I made 4 sales thanks to Artmajeur, one in France which was paid to me by check and which went very well, one in Portugal, paid in 3 installments partly by bank transfer and partly by paypal (cost exorbitant bank transfer from where paypal) and this from my first year of registration on the site in 2007
Then a long period without activity on my part, and at the end of 2017 two very good sales which allowed me to rediscover Artmajeur and especially the considerable improvements of the site compared to its beginnings.
These sales were made with a public institution in Guadeloupe and the transaction was made by bank transfer and payment upon receipt of the package, with an order form prior to shipment and the transaction went very well
I appreciated being able to work directly with the institution that used their freight forwarder for the transport, which gave me the opportunity to have an exporter EORI number … administratively this was a bonus .
I did not have the opportunity to use the invoicing system, I do not think it existed during my first sales and the last ones made for a public institution did not fall within these criteria
On average I spend a few hours (4-5) per week for my profile to feed my gallery, update my prices (rising quotation) and improve the images posted previously. The system for posting works is simple and practical, which is really nice because I waste less time, having several sites to manage. I have already recommended Artmajeur to my artist friends looking for sales opportunities.
It turns out that I have sold quite well internationally for the past two years and through my sales sites, so this is a medium that is very important for me to develop. I have works sent to England, Portugal, Germany, Sweden, Australia and the USA… I have also developed a skill in packaging and to date I have never had the slightest problem with international shipping. … so I am delighted to be able to access this vast market in this way
I understand that this is a concern because it is difficult to face the unknown who claims to want to buy one of our works without visual contact and without certainties. Personally I had to deal with a few scammers who tried to steal from me but I therefore developed a strategy which seems to me to be quite safe, it is to request payment for the work by Paypal and I check that the email of receipt of the amount sent by this one is authentic by going to check my account. If the sum is there, I immediately transfer it to my account and send the work ordered. If nothing is there, it's a scam. Paypal is a secure solution that allows you to engage in the transaction with serenity and I had serious customers who created their account only to satisfy my request. The proposals received with payment by cashier's check, I start by having my bank verify if it is authentic… so far none have been!
Of course Paypal charges for its services but the peace of mind deserves this small sacrifice
I think it is pleasant for the customer and for me to have a direct exchange. This allows me to keep him informed of the shipment, to communicate on the quality of the work compared to the photo, to reassure him by explaining to him that the photo is never as beautiful as the work, on the quality of the parcel, the tracking number and also, upon receipt of his satisfaction regarding his acquisition. I am very attached to these exchanges and I practice it in English with relative ease now.
My main advice would be to be very careful, we need recognition and the purchase of our works is one that matters a lot. Scammers know this well and use persuasion and flattery. I would say that the more the message is flattering and flirtatious, the more distrust must be in order and do as much verification as possible:
Address given by the buyer that can be checked on google earth and see if it corresponds to a home or if it has nothing to do with the information provided
Check your paypal account before sending
Check the validity and authenticity of a bank check with its banking establishment (even if the check appears in the bank, it can be invalidated for 30 days after collection, therefore imposing a delivery time in relation)
Also check the authenticity of the email address, there are ways on the web to find out if it's a real address...
Be very careful and fully rejoice in a great sale made on the internet!
Nicolas Sarazin