General Site FAQs
A walk through the commission process using Artistree!
What is Artistree?
Artistree is a free service to help digital creators stay organized, safe, and get paid fairly when selling commissions online!
We handle many of the business aspects of commissions, leaving you with more time to focus on the work!
What benefits do my clients get from using Artistree?
Artistree brings structure, security, and accessibility to the commission process.
Requesting commissions through social media DMs, email, or Discord can feel a little untrustworthy or unprofessional. Especially for those new to commissioning digital art.
With Artistree handling the transactions, we give your customers the trust to pay 100% up front! If something goes wrong, customers can contact Artistree to get a refund!
Do artists get paid up front?
Yes! We encourage sellers to charge 100% of the commission price up front.
How does the chargeback protection work?
While we cannot stop chargebacks from happening, we can protect our artists when they do occur. If you receive a chargeback, we likely know about it already, but open a Support Ticket with Artistree. We may ask you for more details about the commission.
If the artist in question was engaging in fraudulent behavior and loses the chargeback dispute, we would reverse the money paid from that artist's account.
If an artist has delivered work over Artistree with approvals from the customer, they have nothing to worry about, as all customer approvals are documented by Artistree and submitted as evidence.
Can I set my own Terms of Service?
Yes! When accepting a commission, the seller will set the Terms of Service and price. Every commission is different, so we wanted to offer flexibility in the ToS. We are considering offering templates in the future.
Does Artistree restrict content sold on the platform?
TLDR: if the content is drawn, you're probably fine!
While we want creators to express themselves via art, we also have some guidelines against funding pornography.
We define pornography as real people engaging in sexual acts (such as masturbation or sexual intercourse) on camera.
Does Artistree sell my data?
Artistree does not sell client or creator data.
Can my clients tip me on Artistree?
Yes. After completing a commission, your client will be prompted to leave a tip.
Tipping has two restrictions:
- Clients cannot tip more than the price of the commission
- Tips are only available on Artistree Request Form commissions, not Artistree Invoices
To learn about tipping in more detail, click here
How does the scam protection work?
If you suspect a client might be a scammer, please use the "Report" button on the commission page. Artistree will then investigate.
If we believe the client is a scammer, we will add the client's information to our known blacklist. They will then no longer be able to reach out to you, or other artists on Artistree.
By reporting suspected scammers, you can keep the whole community of Artistree safe!
What countries is Artistree available in for sellers?
Artistree is now available to artists in the following countries:
- United States
- Algeria
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Brazil
- Canada
- Chile
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Dominican Republic
- Egypt
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Georgia
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Kenya
- Kazakhstan
- Kuwait
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Mexico
- Nigeria
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Trinidad & Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Uruguay
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
As an artist, which countries can I accept customers from?
Artists can sell to customers from the following countries:
- United States
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- India
- Indonesia
- Israel
- Japan
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Singapore
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Sweden
- Thailand
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
Pricing FAQs
So the site is really free for artists to use? How is that possible?
During checkout, your clients pay a small platform fee; this lets us keep the site free for artists to use (and plant trees)!
Artistree charges your clients a platform fee of 6.5%.
If the price of the commission is less than $100, an extra $2.60 USD is added.
Much of this fee is used to cover credit card fees, ensuring artists can get paid 100%!
For example, if you set the price of a commission at $100, your customer would pay $106.50 total (before taxes).
Won't my clients not want to pay more?
Lots of other sites, such as Fiverr and Upwork, also charge customers a 5-5.5% platform fee. This is on top of charging creators 20% of what they make!
The vast majority of clients are happy to pay a bit more if it means supporting an artist (and the environment!).
Why do you have to make money at all? Couldn't you charge less?
The reality is, it costs money to maintain the website and pay our developers a living wage.
Lots of "gig economy" companies (and companies in general) claim that they can't pay people fairly, because it's unprofitable.
By making Artistree a profitable site, we hope to demonstrate that it's possible to do the right thing, while still making money.
Notice for Brazilian sellers on Artistree
Due to Brazil’s international merchant PayPal fee, note that your clients’ pricing structure is different for commissions priced over $100.
| Commission Price (USD) | $1-$100 | $100+ |
| Client of Brazilian Creator is Charged | 6.5% + 2.60 | 7% + 2.60 |
The reason for this pricing difference is due to Brazil’s PayPal merchant fees. To ensure artists keep 100%, and that we have enough money to donate to plant a tree, we must raise our fee slightly for sales over $100.
Please note that only clients buying from a Brazilian seller are affected by the new pricing.
Nota para vendedores brasileiros no Artistree
Devido à tarifa brasileira de pagamentos comerciais internacionais do PayPal, note que a estrutura de precificação dos seus clientes é diferente para comissões acima de 100 dólares.
| Preço da comissão (USD) | $1-$100 | $100+ |
| Seu cliente é cobrado | 6.5% + 2.60 | 7% + 2.60 |
Essa diferença de preço é devido à tarifa brasileira de pagamentos comerciais internacionais. Para assegurar que artistas mantenham 100%, e que tenhamos dinheiro suficiente para doação para plantar árvores, precisamos aumentar levemente nossa taxa para vendas acima de 100 dólares.
Por favor note que apenas clientes comprando de um vendedor brasileiro são afetados por essa nova precificação.
Payments FAQs
How do I withdraw the money I've made?
Before you can start selling on Artistree, you need to link a Stripe or PayPal account. How fast you get paid, where, and what currency can vary based on the payment processor you use. See the chart in the question below for more information.
What’s the difference between Stripe and PayPal?
Read the chart below to find out which payment method is best for you.
If you have both a PayPal and Stripe account linked, you can switch between payment methods! Visit “Payment Methods” on your Artistree profile to toggle.
| Stripe | PayPal | |
|---|---|---|
| Accepts debit/credit card | ||
| Accepts PayPal payments | ||
| Accepts Apple Pay | ||
| Accepts Google Pay | ||
| Anonymous selling | Connect a business account to sell anonymously | |
| Chargeback fee | $15 USD | $20 USD |
| Artistree collects and remits VAT, GST, and sales tax? | ||
| Payout Location | Bank account | PayPal balance |
| Payout Time | 2-3 business days | Instant |
| Payout Currency | Currency of linked bank account | USD |
Notice about PayPal for some non-USA Artists
For some non-USA artists, it is possible you will be paid a bit more, or a bit less for your commission (usually within 1%). It’s difficult for us to calculate PayPal fees exactly, due to the variance in interchange fees on different types of credit cards.
If you are not paid the correct price you entered for your commission, our system will alert us automatically, and we will reach out to you as quickly as we can.
Over time, these incidents should balance out, since sometimes you will be paid extra. However, if you lose over $10 USD total, please reach out to us at support@artistree.io We will happily reimburse your account!
I’m from the USA, and I still wasn’t paid right with PayPal! What happened?
This can happen if your client does not truthfully indicate to Artistree what country they are from.
If you are not paid out the proper amount for your commission, Artistree Support will reach out to you and confirm whether the client misrepresented their country of origin.
Artistree will NOT reimburse you for fees lost due to clients misrepresenting their country.
We cannot control whether your clients tell the truth or not. As an artist, it is your responsibility to ensure your client is from a country that Artistree supports.
Because Artistree is legally liable for filing VAT / GST taxes, we are not currently available in every country just yet. We apologize for this and are working as quickly as possible to be available everywhere.
If you would rather not deal with this possibility, please use Stripe for your payments.
How do refunds work?
Refunds are a case-by-case basis and handled by the team. We try to come up with a solution that is fair, considering the amount of work delivered by the artist.
You can initiate a refund request by pressing the "Need Help?" button on the relevant commission.
What currency are my clients paying in?
Artistree currently charges its customers in US dollars. We are currently working on allowing multiple currency support.
I’m from outside the USA. Can I set my prices in my local currency?
We're working on supporting this feature soon! Our apologies, but for now you must set all commission and invoice prices in USD.
The first currencies to be supported will be Canadian dollars, Australian dollars, British pounds, Euros, and New Zealand dollars.
Stripe is asking me for a routing number. What is that?
Stripe occasionally uses USA terminology for their banking information. Apologies if this is confusing. Depending on your country, "routing number" is one of the following:
- BSB code
- Transit number
- BIC/SWIFT code
- Sort code
I've always used PayPal and charged extra to cover the fees, isn't that fine?
This is actually against the PayPal Terms of Service: surcharging is forbidden.
Try us out to save yourself the math! You're putting your PayPal account at risk when surcharging clients.
So, how come Artistree can charge my clients extra?
Artistree provides many services to artists and clients alike. Some of these include:
- Image & video hosting
- Organizational tools
- Security and anonymity
- Customer service
Our fee is not a surcharge, but rather the price for providing these services.
Other Questions
I really believe in what you guys are doing! How can I get involved or support you?
The best ways to support Artistree:
- Take your commissions through the site!
- Help us spread the word to other commission artists!
- Follow us on social media (@artistreeio)!
In order for us to grow and improve into something better tomorrow, we need artists to use the site today!
When was Artistree started?
Our beta launched on October 16th, 2021. We used to be named Artifyc!
Yeah... we don't know how to pronounce it either. It's a long story.
Why did you start this project?
We started this site after one of our friends (who is a digital artist) got burned by someone initiating a chargeback on one of her commissions. She was also sick of PayPal constantly raising fees.
Ellery (Artistree’s co-founder & CEO) also worked as a freelance creative writer, experiencing many of the same struggles as digital artists when selling her writing commissions online.
After interviewing over 50 digital artists to hear about their experience with the commission process, we created a site that would streamline commissions and let artists get paid fairly.
Does Artistree have anything to do with NFTs or AI?
No, our founders aren't particularly fond of them. Artistree is just for good, old-fashioned digital art!
Does Artistree have anything to do with NFTs or AI?
No, our founders aren't particularly fond of them. Artistree is just for good, old-fashioned digital art!
My country isn’t available! Can you add it?
Please fill out the form below. Artistree is a very small team and can only add new countries if there’s a lot of demand. The fastest way to get your country added is to tell your friends about Artistree, and to have them submit a request!
I got a sponsorship inquiry from Artistree, is it legit?
We do sometimes sponsor artists to try us out for their commissions! Check to see if the sponsorship inquiry email address ends in “@artistree.io” (and the email wasn’t found in your spam).
If you’re still having doubts, email us at support@artistree.io to double check!
Can I apply to get sponsored by Artistree?
Yes! We typically partner with creators with over 10k followers on at least one social media platform. Apply to become an Official Artistree Affiliate here: