Zibbet (www.zibbet.com) looks promising. I very much look forward to October, 2008, when they are due to launch.

What is zibbet? Another Australian start-up, but, unlike RedBubble (…which, in my opinion, is one of the very best public artist communities on the Net that couples social networking with art and merchandise sales) zibbet will focus on PROMOTING AND SELLING ART…or so they say.

According to Jonathon Peacock, CEO of Zibbet Pty Ltd, categories will include:

1. Paintings
2. Photography
3. Drawings
4. Mixed Media
5. Digital Art
6. Prints
7. Jewelry
8. Ceramics and Pottery
9. Glass Art
10. Sculptures
11. Other Handmade Items

Features and Benefits will include:

• Member accounts/shops will be FREE.
• Member shop appearance will be fully customizable, with the ability to include a photo, a bio, and even YouTube videos of your choice.
• When a member names their shop, that shop will receive a personalized web address.
• Zibbet will handle all payments on your behalf and will forward you your earning in the first week of every month for the previous months earnings. (Zibbet retains a 20% commission of your asking price.)
• Members will be provided with detailed shop statistics, such as number of visits, number of times each individual item has been viewed, how many people have added a member as a ‘favorite seller’, and how many people have added a member’s item to their ‘wish list’.
• Members will set their own prices, of which zibbet receives their 20% commission.
• Shoppers will have the option to make a private treaty offer for an advertised work which the member can accept, decline, or counter.

Says Jonathon: “We know a thing or 2 about marketing online and offline. Considering our main income is from people SELLING their artwork, driving buyers to the site is our number 1 priority.”

Sounds good to me so far. I guess we’ll see in October.