running online art gallery but using nick name instead of the real one.

[popo00]

running online art gallery but using nick name instead of the real one.

let say my product is art ( 50-300 GBP) where to have a nice name will help to sell.

what you think is that legal to sign emails to costumers with a nick name? and give nick name on the website "about us" etc?

thanks,
nora

 

[Lorro2]

Banksie is a good example of a nickname and numerous pop and movies stars have changed their names because their original ones are the same as other peoples or they sound too bland.

 

[14A]

Yes but didnt they change their names legally? Such as James Caan, Elton John.

 

[Scalloway]

You could use the nickname as a trading name as long as there is no intent to defraud.

 

[arcon5]

Not sure why you would want to do that.

If its the artist then thats a little more understandble. Banksy as mentioned above is a good example. But when you spending £500+ for a piece of art then its probably the name of the artist that will sell the piece.

But having a alias for the customer support/business owner is pretty silly to be honest. Why wouldn't you just be honest with who you as the business owner is? Maybe i'm missing something.

Also its a legal requirement to list your business info on your website.. surely it can't be legal to display false details?

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Using a nickname is fine - it can build an identity.

But, as mentioned, you have to have proper contact/business details on you site to comply with regulations.

 

[InPrintImaging]

Not sure about a nickname, but I do know that if you are selling on line (taking money) you have by law to have a physical address where people can make enquiries. Not sure if that can be just a company address though. It can't however be a PO Box address.

 

[markcolley]

Why does art sell for millions. Is it the art itself or the name?

I would suggest if the art you are selling is genuine, then the seller needs to be authentic also. A nickname devalues the brand and would give me concern as to the quality and authenticity of the art that is being sold. I buy art based on value/name of the artist/credibility and a return on my investment.

My humble opinion...

But I think I'm right!

Bob Stevens AKA Mark Colley (Occasionally Fred Winkle) LOL

 

[Credit-Credit]

A name can help or hinder you, as someone else has suggested 'Banksie' is probably one of the best known in the art world but 'creatives' often change their names in order to be more memorable or make a bigger impact.

 

[popo00]

Using a nickname is fine - it can build an identity.

But, as mentioned, you have to have proper contact/business details on you site to comply with regulations.

but i dont have to put my name on contact details, as there is my company name and a phone number.

e-shop owners dont need to give their's names on website, right?

 

[InPrintImaging]

I think it might be worth pointing out here, that trying to sell art online is notoriously difficult. Selling art is not easy to begin with, before you start with all the web stuff. I know a lot of people who try to sell prints online, who have found that it is pretty much pointless.

Most of the art that sells in galleries (Brick and mortar) sells during the private view (to a list of carefully selected patrons and collectors that each gallery will develope over time). On spec sales after that are often (although not always) pretty low and quite regularly non existent. Assuming that with an online gallery you also lack the "WOW" factor of seing a piece full size on the wall, and also the immediacy of being there at the time (don't forget the internet is a large and distracting place).

Good luck but I suspect this could be a tricky business to get to work.

 

[popo00]

that is not a great news for me

 

[thecyclingartist]

Using a nickname as a brand is fine, but you should disclose your name somewhere. I believe - and I'm sure someone else can confirm this - that under trading standards if you are a sole trader you do need to disclose your name somewhere on the site anyway. I collect art and if I enquired about a piece and got an email signed with a brand I'd find it a bit disingenuous to be honest. I'm buying the artist and his/her unique creativity, not a brand.

I have a friend who operates under a brand name, and signs her emails with it, but she is a limited company and that is the company name. She can take payment made out to that name.

Generally in art it is the artist's name that starts to become the brand. I have noticed that in the USA there is a trend for nicknames and studio names (ie. Angel Light Arts, Horse Farm Studio) but that isn't common here in the UK.

Some general advice as a fellow artist...Just for info, art is very hard to sell online. It can be done, and it's how I started my business! But generally you must start low and on sites with a lot of traffic, like eBay, Etsy, Redbubble, etc, and build your client base first. Keep in mind there is a LOT of competition out there, seriously tons. Every hobby artist tries to sell their work online nowadays. I do sell some paintings online over the £200 mark but it is a hard sell, generally to repeat customers, and often because I have experience/reputation as a gallery represented artist. Most online sales are under the £50 mark and there is a growth in reproductions selling online rather than originals. So start online, have your own site to build, but work on several different angles - online venues, your own website, consignment with galleries, local shows in non-traditional spaces. Make sure that as your prices go up you have a way for customers to come see the work and buy in person. (some of my customers that spend several thousand a year started as eBay buyers picking up £20 specials! but now they want to come to the studio) Given your stated price range I'm assuming you're new to selling your work so no offense meant if that interpretation is wrong.

Tina.

 

[Lee Jones Jnr]

I think that most 'art' sales online are cheaper prints or something like the chinese and south american paintings that have recently flooded eBay.
Art with anything more than a token value is less likely to sell purely online unless it is an edition from a large publisher or a specific piece. I have bought a piece or two from a broker I came across online but initially it was a specific piece that I had been looking for and I got in touch with the artist to confirm its authenticity.
If you are selling your own work I think initially the first thing to do is get your work seen and start to build your client base in 'real life' so that the website can become a way to pique interest in new pieces.

 

[ava_camen]

as much as possible, its better to tell the truth