Did you know, that you do not need a lot of money to collect art? For a little more than what you spend on framing a poster, you could buy a limited-edition print or an original painting direct from the artist.

The most important thing is knowing what pleases your eye. To find out what pleases your eye, you need to see as much art as possible. Spend some time on on sites like http://www.ArtByUs.com or http://www.etsy.com. When you buy a piece that has meaning for you, your experience of it will become richer and deeper over the years.

So here are a few tips to start buying art online:

• Find a gallery or an artist that is eager to share their knowledge with you. If they can not or won’t share their knowledge or inside to the artwork, move on. IT is important that you understand the process and background of an artwork. Some sellers lack the passion and commitment - they are just selling art.
• Look for pictures, size, material, medium, artist background, shipping costs, payment and return policies before you buy art. If it is missing, ask or move on to the next listing.
• Get on gallery and artist mailing lists so you will be invited to openings and special events.
• Avoid imitators and look for works of artists who have an individual vision and whose art is focused on a consistent path that evolves incrementally year after year.
• Collect the works of living artists. Focus on emerging artists in your country that can earn a living doing art — including those who may be starting to do well internationally — not only will the works be more affordable but they are more likely to show the greatest increase in price. You will be assured of buying an authentic piece of work and will have the great satisfaction of supporting a favorite artist.
• Keep a file with press clippings and books on your favorite artist. Your art work will appreciate more in value if your artist is published and gains public recognition.
• Look for a 100% satisfaction guarantee or an acceptable return policy.
• Beware of fakes and reworked pieces. Be wary of unscrupulous dealers who delight in scamming art buyers. If you do not know the artist, search on your favorite search engine for the artists name. If you can not find the artist anywhere else, the artist might not even exist. Some art production companies often invent names that sound familiar.
• Purchase the paintings directly from the artist and build a relationship. Good artists want to build relationships with their buyers.
• The quality proposition is one of the most significant considerations when purchasing an artwork. A bad painting by a good artist will never become a good painting. Do not focus on a cheap price, at the expense of quality.
• If you do not want to spend a lot of money, start your collection by purchasing limited edition prints. Do not invest in art that has more than 300 prints in a limited edition. At that level the piece is considered a mass production and it is unlikely to become more valuable.
• If you see a painting that you like, but the budget does not allow it, ask for a payment plan to fit your budget. A lot of artists and galleries are now offering layaway plans.
• If you are not sure how a particular artwork will look in your home, do not be afraid to inquire about a trial period.
• If you do not have a lot of wall space, look for ACEO on ArtByUs.com. ACEO stands for “Art Cards, Editions and Originals”. These cards have one main rule - they are 3.5 inches by 2.5 inches - the size of a trading card.
• If a painting is very cheap, it is probably not a good investment. Just because a seller writes “hand painted” does not mean that it is worth the canvas. A lot of these “hand painted” paintings are produced in assembly line fashion by low-paid, semiskilled workers who have been trained to simulate other artists works. They are shipped from overseas and some of them are in violation of international copyright laws.
• Do not let a dealer or artist persuade you that because a piece of art is signed and numbered that it is a great investment. You see these “investment offers” on TV, cruise-ship auctions, and in hotels in your area. Do not fall for these offers.
• Never buy an artwork only for the sake of making an investment. Most of the artworks that are sold will never go up in value.
• Finally, it is always a good idea to contact the artist when you move or sell the art. It helps artists to have access to their work for retrospectives or survey shows.
• If you are in California and sell art from your collection, inform yourself about the California Resale Royalty Act. The California Resale Royalty Act (Civil Code section 986) entitles artists to a royalty payment upon the resale of their works of art under certain circumstances. Under this law, it is the seller’s obligation to locate the artist and pay the royalty due.

Peter Tgel has over 20 years of international business experience in product management, marketing, strategic communications, branding, interactive media, design and strategic planning. He served in several senior management positions within technology companies in North America and Germany, including Trados, TimeLink, Titze Datentechnik, TeamShare, ChannelPoint, iTrade, Quark, ArtByUs.com and Sonconcerts. He is a best-selling author and has written a series of books on e-commerce and online marketing.