FAQ

 

Why this website?
 
This website has been created by collectors eager to have a tool to deal between them directly.
 
 
It is a tool created by collectors for collectors.
 
 
No. Anyone wishing to dispose of a quality work of art can register and submit their item for sale. 
 
What are the main benefits to using this website?
 
The use of the site for the acquisition/sale of works of art allows anybody to deal with anyone securely, on a confidential basis and at no costs.
 
How about the security of transactions.   How do you manage it?
 

Transaction security is all yours. No intermediary between you and the client. It is your responsibility to put in place the means to ensure a payment to the seller and provide the guarantees to the collector that he will get the acquired work and this, under the described conditions.

We strongly recommend to each one to proceed with rigor in their efforts.   However, the rigor imposes one or more of the following solutions:

  • Either a face to face between one and the other;
  • Either the intervention of an intermediary to ensure compliance of the process, i.e.:
    • That the amount that has been the subject of a commitment is actually paid;
    • That the work is effectively delivered to the purchaser.

Our organization may, if necessary, upon request and for a fee, take on this role.

 

How do you avoid the presence of false or stolen art?

 

Suspicious pieces of art offered for sale will be immediately transmitted to "Art Alert", a jointly managed service of the Sûreté du Québec and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.   These, with our full cooperation, will ensure the necessary follow-up, if necessary.

Moreover, the same organization offers on request to potential sellers or buyers to check whether the work in question has previously been identified as counterfeit or stolen art.

Finally, it is possible for all to subscribe to the "Art Alert" service which allows you to be notified by e-mail when a work disappears. This reporting service is available to everyone upon registration.

 

What are the limits of liabilities assumed by "Associated Art Collectors"  relative to posting and the following of transactions?

 

The website "Associate Art Collectors" is in no way responsible for the accuracy of the information published on the site as well as the monitoring of the transaction between collectors (buyers-sellers). Responsibility for the site "Associate Art Collectors" is limited to the functioning of the site that provides the interface between the parties.

 

Traditionally, this factor is seen as crucial by both collectors and prospective vendors.

Collectors are usually discreet people.

Whether by temperament, for safety reasons or other issues, very few collectors will display their collections and most collectors will find a particular interest in finding somewhere a quality work never presented anywhere before.

Almost for reasons "a contrario", vendors, for their part, have an interest not to overexpose the works they wish to dispose of. Among professionals in the field, it is called "burn out" the act of offering for sale, for long periods of time, a work which is struggling to sell itself or worse, to offer it at auction where,  for various reasons, the work remains unsold.

Collectors are extremely sensitive to this kind of situation and the price received for the work will inevitably suffer from such a situation.

Various means can be considered to avoid overexposure of the work. However, the best guarantee against overexposure remains to request a realistic price for the proposed work.

 
 
The potential buyer and the seller deal directly with each other.   No one else is involved in the transaction.
 

 

It is an index specifying minimum and optimal values for the proposed work of art and that, of course, all things being equal (time, medium, size, etc..), excluding specific factors such as the notoriety of a particular work or its intrinsic quality.   It is, roughly speaking, the average selling price found ("hammer" price) for comparable works obtained from recent sales (3-5 years) in recognized auction houses. Note, moreover, that it is a measure of the current market demand, not of the future demand.

To learn more about the MVR, click here

 


The following sites are among the best.  Note that most of them require pre-registration and are fee basis in whole or in part.

Name Registration
Mandatory?		 Paying?
Artnet Yes Yes
Artprice Yes Yes
Artvalue Yes Not
AskART Yes Yes
Blouin Art Sales Index Yes Yes
Canadian Art Sales Index Online Yes Yes
FindArtInfo No Partly
Heffel Price Database Yes Yes
Invaluable (Artfact) Yes Yes
MutualArt.com Yes Yes
 
Costs

One major reason for using this site for a transaction is the importance of savings to be made and that, by both the collector and seller.
 
 

For example, a work sold at auction at a price of $ 10,000 ("hammer" price), will result in a de facto breakdown like this:

  • The seller will receive between $ 8,000 - $ 8,500. The difference between the amount of the award ($ 10,000) and the amount received will include the cost of the "seller" commission, plus various associated fees (photography, insurance, transportation, storage, etc.).
  • The purchaser (the collector) will pay approximately $ 13,300, including the cost of its commission (currently a minimum of 20%), more in Canada cumulated federal and provincial sales taxes.

In short, the difference between the amount received by the seller and the cost paid for by the purchaser will be around $ 4,800, a difference of over 55%!   See our simulators.

 
 

Transport and insurance costs are usually paid by the buyer.   However, since it is a private agreement between authorized persons, the said costs may be the subject of a specific agreement between the parties.

Where to find specialized carriers?

See the "Services to Collectors" tab under "Companies specializing in the transport of works of art".

Services to Collectors

Registered collectors have access to a wide range of services and utilities allowing them to develop and manage their collection in its every aspect. This section, the heart of the site, is constantly changing, according to the suggestions and feedback from our members. These services are of three types:

The types of available services

1.  Services provided by our partners

These services are generally delivered by companies, organizations or experts in the field of visual arts who choose to register with our site as “Service Providers”. Note, among others::

  • Companies or individuals offering framing services
  • Companies specializing in the transport of works of art (including or not crating, insurance, duty formalities and storage)
  • Companies offering home art insurance services
  • Individuals and organizations specialized in restoration of works of art
  • Individuals and companies offering to produce an estimate of the market value of your works of art after the submission of an online summary dossier
  • Individuals and firms providing assessment services of your works of art
  • Individuals and organizations offering their services as Art Advisors
  • Etc.

2. Services provided by our care

3.  Our expert's opinion

I would like to register or register my business as a "Service Provider". How can I do it?

Please, fill out the appropriate form.

How much does it cost to register as a service provider?

No. Registration is free.

Are there any special requirements to meet?

In addition to our general terms and conditions, your only obligation as a service provider is to respond diligently to requests from our collectors.