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The Found Art of My eBay Folder

Old auction photos as art exhibit

David Friedman

• 7 min read
The Found Art of My eBay Folder

What do you mean you haven’t played Gisnep yet? Go play it!

Welcome to “Auction Folder,” a temporary pop-up museum of found art that exists only in this one edition of this newsletter.

Ever since Marcel Duchamp placed a urinal on a pedestal and called it art, the question of whether something can be art that was not created as such has intrigued critics and gallery-goers worldwide. Today’s exhibit showcases a selection of photographs that were taken specifically for eBay auctions — and the occasional Craigslist listing. Individually, these ephemeral images may not have aspired to the realm of art, but when viewed collectively, they transcend their origins, forming a cohesive narrative that elevates them into the artistic sphere.

Artist’s Statement

I’ve gotten rid of a lot of stuff via Craigslist or eBay over the years. When I list something on Craigslist, I usually take a quick snapshot just so people know what it looks like. But when I list something on eBay, it demands a more thoughtful approach to presentation: a nicer photo.

Maybe it’s because I used to actually work professionally as a photographer for an auction house, but it’s permanently ingrained in me to take a good clean photo for auction listings.

If you were a reader a couple years ago when I found eight of my old Ninja Turtle action figures still in their packaging and sold them on eBay for $1,898, you might remember that I wrote “I photographed [them] from every angle I imagined a potential buyer might want to see.” That’s my old auction house experience at work (and also I suppose a pretty obvious thing to do).

Detail from “Donatello-2.jpg”
Detail from “Donatello-2.jpg”

eBay used to charge extra for having more than one photo on a listing, but they also let you use html in your description. So for a long time, whenever I sold something on eBay, I just put my photos in a folder on my own server and used html to embed them in my auction listing, a loophole to avoid paying eBay per image.

Over many years, that folder accumulated a lot of files and turned into a body of work. Some were individual images. Many were photo montages intended to reduce the amount of embedding I had to do. Individually, they may be just pictures. But seen together, these images transcend their individual purposes and coalesce into an unintended art project—a reflection on material culture, memory, and the fleeting nature of ownership.

Eventually, as eBay allowed multiple photos for free, this folder ceased to grow, its purpose fulfilled. But in its completion, it remains a metaphor for the impermanence of life itself—an unintended art project that, like all things, reached its inevitable conclusion.

The Exhibit: A Selection of Images From Auction Folder

Originally purchased at a yard sale in Rhode Island on a road trip
Originally purchased at a yard sale in Rhode Island on a road trip
I seem to recall there was a hack that let you save raw files with this thing
I seem to recall there was a hack that let you save raw files with this thing
The cat photobombed my shoot. I wrote “Cat not included” in the listing.
The cat photobombed my shoot. I wrote “Cat not included” in the listing.
I thought the cat in the photos would draw even more people to the auction, but I don’t think it made a difference in the end
I thought the cat in the photos would draw even more people to the auction, but I don’t think it made a difference in the end
I got this when I worked on the auction at Christie’s. It was a nice catalog, but it was big and heavy and I never looked at it, which is probably why I got rid of it. I think I ended up getting around 60 bucks for it.
I got this when I worked on the auction at Christie’s. It was a nice catalog, but it was big and heavy and I never looked at it, which is probably why I got rid of it. I think I ended up getting around 60 bucks for it.
This was a much bigger auction catalog than was typical
This was a much bigger auction catalog than was typical
I got this for free at an event in Union Square where Sirius was promoting the fact that that they just hired Howard Stern by giving away free Sirius stereos. Hearing Howard Stern announce the giveaway and then just walking two blocks from my apartment on a whim to see him in person giving these things away was one of those surreal only-in-New-York events.
I got this for free at an event in Union Square where Sirius was promoting the fact that that they just hired Howard Stern by giving away free Sirius stereos. Hearing Howard Stern announce the giveaway and then just walking two blocks from my apartment on a whim to see him in person giving these things away was one of those surreal only-in-New-York events.
I had all the games, too. That photo is not part of this exhibit.
I had all the games, too. That photo is not part of this exhibit.
I still find this stuff hard to look at all these years later. I still have the New York Times from 9/12. I’m not sure why I got rid of these but kept that.
I still find this stuff hard to look at all these years later. I still have the New York Times from 9/12. I’m not sure why I got rid of these but kept that.
It was a cookie jar in the shape of the house from Beetlejuice. I should have kept it. It’s maybe my only regret from this exhibit. But what is art without a little bit of pain?
It was a cookie jar in the shape of the house from Beetlejuice. I should have kept it. It’s maybe my only regret from this exhibit. But what is art without a little bit of pain?
I got the Dreamcast keyboard so I could play Typing Of The Dead
I got the Dreamcast keyboard so I could play Typing Of The Dead
I can hear the sound effects when I look at this
I can hear the sound effects when I look at this
I got this specifically for a project that I never actually got around to doing, and finally admitted that to myself by getting rid of the projector. It is the physical manifestation of unrealized aspirations. I should have mentioned that in the listing.
I got this specifically for a project that I never actually got around to doing, and finally admitted that to myself by getting rid of the projector. It is the physical manifestation of unrealized aspirations. I should have mentioned that in the listing.
I’ve never been able to find much historical information about Solomon The Man Monkey. This poster and another showing him being arrested for drunken disorderly conduct are all I’ve ever found. Anybody know anything about him?
I’ve never been able to find much historical information about Solomon The Man Monkey. This poster and another showing him being arrested for drunken disorderly conduct are all I’ve ever found. Anybody know anything about him?
This one’s more of a snapshot than a proper setup, but it was in the folder so it’s part of the art exhibit, showing an evolution of the artist’s work over time, natch.
This one’s more of a snapshot than a proper setup, but it was in the folder so it’s part of the art exhibit, showing an evolution of the artist’s work over time, natch.
This ridiculous kids’ book about Q*bert did not sell. I still have it.
This ridiculous kids’ book about Q*bert did not sell. I still have it.
But this Q*bert game did
But this Q*bert game did
See, kids, there was a time when filters were actual filters. #nofilter
See, kids, there was a time when filters were actual filters. #nofilter
If you know, you know.
If you know, you know.
Okay, if you don’t know: These were 3D LCD games, kinda like a cross between ViewMaster and Game & Watch. They made seven different games. I think the ones I had were a racing game and some kind of space battle.
Okay, if you don’t know: These were 3D LCD games, kinda like a cross between ViewMaster and Game & Watch. They made seven different games. I think the ones I had were a racing game and some kind of space battle.
A scan counts as a photo, right? This was the program from an event recreating the concert from the movie A Mighty Wind, featuring all the stars of the movie. It was a lot of fun. I ended up getting $1 for it on eBay.
A scan counts as a photo, right? This was the program from an event recreating the concert from the movie A Mighty Wind, featuring all the stars of the movie. It was a lot of fun. I ended up getting $1 for it on eBay.
The actual equipment used for the Game Boy Color Photography Project
The actual equipment used for the Game Boy Color Photography Project
Detail photo from a rug listing. Not a slippers listing.
Detail photo from a rug listing. Not a slippers listing.

Thank you for visiting today’s exhibit. Please exit through the gift shop.

Wow, I sure got rid of a lot of old video games. At some point in the very early 2000s, I went through a phase buying all the old video games I wanted but never got to have as a kid. Then when I moved in with my now-wife and we had to consolidate all our stuff into a small New York City apartment, a lot of that had to go.

At some point I bought and eventually sold a PXL-2000, which was a toy video camera that used regular audiotapes to store the footage. It was a rare item in that I actually got more when I sold it than I spent to buy it. I’m surprised I don’t still have the photos from that listing. Weird. I wonder what else I’m missing.

Nowadays, most of what I get rid of just goes up on our local neighborhood ListServ. I take a snapshot with my phone and post it. Those photos surely still exist somewhere in my Camera Roll, but it would take a lot of work to go through and find them all. Maybe some day an AI curator will sort through it and put together a new exhibit.

Anyway, that’s it for another newsletter. Thanks as always for reading! And if you know anyone who likes online daily games, share Gisnep with them!

See you next time.

David