[Rourke]

The Customer is always right… SO TELL ME!

Just trying to sort out everything for the launch of Vandalart. I want to get everything right from the offset. Customer Service and Relations is top of my agenda, aswell as an excellent product.

Just wondered what your thoughts on all aspects of buying art online, what you look for, what pis*es you off, everything to2 with this.

Let us know and help me get it right - Cheers

[Daniel Silk]

Good Communication - Even if thing go wrong with an order, such as it was over sold, you should always email the people back really fast to say sorry and to maybe offer first pick of the next print to be released
Always let people know whats happening ;D post information on the forum and send out regular email newsletters.
Don't over charge for postage, and always use good strong tubes.
Keep prices low, and don't get draw into the trap of bumping the prices up too fast if things go well.

[Montubu7]

Use a system that takes the item out of stock once sold !

[Rourke]

Cheers Silky and thankyou, I agree and understand totally.

T! - Thankyou, the programmer is on withit as we speak. Its taken for ever, but I want everything done exactly right - its prob my OCD, which is taken over (lol).

Every thing is going 2b handled electronically, to avoid human error. All orders, and also pre-orders will be sorted this way. from when the image is put on the website and the edition is logged. It will be impossible I hope, for more than the edition to be sold. The item will say Sold out.

Cheers

[manty]

Test it before you pay the programmer chap, I'm sure a 100 or so of us would be happy to test an imaginary edition of 10 prints and see what happens:-)

I think this is the big one to get right, and if faile and others cant do it, it s possibly not cheap fix.

maybe another option is not to have e-commerce to begin with and add it in after?

Then if you have a release you can base it on first come first served on email times?
and customer pays for the print via paypal ?

This whole basket thing can do more damage than good, and its out of your control

Communication is the key to it all though :-)

[mcnuts]

EDIT:

Well i guess it depends on what you mean by an online gallery? is it a gallery to sell work directly by artists such as yourself or is it an online gallery to resell the works of other artists (banksy faile etc)?

[Rourke]

Thanks mcnuts

No mate not a reseller, I' will be selling my own stuff. And try to keep the price as low as poss.

Cheers

[mcnuts]

rourkevandal said:

mcnuts - sorry mate, I dont know what you mean. Will you please explain more.

Cheers

edited my above post...

[Rourke]

manty - Cheers mate, really appreciate your worry. And will bare in mind.

Paypal or basket maybe another thread. anybody else had troub with either?

Our main aim is2 treat customers with respect. something that is 'old fashioned'
but I think works.

Cheers

[RetroCanvas]

A very personal service is something that has benifited me over the past few years of selling my paintings. Whenever I email or speak to people they know they're dealing direct with the artist.

I've got by on Bank transfers and cheques but have sent a one off invoice to the customer/commissioner if they want to use PayPal.

One of the top things though that I've always done is to keep my customers up to date with the progress of their painting; usually as all my time is taken up with commissions, this means just updating them on how the peice is going and that all is fine. Again a very personal service

I hope that helps,

Retro

[Filipino Box Spring Hog]

I personally hate when a gallery has a POA listed instead of just saying what the price is out right. So, for me, when buying online, I like to see the prices.

[melmoth]

Once you sell the prints, don't leave us hanging for 2 months waiting for the prints. Sites like Emek's in the US are poor on this front, Obey are top notch. Get a good system down for the AFTER sales part.

[Rourke]

2 months waiting time thats ridiculous.
Cheers every body above, its a real eye opener.

[buffin]

Personally I would like prints to arrive in perfect condition even if that means paying a few pounds extra for bomb proof tubes.

[dave313perry]

P&P charges that are justified by sturdy tubes

Communication - actual Facts rather than 'sometime this year'

Print houses that dont rely on the image so much and actually produce high quality prints - see BRP for details / amongst others of course

thats all my little mind can think of at the minute!!

[arcam]

Prints to be sent flat and I would happily pay extra for it.

[Rourke]

Thankyou all above, I am taking note of all your comments and my brain is ticking.
Packaging is a major concern 2me and I have given it much thought.

Being the actual artist which as produced the image, I feel my job doesnt stop their. I want my customers to recieve their images as if they have come straight off the press. I will look at every minor detail, from print quality (thats why I have chosen Giclee, this gives me the best reproduction of my image than other methods). Each print will be handled as little as possible.

Shipping, we are looking at ways of packing the prints in a way which will cope with the stress of transit. I totally agree that fine art prints should not be rolled, but shipped flat, that is sometimes impossible cost wise, so we had to come up with a compramise. We thought some people would not pay the extra cost for shipping them flat. So 1 off prints will be sent, heavily packed in strong tubes. Customers who purchase more than 1 print will have there prints sent Flat. I cannot give too many details out at this point, cos we are still sortin it out. We may even do away with all tubes and send them all out Flat.

Thanks again and keep em comin

[notitle]

hey RV

if you want strong tubes, any size etc... goto www.essextubes.co.uk/

very well priced and super fast turnaround!

[Rourke]

notitle Cheers - We have already got some, but next time we are ordering, I will defo check them out

Thankyou

[buffin]

In light of recent problems at a certain online gallery perhaps we should mention confidence that limited edition prints are limited to the numbers specified. Nothing worse than finding out that there are stacks of spare prints, backdoor prints, or tons of artist and printers proofs.

[robxxx7]

thomas said:

Use a system that takes the item out of stock once sold !

Thats a big one from me ... that has to be a given, too many places continue selling when items are out of stock, system should be in place to not allow you to purchase an item if it is no longer available ..saves dissapointment and poor customer relationship

[holden]

robxxx7 said:

thomas said:

Use a system that takes the item out of stock once sold !

Thats a big one from me ... that has to be a given, too many places continue selling when items are out of stock, system should be in place to not allow you to purchase an item if it is no longer available ..saves dissapointment and poor customer relationship

Agree.
Nothing is as disappointing as a refund especially if you have to pay for it!
Paypal suck!

[Rourke]

Thankyou everybody thats posted, I will take note.
Cheers

[smuk]

google checkout doesn't charge any fees until 2008



paypal sucks

[Rourke]

Thanks smuk, its already being setup with Barclays now.
Cheers mate