Fees & How It Works

Money on a marketplace can feel opaque. It shouldn't. This page walks through exactly what we charge, exactly when funds move, and exactly what protects both the buyer and the artist at every step of a sale.

1. Commission & Fees

1.1 Platform Commission

Atma & Alchemy Art charges a commission on each completed sale, deducted automatically at the time of transaction. The rate depends on your membership plan: 8% of the gross sale price for artists on the standard (Basic) plan, and a reduced 3% of the gross sale price for artists on the Pro plan. The remainder is yours.

1.2 Payout-Processing Fee

When you withdraw your available balance to your bank account or PayPal, a small payout-processing fee applies to cover the cost of moving funds: approximately 1% for bank/Stripe transfer, and approximately 2% for PayPal. There is no separate "escrow service fee" — the only deductions you'll ever see are the platform commission on a sale and this payout-processing fee when you cash out.

2. How a Sale Works (Single Combined Payment)

When a buyer purchases a print, they pay one combined amount at checkout — covering the artwork price, the printing cost, and the shipping cost together. There is no separate invoice for printing and no separate invoice for shipping; it is one transaction, one charge, one receipt.

That combined amount is held securely in escrow by the platform. It is not paid out to anyone immediately — it is released in stages as the order is fulfilled and confirmed, as described below.

3. Printing & Shipping — Who Pays What

To keep fulfillment fast, the seller (artist) fronts the cost of printing and shipping out of their own platform wallet balance at the time of dispatch — paying the print shop and the carrier directly. The seller is then reimbursed for those costs from the buyer's escrowed funds once the order is confirmed.

In short: the buyer's payment covers everything in one go, but the seller is the one who actually places the order with the print shop and the carrier, and gets reimbursed for doing so.

4. When Funds Are Released

Escrow — covering the artwork payment, the printing reimbursement, and the shipping reimbursement — is released only after the buyer manually confirms delivery on their order. This is the single trigger. It is not automatic, and it cannot be released by the seller.

We built it this way on purpose: it protects both sides of the transaction. The buyer can't be charged for an item that never arrives, because funds stay in escrow until they confirm it has. The seller is guaranteed payment once delivery is confirmed, rather than being left to the buyer's discretion indefinitely or hoping the buyer remembers to act.

5. What If a Buyer Never Confirms Delivery?

If a buyer never confirms delivery, the order is not automatically released to the seller after some fixed waiting period, and it is not automatically refunded to the buyer either. Instead, it is flagged and placed into a dispute queue for our admin team to review. A human looks at the order — tracking information, delivery confirmation from the carrier, and any communication between buyer and seller — and makes a determination from there.

This means neither party can game the system: a buyer can't indefinitely withhold confirmation to avoid paying, and a seller can't force an early release. Every stalled order gets a real review.

6. Certificates of Authenticity

Once an order completes, the platform automatically generates a certificate of authenticity and emails it to the buyer. Artists don't need to design, produce, or send anything themselves — it happens for every completed sale, every time.

7. Available Print Formats

We currently offer the following print formats, in standard sizes, plus a custom made-to-order size option:

• Giclée print on cotton rag paper — matte finish.
• Canvas Wrap — satin finish.
• Custom made-to-order size — available on request for either format.

We do not currently offer metal prints. If that changes, this page will be updated.

8. Taxes (VAT)

Atma & Alchemy Art does not collect or remit VAT, sales tax, or any other transactional tax on behalf of artists. Determining and meeting any tax obligations tied to your sales is your own responsibility, based on the rules of your jurisdiction. We'd encourage you to speak with a local tax advisor if you're unsure what applies to you.

Separately, buyers pay a 1.5% insurance fee on the order value at checkout, shown as its own line item distinct from shipping. This covers the shipment in transit and is not a tax.

9. Listing Limits

Artists on the Basic plan may have up to 10 active artwork listings at a time. Artists on the Pro plan have unlimited listings.