It's all about marketing. You can make the best quilts in the world, and they won't sell unless they are marketed right. You have to make the buyer realize that there is a vast difference between mass-produced JCPenney "handmade" quilts and what you are creating. You need the snob factor.
I did best when we lived in a tourist area and I sold quilts that were representative of the area (Up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, I sold mostly lodge-look quilts). Tourists are LOOKING for opportunities to spend money. I sold at local art shows - the outdoor ones where you have juried vendors. I got a couple awards, and I hung those ribbons up in my display area and mention them on my website also. Snob factor. People won't pay a lot of money for something they can buy at Walmart - you have to show them that you are SPECIAL. :mrgreen:
I sell on ebay, and I really regard that as advertising. People who buy a tablerunner or baby quilt from me for $50 on ebay are going to like it and feel good about their purchase. Hopefully, they come to me when they want something bigger. It seems to work for me, anyhow. Ebay is getting pretty expensive, though, and I am going to work more aggressively with etsy.
Speaking of etsy, they have a lot of very pricey art quilts, but if you look at the sellers' history, they haven't actually SOLD any $4000 quilts. They are just pricing them there. It does get people to look at their shop and maybe buy the smaller things, though. It's all about marketing.
If you want to sell online, you need plenty of good photographs and descriptive text.