ship or collect payment first? - WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists

This topic has 12 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 7 months ago by chaffee.

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August 13, 2019 at 9:53 pm #476870
zook
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Hi all, I have been approached by an interested party to purchase a painting of mine. Yay! I don’t know for sure yet but I’m guessing I will need to ship the painting out of state. So how do I work out payment??? Do I ask them to send a check and when it clears I send the painting or the other way around? I want to protect my interests, but I’m sure they will also want to protect theirs. Help!!! Thanks!

Terri
August 14, 2019 at 9:42 am #867391
budigart
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One way or the other, get payment first. If by check, tell them you’ll send when the check clears. Or they can send a MO or certified check. If you don’t get your money up front, send along a note with the painting that there is no charge since you probably won’t be getting your money, anyway.
August 14, 2019 at 9:55 am #867388
Robin
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Yes, get payment and shipping ahead of time. It’s what every pro does because either we’ve been burned or know someone who was.

You can offer paypal, or you can sign up for an etsy shop, list it for them, and they can pay via credit card if they balk at paypal. It will cost you about 9% all tolled in fees, so work that into your price.

Robin
August 14, 2019 at 11:12 am #867395
DaveCrow
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Payment first like any other vendor. Amazon wants payment first if they question it. Unless you know and trust the buyer very well, get payment first.

"Let the paint be paint" --John Marin
August 14, 2019 at 7:20 pm #867396
members
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Get paid first, make sure the payment clears, then ship. Put this in your Terms so buyers know up front that that’s how it’s done. I know so many artists who’ve “trusted” and then got burned. When I first started selling my art to out of area (even out of country) buyers, I was really afraid doing this would mean I’d not make any sales except local, but every buyer paid, no one balked at it. You can’t order anything online without paying first, so why should art be any different?
August 15, 2019 at 12:01 am #867390
Liz
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My very first painting I sold through the internet I asked the customer to pay half up front and the other half after she received the painting. I waited for months to get the second half of the payment. I now always ask for full payment before I ship.

My Art
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August 15, 2019 at 9:44 pm #867393
zook
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Thanks so much everyone! Your advice is so helpful! And your stories are exactly why I’m nervous about this part of a sale. budigart, I had considered those options too. I will look further into them. RobinZ, I do have an Etsy shop, it’s empty, but yeah that’s a great idea! I also looked into COD. There’s a fee but I’m thinking it could work too. Has anyone used it? Also, I did state the price to the buyer and if interested I would follow with terms, but they haven’t responded in a few days sooo….. Oh well :\ I might be using you advice for the next one

Terri
August 15, 2019 at 10:32 pm #867398
TomMather
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PayPal, Venmo or with credit card through Etsy. Easy peasy. I shipped an item one time before I received payment and got stiffed. Never again.

Tom Mather Art on Etsy
August 16, 2019 at 11:07 am #867389
Robin
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zook never used COD.

Be sure to follow up next week if you don’t hear. I didn’t follow up on inquiries when I was starting out which was a big mistake. I lost 100% of the sales by not following up. Now that I do, my sales on “old” inquiries is about 25%.

On Etsy it’s a bit higher, I think because of the way they configured Search, the price is confusing, and I would rather lose time discussing their project than ask if they know how expensive I am!

Robin
August 16, 2019 at 1:10 pm #867397
Harold Roth
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I used COD for my non-art shop many years ago and discontinued it because people would stiff me about half the time. They would not answer the door or respond to a notice, and then I would be out the shipping there and back. I think there would be a lot more buyer’s remorse with something expensive like a painting, and the shipping would be a much bigger chomp. Plus pretty much nobody does COD anymore.

https://www.haroldroth.com/
https://www.instagram.com/haroldrothart
https://www.facebook.com/haroldrothartist
August 16, 2019 at 5:59 pm #867392
virgil carter
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1. Money and shipping expense in hand;

2. Ship painting.

Always in that order.

Sling paint,
Virgil

Sling paint,
Virgil Carter
http://www.virgilcarterfineart.com/
August 17, 2019 at 5:40 pm #867394
falcon012
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Get paid first including shipping fee and then ship artwork. If getting paid by check is cumbersome I recommend an ecommerce provider like Paypal. It is super flexible and protects both buyer and seller.

Website: Mark Karvon Art Studios
Blog: Mark Karvon Studios
Facebook: Mark Karvon Studios
August 23, 2019 at 7:36 pm #867399
SurrealityArt
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Get paid first including shipping fee and then ship artwork. If getting paid by check is cumbersome I recommend an ecommerce provider like Paypal. It is super flexible and protects both buyer and seller.

Falcon012 is 100% right! Receive payment first, then ship. Also, I have used PayPal for years and it is the safest way to electronically transfer money with very minimal fees.

My opinion TBH: There is no way I am sending an expensive painting to anyone (including mailing insurance fees) without payment first. Just think of it this way: when you receive the payment for the painting, you will then have the money to ship the painting to its buyer. Right? So no out of the pocket expenses for you.

As a commissioned fine artist, my customers pay a deposit (usually paid in full) before I even start working on a painting. So great question. Its a tough learning curve when you loose a $2,000+ paycheck for being too trusting…and we’ve all done it.

~T.J.
PS. How exciting for you to have sold your artwork! Congratz May there be many more!
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