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AdventureE: I would prefer that these posts stay here in SL for the time being. The main reason is that we are working on an informational web site that we are going to use to funnel traffic to our new e-commerce store online that is not an Ebay or Etsy store. It will be under our own domain name when finished.
I was planning on utilizing some of the questions an my replies on various art topics as original content in those new sites. I am afraid if the information ends up on Ebay’s main forums that it will get plagerized, sliced and diced and copied all over the place under others by line name. One of the new products we are creating is an e-guide to buying, identifying and selling original fine art online. So let’s just leave everything here for the SL members to enjoy for the time being and when the time is right I will re-post much of this and more on our informational site and have links to our new Shopify Store along with many of the prints and paintings in my portfolio’s for sale.
Also, here on SL is a place I choose to help those that have helped us and feel this is sort of our way of saying thank you and paying back, for what little it may be worth. But on Ebay that is not the case.
But thanks for your comments, it makes me feel good that the information is of some benefit.
Mike in Atlanta
Agree with Sahryn and Jay. We do the same. Have only done “calculated” shipping for years just because of this. Using calculated shipping makes it automatic and no adjusting is ever needed.
Also using former business models from the larger company’s I have ran, I have always considered our shipping dept. as a “profit center”. No dept. in my companies were profit losers or sucked up profits from other depts. If we got FedEx, UP, USPS discounts we never passed those along. Everything we bought, used and or furnished was marked up according to our standard company policies. I still do that to this day in our small online e-commerce sites.
Every single thing you us, buy, supply that goes into your cost of providing your service, your product or getting that product or service to your customer should have an original ocst associated with it and a sufficient mark-up to offset internal costs and make a profit to boot. At least in our – my opinion.
Statement like, it is a wash, it all comes out in the end, I make it on some, just cover on others and loose on some gives me the shivers. No such thing in American Capitalism. Buy for a dollar and sell for 3 or 4 or what the market will bare. Within reason of course, especially in the shipping area, but what my customers may pay $8.95 to ship I pay around $6 give or take.
We always put in the approx. box size we are going to use, but if under 1,728 cubic inches over all size doesn’t have to be that accurate as long as you stay under. It’s more the wieght. We have a chart we go by and depending on the overall boz size we enter [always is about 2″ bigger all around than the bare object itself], we enter our estimated shipping weight. Most of the time [90% +/-] we make a dollar to $3 off of our calculated shipping process.
Again all of this is just our opinion .. but the MBA School of thought is more of what we try to go by.
Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art in Atlanta
Well here is some information for you.
The first and direct question is, yes, of course they had prints in 1977. They were mostly “offset lithographic reproductions” done by photographing the original and then creating 4 color halftone separations and printed in CMYK. This how all magazines and unlimited large prints were done. But, also NO, they did not have digital prints back then, no Giclée’s, no wide format printers. I think we all were using dot matrix printers back then, maybe only 9 pin. But if Offset Commercial print shops, the process of 4 color reproduction was strong and in its hay day.
So, you have a yes and no answer to your customers question and I think they would need to qualify “did they have print in 1977”?? What are they asking.
Now to your pieces. I surely hope you looked closely at those art pieces under strong magnification. If you say the image consisting of those small tiny “dots” – “Rosette patterned” dots, then you do have a reproduction of what I think is a [pastel drawing original. That waffle – textured paper is a giveaway. Highly embossed paper can be used for both water color and pastel BUT with a liquid like water color the liquid will “ooze” down into the lower regions of the paper. If you will look at some of the darker detail areas, the darker detail-highlights is only applied to the “top” surfaces of the textures. That indicates, to me, that a hard surface drawing tool such as a pastel stick, conte crayon like object was used to apply that dark detail. NOW the big QUESTION I stated above, if the original was a drawing, water color or even a mixed media combination of the two, if the image is comprised of 100% varying “dots” all over then it is a photo litho repro. But if there is not mechanical, structured dot pattern then you may have an original drawing.
If it is a pastel and the detail shows real color applied to a “textured” surface then what you may think or to the amateur, untrained eye may very well be a “dotty LIKE” texture that is imparted by the hard-pastel stick only applying color to the tops-high parts of the embossed textured paper.
So, I only have you word that you looked at the whole image, soft tones, mid-tones and dark shadow areas and can see the “rosette dot” pattern all over.
Now there is a litho repro technique whereby a printer will come back and do subsequent over lay colors of some solid areas. I used and developed a technique myself whereby I could use a silk screen process to simulate a plate etching by doing the 4-color process and then using 2 or 3 other press passes to over some solids. But certainly not 10, 15 or 20 press passes. Too costly for repro’s.
If again though, those large, very washed out pastel solid areas were done with powered pastel and finger blended pastel or with liquid water color they will be solid, you may have an original drawing, but if not and the original taken and then photographed, and you see in this case, white dots [another story for another time], it confirms again a litho photomechanical reproduction.
So, in summary, yes there was prints around in 1977. Since the invention of movable type and the Gutenberg Press about 1440 and the first printing of the Bible around 1454, there has been printing. Silk screen printing has been around for 600 years in the Orient in a slightly varied format that became patented in the US around 1900.
That takes care of here questions.
But do you have a pastel or mixed media original drawing, I can’t tell without seeing them up close and using my higher power scopes, which one also has a built in black light which also helps me determine a few things. One last thing to note, while observing all the colored areas, did you get a good close up view of the “signature”. If these were originals and signed then done as a photo repro at a later time, good chances are the printer knew he was creating “wall art decor” did a large, run of then and thus also photographed the signature and as a result that signature will be broken up and contain halftone dots also and printed right along with the image at the same press pass, all done in the 4-color process.So hopefully you have them identified correctly, if they are reproduced then the price is about right for wall decor repro’s if originals which I think they may be a mixed media, pastel, ink drawings you need a number one placed in front of the 44 and the 34 numbers.
Hopes this helps somewhat.
mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art in Atlanta
Nice memorial photos of the Kitty Steve. Will always remember him every time I see the doggies.
mike
But Bonanza does monitor, or the companies do. We have had 2 vero’s from Bonanza. One from Velcro and the other from John Deere.
So they are not totally blind to the situation.
Ditto to what Sharyn said. If you take it line by line most of it is available from PayPal or Ebay. Sometimes they think or confuse that you are making a claim of something you bought from someone and had shipped to you and it was damaged. But as a Seller and paying them [FedEx] to deliver your package, they want to see a copy of the “payment to you” to establish a verified value of what you were paid. Then proof you shipped through them, and if damaged and can be repaired a coy of the estimate of repair, etc., etc.. You can gather up your material and then give them a call and just verify that you have everything you need prior to going online to file.
USPS has wnated approx. the same thing when we made a couple of claims, but we have only had a few damaged items through the years.
Good luck…
Mike at MDC Galleries in Atlanta
OK, you asked. In art school there is a drawing class based on a technique written by Nicolaides called the “Natural Way to Draw”.
[here-https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Way-Draw-Working-Study/dp/0395530075].
We used his book to teach the “armature core technique to teach students to draw by using a scrawling series of internal lines to define “the core form”. Constant hand movement of encircling lines, building “volume” as you kept adding lines.This was in the foundation or first years of 2-dimensional drawing classes. Then the next semester we moved the students into 3-dimensional design by taking the drawings they made in 2-d class and translate them into a wire nucleus central core on a single armature. Thus, what I think we are seeing here. A single heavier wire central armature, then a series of thinner wire, wrapping and forming the internal volumetric core of the figure. Then the next step is to move the student to placing “a skin layer” [we called it draping the figure back in the day]. If this was to be a full clothed, skinned or solid nude figurine, it would have been done in clay or wax and “cast” as a solid piece, and being a much longer, time consuming process.
Some students went into detail on the draping, others did exactly like what you have depending on the material used and what their budget may be. A partial draping-skinning of the form can be done with “sculp-metal” a soft material that works like clay or putty but is actually a metal material and hardens over night into a thin metal surface. Then depending on the nature of what the figure was to be, the addition of a staff. a tool, a rope or what not to bring recognition to the figure. What we call, the building of an icon styled image.
Nicolaides whole technique is also based on speed. The quick capture of the essence of the built form. Many times, we had timed studies of 60 seconds, 2 or 3 minutes, or an extended pose of 5 to 6 minutes. Hardly ever much longer. The premise being to train the young artist to see volume and form and be able to define it by not using outlining and contour edges. Art and drawing talent can be taught. Many of these 2-d and 3-d studies at times did not get signed. But of course, the 3-d figures did take much longer.
Upon observation you can see the central thicker wire of the armature, then the volumetric buildup of the overall form and then the draping of the figure. Quick bending of the metal. Also notice the small, simple cut of the torch on the treatment of the feet. Looks like oxy-acetylene cut groove and a quick tack weld for stability.
So, I could be off base, and it could be a preliminary figural wire sketch of a much larger piece by a famous artist in preparation for a full-sized sculpture, but my guess is an art student or artist, using the Nicolaides method in a 3-d figural Sculpture piece.
Check this link also and scroll on done and you will see several what I am talking about.
Hey Ryanne, sound like you are back in art school? 🙂
But it could be by Picasso and when you sell it, you get $30,000 for it and you can buy your next property. 🙂
Hope you can at least get some key words out of this!
Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art.
We have 3 carriers. Two main carriers that rotate weekly and one sub. who fills in on an as need basis. They all will see the tag we hang on the mail box and they back up into the drive and scan and load right there and then put the hang tag back into the mail box. And all 3 have given me their cell phone number and if I miss them mid-day all I do is text them I have a late sale and they will swing back by at the end of their route, about 4:00 PM and do a second pick-up.
I think that extra effort and willingness is to be commended. We give the two leads a gift card for $35.00 each and the sub a $25 card. Plus the more packages they scan in on their route, come the hard count time, the more the evaluation of the route is each year. More packages handled on a route increases the “valuation” of that route which in turn means better pay for the route. Our guys wish everybody sold on Ebay and that they had to make several unload trips to the main office each day. Routes that have a lot of stores on it have a higher valuation than an all residential route. Routes with strip malls that have places that ship alot are the most desired over the all residential ones but has harder and heavier work connected with it.
So Christmas to USPS is $95 total AND for the guys inside the main office I drop off a coupon to all of them that offers a 20% off any purchase in our Ebay Store. Most don’t use it but they know me in there by face so they all say thank you. That is more it is the thought that counts than an actual gift. I do have a code on the back of the coupon for them to use, but as I said I have only had a couple use it.
By the way, always have business cards with you. We have a small blank space on the back that we can write a special discount code on for anybody we meet.
Hope this helps…
See if this has any interest for you.
mike at MDC Galleries in Atlanta
Now you are ready for tall shelving, numbered bins and a numbered inventory system. Great space and good luck.
Have you decided on a heat / cooling system yet?
You guys are going to own so much land and property up there that you will need a big sign out at the entry road that say’s something Like “Scavenger Life Valley .. Gateway to the Unique” just like the “Ponderosa” on Bonanza. LOL-LOL 🙂
Here’s an idea for another income stream.. take some of your land [out back], mark it off in small rectangles, cut a dirt road to it and rent out the spaces to campers. A niche would be to rent to all “Airstream” owners. Wouldn’t it be cool to see a dozen Airstream trailers all lined up side by side. Just thinking outside the box.
mike in Atlanta
Things as far as objects go are just not made out of “solid silver” for the same reason that not much is made out of “solid gold”. Gold is made in a “mixture” form like 10kt, 14kt, 24kt because solid gold is soft soft that any object made from pure gold would bend, break, etc., etc. The mixture allows the material to be firm and stable enough for mfg. objects from yet carry large amounts of gold. Same thing applies to silver.
Maybe give this link a try. It is a discussion [thread] that has been going on for a long time. It covers a lot of territory on this topic.
https://www.finishing.com/204/43.shtml
Your question already has the answer. If it is unmarked no .925 which is 92.5 percent silver, then it is not considered all silver and is probably plated or chromed. I belive that all “pure silver or high content silver” that is imported into the united states needs to be stamped as such and maybe made in the USA. Here is a link that may help you research your question further.
Hope these links help you out.
mike at MDC Galleries in Atlanta
As far as what we do, if it is silver there is either a hallmark but in the USA, we believe must carry an engraved or stamped .925 on it. That means it is real silver. Then following that suit is silver plate and pewter. Real pewter usually has a hallmark and many times several. Silver plated will state
silver plated”, Electro-plated, double, triple or quad plate and about half the time a company’s name on it. Then of course comes “stainless”If we don’t see any of those markings we will just stick with silver toned, a pewter like finish, and in item specifics or the description state the item is “unmarked”. Our thoughts are if it has an intrinsic value then the makers will put as much on it as they can to boost the actual retail selling price when it was first introduced into the market place. If nothing is stated on the object, then the mfg. had nothing to offer to induce a sense of value in the marketplace in the first place. So, we go with the “tone” route.
Also, another thought is that with so many different countries making alloys and who knows what the compositions consist of and if there is no international level of quality standards, with unmarked pieces who knows what the alloy composition is made from, what minerals or ores are more readily available in various countries, who knows what one has with unmarked pieces. Would a test kit provide a definitive answer to all those variations? Don’t know.
But just our method of trying to speed listings along or trying to buy higher end items.
the team at MDC Galleries in Atlanta
Hi VintageClassics: Go to the ScanvengerLife Home Page and click on the “Resources” tab. Then scroll down and you will see the scales that Ryanne and Jay either use or recommend. We have one of the large ones and 3 of the smaller ones listed here on SL.
Good luck
Well.. Guess there is some truth in “Fate”. I get my just rewards for jumping in on the subject “ship it or cancel it” discussion. And OK I know a big laugh is coming at me.
But first for the record, yes, I know the difference between $65 and $1,600 dollars but guess what just happened to me all within less than about an hour? We got a cha-ching and my wife Susan turned to me and said what did you sell that Dooney and Bourke cross body purse for $.99 for and with FREE SHIPPING no less. I said what??? Yep.. I accidently used an old auction $.99 & free shipping template in WonderLister, filled in all the data, attached photos, did my description and all the item specifics. Except didn’t see it was an old auction template and that it had a $.99 pre-filled in field and I listed that purse for the $.99 instead of $69.99 !!!! Du-oohhh!!
So I guess I get my just rewards. LOL-LOL-LOL. But as some stated way up this thread, an extra thousand is a different story.
I won’t even mention this to the buyer and will ship it tomorrow morning for free. My loss for not paying attention for the last few days while I was reading and posting so much of the SL posts on this thread and all the replies.
Fate just jumped up and said, “Got ‘cha”. You can check my solds and see it right there at the top. Oh and by the way, I uploaded it and went to get take out pizza around the corner. By the time I got back, may 20 minutes it was sold. Talk about a buyer catching a quick mistake. I know people troll Ebay for just this sort of thing, as we all know.
So out it goes and boy did the buyer get a nice Christmas gift.
With a smile on my face or should I say “egg” and no stress in my heart, I remain a loyal Jay and Ryanne fan and very respectful of what they have done through the years and for all the advice I have gotten.
I guess I need to hit the tip jar also as part of my penance while my wife is going back through our listings over the last few days to make sure I didn’t do this on a few earlier listings over the past few days.
Mike at MDC Galleries in Atlanta
