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Molly writes: Sadly, there's no secret to finding art on Ebay. I tend to search for "Figures/Portraits," as I find them more compelling than, say, landscapes or still life (is it any wonder that the French call them nature morte, or dead nature?). I often search in the "Realist" category for works from 1900-1949 or 1950-1969, as AT readers tend to be fans of mid-century art and design.

The truth is that I scan hundreds of paintings to find one that I feel is well executed. Fortunately, practice has enabled me to scan several hundred works in a few minutes. I tend to think that buying art by a listed artist - one who is listed in the American Artists Bluebook (askart.com), which lists about 42,000 American artists - is a better investment than buying anonymous art. That's if you're looking to invest, of course. Otherwise you can buy whatever speaks to you.

The keyword "Eames" will bring up mid-century art. Depending on what you're interested in, you might try "mod," "Deco," "social realist," "Gothic," and so on.

For photographs, I visit aperture.org, find a photographer's name (Jock Sturges, for example), and search Ebay for his or her work. A search like led me to seller russlevin, who specializes in contemporary photography. Once I decide I like a seller, I check on him or her regularly.

I wish everyone luck in finding art on Ebay; it is every bit as challenging as visiting an enormous flea market, I find it equally rewarding.