General Questions:
What is ProudArtists.com and who can use it?
How much does it cost to join?
What are the benefits of posting my Art on ProudArtists?
What are the steps of buying and selling Art?
What is PayPal, Inc.?
What is 'Your PayPal ID' in my account?
What is My Avatar in my account?
What is a shipping cost quote request?
Why is tracking number and shipping carrier information required to send art?
What is my screen name?
How can I change my email address and screen name in my account?
What are the Sale Pending and Sold tags on an art work?
What are specifications in shipment on each art work?
What are return shipping requirements on each art work?
Why can’t I click on the links in my emails?
I have uploaded My Avatar and I cannot see it, or, my art work has been sold and it is still showing up on the home page, or, I have deleted an art work and it is still showing up on the home page?
Can I send in information to be posted on the Bulletin Board?
Buyer Questions:
Can I purchase art if I am not a PayPal member?
I have requested a shipping cost quote, but have decided not to purchase the art?
What if I do not purchase or decline the sale of an art work after a shipping cost quote has been calculated?
What happens after I purchase an art work?
What happens if the seller hasn’t shipped the art within the 7 day period?
Can I monitor the whereabouts of my purchase?
What happens once I receive and accept the art work?
What if I have received and accepted the art, but I did not click the Artwork Received button?
What if the art is damaged or is misrepresented based on the seller’s description, and I would like a refund?
Will I receive a full refund, and when will I receive my refund?
What happens if I can’t get in touch with the seller, the tracking number and carrier information isn’t accurate and the artwork shipped button has been clicked?
Seller Questions:
Can I sell art if I am not a PayPal member?
Why do I have to accurately describe my art?
Why are my pictures not uploading when I add new art in my gallery?
I have given a shipping cost quote to the buyer a while ago, and they never purchased or declined the sale of the art?
What happens once my art is purchased?
What do I do once I have shipped the art work?
What if the buyer doesn’t click the Artwork Received button?
What do I do if the buyer wants a refund?
When will my funds arrive in my PayPal account?
What are PayPal transaction fees, and why are they removed from the funds that are owed to me?
Can anyone access my gallery and/or what is my personal URL?
Why is there a flyer attached to my gallery?
I cannot print the flyer background?
Why isn’t my name showing up in my flyer?
Can I see comments or reviews of my art?
What is an acceptable link that I can input under the 'External Web-site' category in my account?
GENERAL ANSWERS:
What is ProudArtists.com and who can use it?
ProudArtists.com is a FREE online Art community which allows Artists to showcase and sell their original art, and Art enthusiasts to purchase original Art.
How much does it cost to join?
It's free! You can join ProudArtists to buy and sell original works of Art at no charge to you.
What are the benefits of posting my Art on ProudArtists?
First and foremost, ProudArtists is an entirely free venue. We are lucky enough to provide a community where you feel confident in uploading your art, and can enjoy meeting many different Art enthusiasts at the same time. Secondly, once you have uploaded Art, your Art will be rotating, (rotating art means that every time the page is refreshed, new art will be seen), on the pages and sections of the Site that has the highest amount of traffic, such as:
- in its specific categories on the Home page
- in a continually moving gallery on the Home page
- on the Search For Art page
- in the Featured Artwork section of any search results page
- in the Featured Artwork section of a specific category page
Additional Features:
- 'External Website' category in your account where your personal web-site link will become visible next to your screen name in the Directory
- Bulletin Board where we will post any and all of your upcoming shows
- a personal URL where your gallery can be accessible from any browser
- a personal flyer in which you can market your own art and gallery
- the availability to read comments left by other members under your art works and the administrative access to delete these comments
- being part of a community where its members look out for the safety of others around them
What are the steps of buying and selling Art?
This is a quick and dissected tutorial of how to buy and sell Art on ProudArtists. Please thoroughly review all questions in the FAQs so that you completely understand what is required in each step of the purchase process.
Step 1: An Artist/seller uploads original Art to sell.
Step 2: A buyer requests a shipping cost quote for the Art to be shipped to a specific destination.
Step 3: The seller calculates the quote and any additional service coverages and submits the total sale price of the art work.
Step 4: The buyer reviews the total cost and either accepts or denies the totat cost. If the buyer accepts the total cost, he or she purchases the Art via PayPal.
ProudArtists holds these funds in our PayPal business account until the buyer receives their purchase.
Step 5: The seller ships the Art to its destination.
Step 6: If the buyer receives and accepts the Art, the buyer will notify ProudArtists of receipt.
Step 7: Once we receive acknowledgment of receipt from the buyer, we transfer funds to the seller via PayPal.
What is PayPal, Inc.?
PayPal is a global leader in online payment solutions. PayPal provides its users with advanced
fraud prevention systems that creates a safe environment for online payment transactions. In order to
complete a sale on ProudArtists, you will automatically be directed to the PayPal site to have your payment
securely transacted. Once this transaction is complete, you will automatically be directed back to ProudArtists
to continue shopping on our Site.
What is 'Your PayPal ID' in my account?
Your PayPal ID is the ID associated with your PayPal account. It is the email address that you use to log
into your PayPal account. Funds are transferred directly to PayPal accounts, via PayPal IDs, once a sale is
complete. PayPal IDs are required to be added into ProudArtists accounts, so that once a sale is complete,
we can transfer funds in a timely manner.
What is My Avatar in my account?
An avatar is a small picture that you can upload to the Site that will represent you. Your
avatar will be associated with all content posted to the Site by you.
What is a shipping cost quote request?
A shipping cost quote request is where a buyer and seller will communicate so that an accurate shipping
cost can be calculated for an art work. In the shipping cost quote request, a buyer will send to the seller,
their shipping address destination, and their request for a specific carrier and/or specific mailing service,
if applicable. The seller will calculate a shipping cost by using the information that the buyer has sent and
any additional charges, such as, the necessary insurance coverage. After a quote has been
calculated, the seller will input a quote amount on the art work so that the buyer can accept or decline the
new total cost of the art.
The shipping cost quote request is the only section on the Site where a buyer can give their shipping
address to a seller for an art work. If art is purchased, the seller will send the art to that address.
Therefore, the shipping address must be accurate and precise in the shipping cost quote request.
Why is tracking number and shipping carrier information required to send art?
ProudArtists requires that the art be shipped with some form of tracking. A legitimate tracking number and/or
receipt number along with carrier information, will monitor the whereabouts of the shipped art. A form of
tracking is necessary so as to determine the whereabouts of the shipped art, and if the art was shipped and
received by the recipient. By confirming that shipments are received, then funds can be transferred in a timely
manner.
What is my screen name?
Your screen name is a name that is created by you. Your screen name will be associated with all content
posted to the Site by you. Emails and your personal URL will also contain your screen name. If you intend on
selling art, your personal URL can be typed into any browser, and will link others to your gallery.
How can I change my email address and screen name in my account?
Please contact ProudArtists if you would like your email address and screen name changed in your account.
We will change that information for you once we have confirmed that you are the appropriate user of that
account. Also, please be aware that your screen name, if changed, is changed throughout the entire Site.
All information that you have posted or will post to the Site will be associated with the new screen name,
including your personal URL. The URL containing the old screen name will not be accessible.
What are the Sale Pending and Sold tags on an art work?
Sale Pending and Sold tags are flagged on the upper left hand corner of art works where a shipping cost
quote has been requested on the art, or the art has been sold. When these tags are visible, the art can
still be easily enlarged and viewed, however, another user cannot ask for a shipping cost quote and therefore
cannot purchase the art.
What are specifications in shipment on each art work?
A seller may have specifications on how and where they would like their art work to be shipped.
An example of specifications in shipment is as followed: I will only ship the art in the United States,
and I prefer to ship with Fedex. Not all sellers will have specifications in shipment on their art works.
What are return shipping requirements on each art work?
A seller is required to state return shipping requirements on each art work, due to the fact that a
buyer can request a refund if the art received is damaged or is misrepresented based on a seller’s
description. If a refund is requested by a buyer, the return shipping requirements explain how return
shipping will be handled; for example, the seller must state who will pay for return shipping fees, the
seller or the buyer, and/or, if applicable, how the seller will pay the buyer for return shipping fees, e.g.,
PayPal (return shipping fees cannot be transacted through ProudArtists).
If the seller fails to state return shipping requirements on an art work, the seller will automatically be
responsible for all fees that would incur from shipping the returned art.
Why can’t I click on the links in my emails?
In some web-based mail programs there are settings on how to read emails. Some settings are set to
read specific text form emails, and others are not. If the links in your emails from ProudArtists are
not hyperlinked, then we would suggest that you copy and paste the links into your web browser, or easily
type http://www.proudartists.com into your browser, so that you can be directed to the site.
I have uploaded My Avatar and I cannot see it, or, my art work has been sold and it is still showing up on the home page, or, I have deleted an art work and it is still showing up on the home page?
Your browser stores pages, images and URLs from web sites that you have previously visited, in a space on your
computer’s hard drive. This space is called the cache, and it assists in allowing you to quickly view pages from
a site, without the pages having to be downloaded to your computer every time you visit the site. If you see
your pictures on ProudArtists that have been previously deleted or sold, or you don’t see your avatar that you
have uploaded, then you may have to clear your cache folder. There may be different steps to clearing your cache
folder, depending on the browser that you use; for example, to clear your cache in Internet Explorer, go to Tools
in your Menu bar, click Internet Options, in the General Tab click the Delete Files button in Temporary Internet files,
click OK to delete all files in the Temporary Internet files, and then click OK in the General Tab once the files have
been deleted. In some alternative Browsers other than Internet Explorer, Internet Options is also known as Preferences,
and/or you may have to go to Edit in your Menu bar instead of Tools.
Can I send in information to be posted on the Bulletin Board?
Yes, any ProudArtists member that has an upcoming gallery opening or show, can email us the event literature and we will post it on the Bulletin Board. If you are a Premium member we will also post a link to your personal web-site next to the event information.
BUYER ANSWERS:
Can I purchase art if I am not a PayPal member?
Yes, you can purchase art on ProudArtists without being a PayPal member. In order to complete a sale on
ProudArtists, you will automatically be directed to the PayPal site to have your payment securely transacted.
PayPal allows users to complete a purchase by using their bank account, credit card or PayPal balance. However,
if you are purchasing an item with your PayPal account, ProudArtists will not accept multiple payments from
different PayPal accounts for a single item. We only accept a single payment from one PayPal account for the
purchase.
I have requested a shipping cost quote, but have decided not to purchase the art?
Once the seller has calculated the shipping cost, and has sent you the new total cost of the art, you can
purchase the art, or you can decline the sale in the view orders section of your account. If you do not want
to purchase the art, decline the sale of the art by clicking the Quote Entered button, check Decline Offer toward
the lower left side of the page and click the submit button. Declining the sale will allow the art to be re-listed as
available for sale.
What if I do not purchase or decline the sale of an art work after a shipping cost quote has been calculated?
Not purchasing art or declining the sale, will leave art pending and unavailable to be purchased by another user. If a
sale has been pending for too long, the seller can request that we send an email to remind you to either purchase the art, or
decline the sale. If you do neither, and the art is still pending after 5 days from the email, by the request of the seller,
we will cancel the sale.
What happens after I purchase an art work?
When art is purchased, you will receive an email receipt of the purchase containing your desired shipping
address, any comments you made to the seller regarding a specific mailing service, the PayPal transaction ID,
and the seller’s email address. You now must wait for the seller to ship out the art. The seller has up to 7
days in which to ship out the art after the purchase date. When the art is shipped, it will have 14 days in
which to reach your selected delivery destination.
What happens if the seller hasn’t shipped the art within the 7 day period?
If the Artwork Shipped button has not been clicked by the seller, therefore, meaning the art has not been
shipped, by the end of the 7th day from the purchase date, your payment will be refunded to you.
Can I monitor the whereabouts of my purchase?
Yes, you can monitor the whereabouts of your purchased art by using the tracking number and shipping carrier
information that was provided to you in the Art Has Been Shipped email. The tracking information will inform you
of where your purchase currently is, and if it has been shipped.
If the seller has clicked the Artwork Shipped button, but you cannot seem to locate the purchased art by using
the tracking number and shipping carrier information, then you should contact the seller directly by email.
Confirm with the seller that you have the correct tracking number and carrier information.
What happens once I receive and accept the art work?
Once you receive and accept the art, you are required to log into ProudArtists and click the Artwork Shipped
button in the view orders section of your account. After clicking on the Artwork Shipped button, you are to
immediately click on the Artwork Received button toward the lower left side of the page. This is necessary so
that payment can be transferred to the seller.
What if I have received and accepted the art, but I did not click the Artwork Received button?
If 14 days have passed after the art was shipped, and you have received and accepted the art, but have not clicked the Artwork
Received button, then ProudArtists will contact you with a reminder email. During that time, we will work with the seller to
confirm if the art was received by you, by referring to the tracking number and shipping carrier information. If there is
still no contact from you after 5 days from the reminder email, and we have confirmed that you have received the art, per the
tracking number and shipping carrier information, then ProudArtists will release the funds to the seller. The release of funds
will make the sale final and the return policy invalid.
What if the art is damaged or is misrepresented based on the seller’s description, and I would like a refund?
Upon receipt of the purchase, if the art is damaged or is misrepresented based on sellers’ description, and you
would like a refund, please do not click the Artwork Received button in the view orders section of your ProudArtists account.
Please immediately notify us of your dissatisfaction, so that a refund process can begin. You will also have to contact the
seller by using the email address provided to you in your receipt. You and the seller will discuss the seller’s return shipping
requirements, and the destination of where the returned art will be shipped.
Once you and the seller have discussed return shipment, you are responsible for shipping the art back to the
seller. The art must be, packed securely to avoid damage during shipment, covered with the necessary and applicable insurance,
and shipped with legitimate tracking number and shipping carrier information. Once you have shipped the art, please notify
ProudArtists by emailing the tracking number and shipping carrier information.
Once the returned art is received by the seller, the seller is required to inform ProudArtists of this receipt
with an email. When we have confirmed that the returned art was received by the seller, then we will give a
refund to you.
Will I receive a full refund, and when will I receive my refund?
If ProudArtists confirms that the seller has received the returned art, within 60 days from the purchase date,
then a full refund will be given to you. If we confirm that the seller has received the returned art, after 60
days from the purchase date, the PayPal transaction fees will not be refunded. PayPal allows their fees for each
money transaction to be refunded within 60 days from receiving the payment or the purchase date. We, however,
will always refund the remainders of our commission fees to you.
ProudArtists processes refund returns every Wednesday between 8:00am-6:00pm EST.
What happens if I can’t get in touch with the seller, the tracking number and carrier information isn’t accurate and the artwork shipped button has been clicked?
If you can’t get in touch with the seller, then you should contact ProudArtists. We will also try to contact
the seller. If there is no legitimate tracking information, and we cannot contact the seller as well, then we
will cancel the sale 21 days from the day that the Artwork Shipped button was clicked by the seller, therefore,
allowing your payment to be refunded to you.
SELLER ANSWERS:
Can I sell art if I am not a PayPal member?
No, you cannot sell art on ProudArtists if you are not a PayPal member. Being a PayPal member is essential
because once you sell an art work, all funds that are owed to you, are transferred directly into your PayPal
account, via your PayPal ID. Signing up for a PayPal account is fast, easy, and you can be selling on
ProudArtists in just a few minutes.
Why do I have to accurately describe my art?
Accurately describing your art is important so that potential buyers know exactly what they are purchasing.
Furthermore, when a buyer receives art that they have purchased, a buyer will not request a refund return
based on art that was misrepresented by you. Also, the pictures that you upload to the Site must be clear
images of the art.
Why are my pictures not uploading when I add new art in my gallery?
If your pictures are very large, ProudArtists will normally shrink them to the correct size so that they can be viewed properly. The larger the picture the longer it may take to upload. If the pictures are extremely
large, and therefore, take a longer time to upload, ProudArtists may time out. If this happens, shrink them to
a smaller size before uploading them to the Site.
I have given a shipping cost quote to the buyer a while ago, and they never purchased or declined the sale of the art?
If your art has been pending sale for a long time, meaning the buyer has not yet purchased or declined the sale of the art,
then contact ProudArtists with an email. We will contact the buyer with an email to inform them to either purchase the art
or to decline the sale. If 5 days have passed since we had sent the email to the buyer, and the art has not been purchased
or declined, please contact ProudArtists again if you would like us to cancel the sale. After the sale is cancelled, your art
will be re-listed as available for sale.
What happens once my art is purchased?
Once a buyer purchases your art, you have 7 days in which the art must be, packed securely to avoid damage
during shipment, covered with the necessary and applicable insurance, and shipped with legitimate tracking
number and carrier information.
What do I do once I have shipped the art work?
Once you ship the art, you are required to login to ProudArtists, and click the Ready to Ship button in the
view sales section of your account. After clicking the Ready to Ship button, you must immediately fill in the
tracking number and shipping carrier information, and then click the Artwork Shipped button toward the lower
left side of the page. Not clicking the Artwork Shipped button, before the end of the 7th day from the purchase
date, will result in a refund to the buyer.
Upon clicking on the Artwork Shipped button, the buyer will receive an email stating that the art has been
shipped and containing the tracking and shipping carrier information. The art will have 14 days in which to
reach the selected delivery destination. When the buyer receives and accepts the art, they are required to
click the Artwork Receive button in their account. Clicking on the Artwork Received button is necessary so that
payment can be transferred to you.
What if the buyer doesn’t click the Artwork Received button?
If 14 days have passed after the art was shipped, and the buyer has not clicked the Artwork Received button,
then ProudArtists will contact the buyer with a reminder email. During that time we will work with you to
confirm if the art was received by the buyer, by referring to the tracking number and shipping carrier
information. If there is still no contact from the buyer after 5 days from the reminder email, and we have
confirmed that the art was received by them, per the tracking number and shipping carrier information, then
ProudArtists will release the funds to you. The release of funds will make the sale final and the return policy
invalid.
What do I do if the buyer wants a refund?
If a buyer would like a refund, they are instructed not to click the Artwork Received button in their account.
The buyer must contact ProudArtists so that a refund process can begin, and also contact you to discuss your
return shipping requirements, and the destination of where the returned art will be shipped.
The buyer is responsible that the art must be, packed securely to avoid damage during shipment, covered with
the necessary and applicable insurance, and shipped with legitimate tracking number and carrier information.
The buyer is to notify ProudArtists of shipment by emailing the tracking number and carrier information. Once
the returned art is received by you, you are to notify ProudArtists of this receipt with an email. When we have
confirmed that the returned art was received by you, per the tracking number and shipping carrier information,
then we will give a refund to the buyer.
When will my funds arrive in my PayPal account?
Any funds that are owed to you will be transferred to your PayPal account, via your PayPal ID, on a Wednesday between 5:00am-10:00pm EST.
(Please remember that the buyer must receive and accept the art work before funds are transferred.)
What are PayPal transaction fees, and why are they removed from the funds that are owed to me?
Each time art is purchased, and money is transferred into our PayPal business account, PayPal charges a transaction fee. This transaction fee is deducted from the total sale price of an art work. PayPal transaction fees can lower, but currently they are 2.9% + $.30 each transaction. Unfortunately, we have no control over these transaction fees, they are entirely set by PayPal.
How to calculate PayPal transaction fees:
Total Sale Price of an art work = $100.00
PayPal transaction fees = 2.9% + $.30 or .029 + .30
Calculate = ($100.00 X .029) + .30 = $3.20
$100.00 - $3.20 = $96.80
Funds owed to Member (Artist) = $96.80
PLEASE NOTE: If you have a business account with PayPal, and we transfer funds into your account, PayPal will charge the transaction fee again from your business account.
Can anyone access my gallery and/or what is my personal URL?
Yes, your gallery can be easily searched and accessed on ProudArtists.com by clicking on your screen name,
and/or your gallery can be accessed through the use of your personal URL. Your URL can be easily typed into
any browser, and typically the URL will look like this: http://www.proudartists.com/user/
screenname
EXAMPLE: If your screen name is Tiffany, place Tiffany where it says screename in the web address.
This is how your Personal URL will look: http://www.proudartists.com/user/
Tiffany
Why is there a flyer attached to my gallery?
The flyer attached to your gallery is a helpful tool that can be easily printed, and will enable you to direct
more traffic to your gallery. The flyer will print on letter size (8.5x11) paper, with two equal displays. A
picture of your art work, your name and your personal URL will be included in the two displays. After printing
the flyer, cut it in half so that you can choose to post the flyers individually or you can hand them out. In
addition, we encourage you to be creative with the flyer; for example, choose paper that is heavyweight so that
it is wrinkle-resistant, or choose a colored paper that flatters the picture of the art work that you chose to
display.
I cannot print the flyer background?
There may be some Internet browsers that may not print the flyer background accurately. We have given two
examples of Internet browsers where this problem may occur, and how to fix it. Before you print the flyers,
please follow these simple steps.
If you use Internet Explorer as an alternative browser, please go to Tools in your Menu bar, go to Internet
Options, click the Advanced tab, scroll down to Printing, and check the box that says Print background colors
and images.
If you use Mozilla Firefox as an alternative browser, please go to File in your Menu bar, go to Page Setup,
click the Format & Options tab, and then check the box next to Print Background.
Why isn’t my name showing up in my flyer?
Your name will not show up in your flyer if you haven’t filled in the appropriate sections of your account.
Click the Go To Account button, near the top of the page, while you are logged into your ProudArtists account.
You will see where to fill out your name, address, and other information in your account. Once you have filled
out the appropriate information, and have saved it, your name will now show up in the flyer.
Can I see comments or reviews of my art?
Yes, there is a comment section beneath each art work where users can comment about the art. The user’s avatar
and screen name will show up next to each comment so that you can identify who is leaving the comment or review.
You will have administrative rights to delete each comment. You will not be able to edit the comments however,
left by a user.
In order to inform you of comments that users have made, comment notifications and/or a comment reply
notifications will be sent to your personal email address
What is an acceptable link that I can input under the 'External Web-site' category in my account?
A personal, ART web-site link where you showcase and sell your art works is an acceptable link to post. Links which clearly show that you are marketing for another web-site, or links that are at all questionable will be removed at our sole discretion. Members who are continually promoting other venues, competitive or not, may be removed and banned from the Site as well.
Please feel free to contact us if you would like us to review a link to determine if it is an acceptable link to post.