eBay sellers in conversation: Wolfgang Kolb
Wolfgang Kolb is one of the top-selling dealers in the field of art, antiques, and collectibles. Since 2000, he has run his eBay shop Kurprinz / Kolb Antik Ulm and is thus a true online retailer from the very beginning. However, Wolfgang Kolb has been active in the antiques business since 1984. Until 2019, he ran a bricks-and-mortar shop for art and antiques in the Fischerviertel district of Ulm. Since 2014, his company has grown rapidly: today, 40 employees and 7 photo studios belong to the company in the industrial area of Neu-Ulm. Several hundred thousand items are for sale. The company sells up to 12,000 items a month, and 600 to 700 treasures are newly listed in the eBay shop every day - the starting price for each item is 9.99 euros.
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Isabell: Hello dear listeners, and welcome to our new podcast episode for our sellers and, of course, for anyone who wants to become one. My esteemed podcast colleagues David and Tino are with me again today, and we've brought you a very exciting guest from the world of collecting and rare items.
David: Exactly. Maybe some of you remember our podcast episode number 16 with Philipp Uhland, who went from student to eBay reseller expert. And a lot of time has passed since then, so we’re all the more pleased to be able to introduce another exciting seller in our “In Conversation with...” series today. And that is Wolfgang Kolb.
Tino: Wolfgang has been part of our marketplace since 2000 with his eBay shop Kolb Antik Ulm, or better known as KurPrinz, and is therefore a true online retailer from the very beginning. Hello Wolfgang.
Wolfgang: Hello everyone, and thank you very much for the invitation.
David: I have to jump in right away. I understand Kolb Antik Ulm, but what’s the story behind the name KurPrinz?
Wolfgang: That was pure coincidence. Back then, in 2000, when a buddy helped me register on eBay for the first time, at some point he said: Okay, now we have to enter a name, what do you want to be called on eBay? And since I had no idea, I took a book from the shelf, it was the Duden, opened a page, pointed randomly with my finger. And there it said KurPrinz.
David: That’s how easy it can be.
Isabell: And how did you end up becoming an art and antiques dealer?
Tino: Art has always interested me. At first it was music. I dealt intensively with early music as part of a piano degree at the conservatory in Augsburg. Then my interest deepened and expanded more and more into fine art, the Middle Ages, the modern era, and that’s still the case today. Becoming an entrepreneur in that field simply emerged from that.
David: You’ve been selling art and antiques on eBay since 2000, since the year 2000. For context: of course you started dealing in art and antiques much earlier, namely in 1984. For context, that’s the year I was born. So how did you go from local brick-and-mortar trade to eBay?
Wolfgang: I was actually fully occupied with the shop in Ulm for art and antiques, and then in the evenings I would look at this relatively new online business via eBay with that same buddy, just for fun, and then I listed a few items. It worked well right from the start. For the first few years I sold almost exclusively via ebay.com. Back then, most of it went to the USA. Starting around 2003, it went through eBay.de. Over time, it became a sort of second pillar.
Isabell: Does the local shop still exist?
Wolfgang: I closed it in 2019. In the years before that, it was really only there for nostalgic reasons anyway. For selling, we hadn’t really needed it for more than ten years.
David: And how did the big breakthrough for you and your businesses on eBay come about?
Wolfgang: For me, it was more of a development that came out of fascination. Over the years, the number of regular customers and watchers steadily increased. In total, we have moved several hundred thousand unique items and connected globally. Other market participants and dealers noticed that too. And little by little, more and more people asked whether we could auction for them as well. The attention our shop received meant that now all auctions start at 9.99.
Tino: Wolfgang, I need to follow up on that right away. Selling all items as auctions with a starting price of €9.99 sounds almost unbelievable in the antiques and art category. Can you tell us more about the idea behind it and how it has been received by your consignors, customers, and competitors?
Wolfgang: Well, the thing is that by now more than 29,000 followers follow our KurPrinz account and look over every single item in the shop, evaluate it, which means: we can leave price discovery to the market, to those thousands of collectors, dealers, museums, experts all over the world. Concentrated global know-how that constantly scans our entire range. The fact that the final price is not fixed but open motivates bidders and often leads to high results. Another crucial factor is the logistics we offer. Buyers can collect items, save on shipping costs, and it’s worth bidding on several, on many items. That in turn generates more bids. It raises the final prices and also strengthens loyalty to our account. And from a certain point on, a sort of self-reinforcing upward spiral develops. The more items are sold, the more followers come along, the higher the prices achieved. And the market sees that, and even more consignments come in. At the same time, of course, there are gains in efficiency in logistics, accounting, and the entire process. As for the competition, it keeps the business lively. The market is definitely big enough for everyone, and eBay as a marketplace, and all of us as market participants, thrive on variety. We are a large provider, but we don’t want to be the only one.
Tino: Wolfgang, you just mentioned that customers also buy multiple items from you. With the sheer number of auctions, it can be today one item, tomorrow another. Do they contact you directly and ask about it? Is it shipped together as combined shipping, or is that automated?
Wolfgang: Yes, some do ask while the auctions are still running. We also write it directly into every item description in our terms and conditions that items can be collected and that it becomes cheaper. Our three to three-and-a-half thousand ongoing auctions naturally also encourage people to browse around and buy more. We have large international customers for whom it really makes sense when they buy a lot, because then it always gets cheaper.
Isabell: Wolfgang, you just said you have over 29,000 followers. I think this is also a good place to congratulate you. That’s really an incredibly high number. I also find it especially nice that auctions still work so well for you, since the trend on our marketplace is generally more toward fixed-price offers. One question I still had for you was how the items actually get to you.
Wolfgang: Anyone can come to us directly, call, email, whatever. We auction on behalf of art and antiques dealers, estate administrators and major collectors, holdings from museums, but just as much from private individuals who have an estate to settle or want to dissolve a collection at some point. Every item then goes through the same stages. First it is examined and appraised by our experts. Then it goes to the photographers, after that to the art historians for the description, and finally it is packed and shipped. Our central principle is objectivity. The items are presented exactly as they are. Used, antique, with patina, flaws, signs of age, and history. That is absolutely necessary, because only then is a realistic assessment even possible for collectors, and there is no embellishment. We don’t sing our goods’ praises, we don’t tie a golden ribbon around them either. The very best motivation for a high bid is always the quality, beauty, and rarity that you discover yourself. And where you are treated fairly, you come back again.
Isabell: Do you also buy items on eBay that you then resell?
Wolfgang: We don’t do that. But we leave that to some of our consignors, who scour the market a bit and then sometimes bring things back to us, because sometimes we might get more for them.
David: And it should be said again: you list about 6 to 700 items per day. Is that right?
Wolfgang: Yes, that’s exactly right.
David: That makes me wonder: how many people are behind this, and what kind of machine is behind it so they can manage to list so many items per day? And then the next question: do you only sell nationally in Germany, or do you also go international?
Wolfgang: We’re now 40 employees; that’s grown over the years. And very important of course: everyone is somehow passionate about this and has to enjoy it too. So for example our logistics team, our packing team, they’re basically artists; they also pack the most fragile, delicate objects, which, to answer your next question, we sometimes send halfway around the world to Japan and Taiwan, and they have to arrive safely. We have about ten experts, art historians, accounting, but every employee also has several roles that they fill as needed.
Isabell: Wolfgang, you’ve been with our marketplace since the very beginning. I’d be interested to know what you think about eBay and maybe also why our marketplace makes so much sense for your company.
Wolfgang: In my view, eBay is very colorful and, even after more than 25 years, still dynamic and open to change. Some processes can take quite a long time because many employees have something to say about them, but we’re happy to accept that. On eBay, all the interesting buyers and sellers come together. There’s a lot of room for individuality. It’s simply the world’s most important marketplace for collectors. In fact, we’re currently seeing many new customers come to eBay through the topic of sustainability. And with art and antiques, we’re right at the forefront. What could be more sustainable than furniture that is passed down through generations?
Tino: And Wolfgang, why do your customers and collectors in general like buying on eBay so much?
Wolfgang: The range on eBay is constantly updating and offers an unbelievably broad spectrum of all collecting areas. And especially in the field of art and antiques, where customers also need certainty, eBay offers a secure platform with a return policy and buyer protection. Illegal items are prevented from being listed in the first place. And through the rating system, buyers have pretty good ways to assess sellers. And there is competent customer service that can be reached at any time.
Tino: And Wolfgang, you’ve been active on our marketplace for 22 years now. What would you still like to see from us?
Wolfgang: eBay could do even more to reach those who don’t yet use it as a matter of course, for example to trade antiques. I think for a significant part of the market, the “barrier to entry” on eBay is still too high at the moment.
David: So that means you can’t just easily create an account and sell, but for those who maybe don’t have a strong grasp of technology, it isn’t that easy to do?
Wolfgang: Exactly. You have to be able to do it, and you have to want to do it. You have to be somehow inclined toward it. On the other hand, almost everyone has some kind of collectible or antique at home, or an old grandma whose apartment is full, and where does all that stuff go? Ideally to eBay. It’s the best marketplace for that, and some people maybe just need a bit more support.
David: I find it very interesting that you say that, because in itself that would be your potential customer base, who then comes to you and says please sell my things, and you say in principle it would also be nice if they did it themselves.
Wolfgang: Yes, the whole thing is a cycle anyway. We’re all in the same boat. The things sold today to collectors come back onto the market in 20, 30, 40 years. They don’t disappear. And we all live from eBay, every seller, and us too, supporting this cycle.
David: Wolfgang, one more question that has been on my mind the whole time. When I think about it, you started dealing in antiques and art in 1984. Since 2000, for 22 years now, you’ve been on eBay selling and offering your items. Is there an item that brought in revenue you never would have expected when you listed it?
Wolfgang: Yes. For example, three old fishing hooks from an estate, small pieces made of brass and wood. At first glance completely inconspicuous, but somehow well made and interesting. The auction achieved a final price of €2,800. The buyer then traveled all the way from northern Germany in person to pick it up, and I asked him: “Good man, please tell me, what is so special about these fishing hooks?” He then said that, to his knowledge, there are only three collectors in Germany who can identify them as the work of one of the best fishing-hook makers from the 19th century. That showed that even for the most obscure collecting area, we reach collectors on eBay.
David: That naturally raises the question for me: who were the other bidders that pushed the price so high?
Wolfgang: Yes, there’s a funny story to that as well. The collector then said, I assume the other two were the underbidders, and then gave us the accounts, and when he had left, we looked it up. And indeed, it was these three who drove the price; otherwise no one was really interested in it.
Isabell: Wow! I honestly have never heard of someone spending that much money on fishing hooks. Wolfgang, you just said eBay is colorful. Thank you for showing us yet another facet of it today. Thank you for the exciting insights into your business and into the whole field of collecting and antiques. I think it’s fascinating that antiques are now somehow very much of the moment, even if that almost sounds contradictory. As you know, at the end of every podcast episode there’s one final question we always ask our guests. And that is: what was the last thing you bought on eBay?
Wolfgang: The last thing I found was an exact original box for a rare Rolex wristwatch from a seller in Rome, and it was nice to be able to put that back together.
Tino: Very nice, and from that perspective I actually really like being able to reunite things, because I recently bought an empty box for a Star Wars toy and my partner looked at me as if I were from another planet. But that means I’ve found a kindred spirit here right away. Very nice.
Isabell: What do you think? Like the look on the face of the fishing-hook buyer’s partner?
Tino: That’s a good question. Speaking of questions, I have one for you now too, since you’re also a seller with us. Which item or object has stayed in your mind from the last thing you sold on eBay?
Wolfgang: An old Leica camera, also from an estate? Actually a model we’ve had quite a few times. We expected proceeds between €1,000 and €1,200. It then brought €6,800. A bidder from Taiwan was happy, and we were happy too.
David: And that’s what I think is so nice about auctions, because everyone is only ever bidding what it’s worth to them. And I mean, you simply start everything at 9.99 euros. And what comes out in the end is what comes out. If it’s worth 6,000 euros to someone instead of the expected 1,000 or 1,200, then the bidder is still happy. And you are too, of course, and I think that’s very, very nice. Yes, that brings us to the end of this podcast episode again, and it’s time for my closing words. We’re always very happy to hear your feedback on our podcast. Feel free to write to us in the community about what you found most inspiring about Wolfgang’s story. Maybe you’ve even listed antique items or an estate on eBay before. What experiences have you had there? Or maybe you’re only now starting to think that you could do it yourself too. Then feel free to leave us a comment as well. Of course, we’re also always very happy if you leave us a subscription or a like wherever you’re listening to us, if possible. Otherwise, I’d like to say: Dear Wolfgang, thank you very much for this great conversation. I’m going to take another look in your shop right now, because a few days ago while preparing this episode I already bid on two pocket watches from you, and I think I may need to check again what else is on offer. At this point, I definitely want to say: many thanks again to everyone, Isabell, Tino and of course Wolfgang, and until next time.
Tino: A very warm thank you from me too, Wolfgang, for being here. To all listeners: the account is called KurPrinz, so feel free to browse around a bit more there too.
Isabell: We can also say thank you again, until next time.
Wolfgang: Thank you from me as well.
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3 comments
rosen2455
·2 years agoShipping costs go into the stratosphere! Ebay has an upper limit for shipping costs, but apparently that doesn’t apply to you!
Unfortunately, there are too many dim-witted Ebayers who just put up with this scam!
My first and last experience with "Kurprinz": bought a porcelain doll, shipping costs as always ridiculously overpriced! In fact, not even half was paid for the shipping. Packaging costs? With this homemade and extremely poor packaging, that’s not justified! The parcel was torn open and squashed, and the doll was damaged as a result!
artvitagraphics
·3 years agoVery good interview. I also think that the "Auction" option in the Antiquities & Art section should be supported more by Ebay, partly because of the fun factor and the sense of achievement for the buyer, and also because bidders can decide for themselves how high the amount is that they are willing to pay for a rare object. Wishing you continued success.
mssportsandtoys
·3 years agoCrazy podcast, very cool topic