Art consignment: 13 important tips (and the right questions to ask) Attend a few sales. Before you enter a consignment agreement, document. Know the season you're selling in, and sell what's in demand. Choose an auction house: ask key questions. Follow drop-off rules. Ask about reserve prices.
Consigned inventory refers to goods sent by their owner (consignor) to another party (consignee), who holds the goods and sells them on behalf of the owner. The unique aspect of this arrangement is that the consignor retains ownership of the inventory until the goods are sold.
Art galleries are classic examples of consignment businesses. Artists (consignors) entrust their artwork to galleries (consignees). The galleries display the artwork, handle marketing and sales, and take a commission from each sale. The artist retains ownership of their work until it's sold.
Meaning of consigned in English to send something to someone: be consigned to The goods have been consigned to you by air. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Delivering and despatching.
Consignment Agreement. Consignment is a more accurate term than 'sale or return', because it makes dear to both sides that the artist does not intend to sell the works to the gallery at any stage, but merely intends to leave them for sale by the gallery as artist's agent or consignee on a commission basis.
To consign is to 'deliver something to someone'. In terms of art, it's when the owner of the artwork - the consigner - consigns (gives) their artwork to a gallery or auction house via a specialist, with the intention of putting the work up for sale.
What is artwork consignment, exactly? Put simply, it's the professional method for reselling art that involves a collector giving their work to resale art dealers or auction houses to sell on their behalf, with the ultimate objective of making a sale.
With consignment inventory, the manufacturer, wholesaler or supplier retains ownership of the goods until the retailer sells them to customers. The retailer then pays the supplier for the goods it sells and returns any items that go unsold.