It’s not surprising that the owners of some rare, “never before seen” photographs of the Beatles and Rolling Stones chose to sell them on eBay, but their selling strategy is unusual. Instead of listing them in auction format, the owners will make available limited-edition prints at fixed prices.
The U.S. tour manager for both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones took the photographs during the period of 1964-1966, and after sitting for nearly 50 years in a private collection, 30 of the photographs from the “Bob Bonis Archive” will go on sale exclusively on eBay.
Kurt Benjamin explained on his LinkedIn profile that the Bob Bonis Archive is launching a unique global marketing and exhibition strategy with the intent of breaking the mold of current methods used in the sales of Limited Edition, rare and highly collectable photography.
eBay spokesperson Karen Bard Sayah explained more about the approach that Benjamin coined, “Art Accessibility.”
“The commitment encompasses two primary principles,” Sayah told EcommerceBytes – “first keeping editions extremely limited, the second to keeping edition pricing low, in fact well below market pricing allowing many more to have an opportunity own one of their rare and historic Limited Edition photo art pieces.”
She said Benjamin and eBay also aligned on making philanthropy a priority starting with the upcoming February 2 sales event where 10 percent of the proceeds will go the Grammy Foundation and GRAMMY Museum.
According to an in-depth article in the LA Times, “The photos will be offered as limited-edition numbered chromogenic prints that each will carry a certificate of authenticity from the Grammy Museum. They are being created in unframed editions of 250 for 11-by-14-inch prints priced starting at $175, plus 50 16-by-20-inch prints starting at $385 and 50 more 20-by-24 inch prints to be sold starting at $625.”
The prints will be available for sale on eBay in the Bob Bonis Archive eBay Store.
Read more about what eBay had to say about its marketplace as a venue for art and collectibles (“we’re not in the business of selling soap”) on the EcommerceBytes Blog and let us know what you think of using fixed-price versus auction format for rare items:
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