FAQ Artists — Artists in Solidarity

Frequently Asked Questions

Artist Questions

How can I help?

Submit artwork during the artist call.
Tell your network about the auction
Make a direct donation via Venmo, PayPal, or check/money order. See our homepage for more information

Do you accept all artwork?

We accept most kinds of art and craft including paintings, drawings, sculpture, mural commissions, woodworking, fiber arts (including crochet and macrame), embroidery, handmade or vintage clothing, jewelry and metalwork, handmade personal care items (such as soaps) and some local services such as massage, personal care, and tarot/spiritual services. If you have questions please use the contact form above.
We don’t accept items that are too big to ship, artwork that disrespects our cause, or artwork that has an unreasonably inflated full value.
We try to limit the number of pieces to around 250 and may decide not to accept work over that number. You will be notified if one or more of your items was not accepted.
If there’s an issue we’ll contact you.

The artist call is closed. How do I submit artwork?

We don’t take late submissions, but we can add you to our list for future auctions. Please send us a contact form (above). Do not email us your submission unless instructed to do so.

The artist call is open. How do I submit artwork?

I can’t access the submission form during the artist call! Help!

What are the submission rules?

You must be willing and able to ship your own artwork. We do not physically accept artwork.
You agree to allow us to use your submitted images for marketing purposes: posting on our website and promotional flyers for the auction. We will never sell or distribute your submitted images.
Submitted items must be reserved for the auction - please do not submit an item that you are selling at the same time.
Images must be under 5mg in .jpg format.
Give an accurate “Full Value” on the form for each item. This is be the amount you’d sell this item for. Please do not artificially inflate your prices for the auction, it will not help us raise more money.
We will set starting bids at 25% of the full value of the item. Please do not inflate your full value to compensate for the starting bid.
If you want your starting bid lower than 25%, please let us know.
Please give an accurate shipping estimate on your application. We will only reimburse shipping up to the amount you listed on the form. Use THIS LINK to estimate shipping via USPS Ground Advantage.
When you estimate shipping costs, use a far away destination within the US (if you live in CA, use a zip code in FL for example)

What do you do with the data I submit on the form?

We use your data to enter your artwork into the auction, maintain contact records for our organization, and give your artwork exposure on our website. That’s it. We don’t share data.
We use Google Forms which has their own terms of use, please review before submitting.
If you do not have a Google account, please send us a contact form (above) to make other arrangements.

Can I bid on something in the auction?

Can I bid on my own artwork/item?

We ask that you do not bid on the items you submitted for the auction.
If you would like to make a donation, please see the homepage for more information.
If you are bidding on behalf of someone who is technologically challenged, please set up a bidder account in their name.

I submitted artwork, now what?

Over the next three weeks we will process your submission and email you with more info. We will send you a graphic you can use to promote the auction. Please wait for that graphic before you announce the auction.
Once you get the promotional graphic, please post and share about the auction as much as you can. The auction is two weeks long and people forget easily.

The auction closed. Now what?

We are collecting shipping costs from the buyer after the auction and will reimburse you once you ship your item(s).
Over the next three weeks we will send you an email letting you know that your item(s) sold.
Once we receive the shipping costs from the buyer you’ll get a second email from us saying the item is OK to ship.
You DO NOT need to contact the buyer unless you need to make arrangements (i.e. local pickup, alternate shipping arrangement).
Once we tell you it’s okay to ship, you will ship the item to the buyer. We prefer USPS Ground Advantage. You must let us know if that shipping method doesn’t work for you BEFORE you ship or we may not be able to reimburse you.
You will then email us proof of shipment (photo of receipt) and how you want to be reimbursed - either Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, or mail a check.
If you are not asking for reimbursement, please let us know when you ship your item(s). We cannot release the funds to the organizations until everything ships, just in case a buyer asks for a refund.
Sorry to be annoying, but if we don’t hear from you we’ll reach out to confirm you shipped the item.

The auction closed and my item says “Winning Bid” but I never got an email from you saying it sold. What’s going on?

At the end of the auction, all items’ prices are changed to say “winning bid”. It changes to that label regardless of if it sold or not. That’s betterworld.org’s system and we have no way of changing it.
If your item sold, you will receive an email from us telling you where to ship it. If it did not sell, you will not get that email.
If your item didn’t sell, please don’t be discouraged! We average around 250 items per auction and there’s a lot to choose from. Your promotional efforts make a big difference even if you didn’t sell. Please join us again next year!