Last summer I published an article titled "The Care and Handling of eBay
for Museums" in AASLH's History News.  It covers several ways in which
online auction sites are uses by museum professionals.  Deaccessioning is
covered in this article; however, I could find few institutions that had
used eBay for this purpose (or that would own up to it, anyway).  I noted
that the Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University did
so.  You may want to contact them.

If you haven't done so already, you should get a copy of AAM's policy on
deaccessioning using online services like eBay.  This is available through
the members' only section of the their web site (www.aam-us.org).  The
policy was completed and published last March. They don't take a firm
stand on the practice but offer sugestions for those organizations that
choose this route.  Perhaps most importantly they remind us of our
obligation to follow established policies and best practices and to get
the most money possible for deaccessioned items. This second requirement
may not make eBay the best solution, depending on the type of item you
want to sell.

In the article, I provide the following summary and suggestions for those
organizations that choose this route.  "EBay appears to be a valid, though
rarely used tool for the sale of deaccessioned items.  The best advice is
to 1) carefully consider all the options available for the disposal of
artifacts, 2) develop a communication strategy that explains why it is
approprate for the museum to eliminate items using an online auction, 3)
select only the items best suited for sale online, and 4) understand fees
and shipping costs and how they might effect the auction results."

Good luck!

Matt Mayberry
Director
Colorado Springs Museum
[log in to unmask]
719-385-5636

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).