  • Reproductions, except handmade/re-carved woodblock prints with a reserve of at least $300.
  • Prints made after 1950 by 'Unknown', 'not identified', or by artists with no biographical details.
  • Any type of scrolls.
  • Non-flat objects, unless approved by us for individual cases.
  • Prints must be without frames and without mats. Thin mats or folders are accepted if part of the original publication condition.

New: Zero Tolerance Policy

We will no longer tolerate consignments which ignore our list of unwanted objects, and send them immediately back to you. Regular consignors who continuously send us items which violate our rules, risk to be permanently excluded.

Maximum Sizes

  • Max. size accepted: 46/73 cm = 18/29 inches

Minimum Value

  • Min. reserve (lowest bid) per item: $150
  • Min. reserve strongly recommended: $200

The total value of a consignment must be at least $3,000.

Pre-Check

Please email us at email with a few images of the art objects you wish to consign, descriptions, and your reserve price idea in USD only.

Descriptions

Unless available from other sources, consignments must include a list with the following information (where applicable):

  • Reserve Price
  • Title
  • Artist
  • Technique
  • Date
  • Description
  • Publisher, signature, seal, and literature references (where applicable)

Consignment descriptions must be in English. We accept Japanese descriptions, but they will be processed last. Descriptions in other languages, including German, are not supported.

Commission

We pay you the high bidder price minus the seller consignment fee of 25%. There are no other fees, and you do not pay for unsold items.

Payment

Artelino processes payments weekly. You can choose between payment by:

  • Bank Transfer
  • PayPal

You also have the option of selecting:

  • Monthly Payment
  • Weekly Payment

To minimize banking fees, frequent payments of small amounts are avoided. Payments are triggered under these conditions:

  • The total due amount exceeds $500 (or $250 for accounts in €)...
  • The sales date of at least one item is over 20 days old...
  • You have no unsold items left.

If your bank account is outside the EU, small amounts under $100 are avoided, even if the sale of an item is over 20 days old, to prevent beneficiary bank fees.

Payment confirmations are sent, and you can track payment history, paid lots, unpaid sold lots, and due amounts in the SELLER area.

Artelino reserves the right to back-charge for sold items that are returned by clients or unpaid, though this is rare. Typically, unsold or returned items become our property unless their value exceeds $500 or there is a significant reserve price difference.

Unsold Objects

With weekly auctions, unsold items are often given multiple chances. We rarely offer all consigned items in one auction but distribute them across several auctions for better results. Items we cannot sell will be returned to you.

Shipments - Insurance

When consigning items, you are responsible for transportation costs and insurance. For unsold items returned to you, we cover postage, but customs duties and handling costs fall on the recipient.

Shipping Address

For shipments sent from outside the EU, please include:

Commodity code 97029000 - art prints made by hand.

This information should be in the contents description field on the shipment form.

Please include also our mail address and phone numbers in the address fields. And if sent from outside the EU (European Union) add our EORI # (customs #) and our VAT # (sales tax #) for smooth customs clearance.

artelino GmbH
Fuchsbichl 6a
82057 Icking
Germany
Phone: ++49-8178-9978837, Mobile: ++49 (0)151 17430378
Email: nospam@artelino.com
EORI No.: DE5627559   VAT No.: DE213275144

Please ship to artelino GmbH and not to my personal name Dieter Wanczura.

German Customs

Shipments from outside the EU are processed by German customs. Ensure you attach a reasonable proforma invoice outside the package. You can generate this invoice in the SELLER area.

Avoid vague descriptions like 'printed matter' or 'value $20'; these create issues. Use a reasonable value declaration.

VAT

Consignments from dealers registered in Germany are subject to VAT. For technical reasons, we currently cannot accept consignments from businesses registered in Germany. Contact us for questions.

Exclusion

Bidding on your own lots is strictly prohibited. Sellers engaging in this will be permanently banned from Artelino auctions, both as sellers and buyers.

Rights on Images and Descriptions

By consigning with Artelino, you grant us permission to use images, descriptions, and related information for publication and promotion, provided no copyright laws are violated.

Step by Step

Next steps after agreeing on your first consignment:

  1. Create an account on our website. Choose Full Registration. For Payment Method, select not now/later. Verify your account as the final step.
  2. We manually clear your account, grant seller status, and provide access to the SELLER area.
  3. You’ll receive instructions for your first shipment and details to complete your seller account, including PayPal or bank account details and payment preferences. Use PAYMENT METHOD in the SELLER area.

Preparing Your First Consignment Shipment

When shipping consignments, you bear transportation costs and are responsible for insurance.

How to Pack Securely?

Illustrated tips for secure packing are available in the SELLER area.

Which Shipper?

Use your preferred shipper. National Postal Services (e.g., USPS (USA), EMS (Japan)) are typically cost-effective and reliable. For faster delivery, use DHL in the USA or Japan instead of EMS.

Enter your Shipment in the Seller Area!

Enter shipment details (e.g., number of prints, value) in the SELLER area. Use HOW TO SHIP and PACKAGE SETUP. After shipping, enter the tracking number in ADD TRACKING #.

Please be fair and use the SELLER area for efficient processing. We are a small family business, and with weekly auctions and several dozen active consignors at the same time we cannot run Artelino like a mail-order business from the 1980s. Thanks for your understanding.

For Shipments Outside the EU

Attach a proforma invoice outside the package. Include the text Product group 97029000 - art prints made by hand in the contents description field.

SELLER Area

The SELLER area provides tools for tracking consignments, auction schedules, results, settlements, payments, and more. Use it for all information and shipping procedures.

Contact

For consignment proposals or questions, contact us via the Contact Form, email email, or phone ++49-8178-9978837.

Dieter WanczuraAuthor:
Dieter Wanczura