How it works
Simple on purpose — the same honest pattern as our sister sites, Trading Cards Safe Buy and Trade and Tools Safe Buy and Trade. An artist lists a piece. A buyer falls for it. The buyer pays the artist. That is the whole idea.
The artist lists a piece — free
The artist sends in their piece with a photo, a price, and their own way to get paid (their PayPal, Venmo, or their own shop link). Listing costs nothing, and there is no limit on how many pieces an artist can list.
The buyer pays the artist directly
The buyer and the artist deal with each other — payment goes straight to the artist, and the artist ships the piece (or hands it over locally). This site is never in the middle of the money.
Sold? The artist pays a simple 5%
Only when a piece sells through this site does the artist owe the success fee — 5% of the sale price, paid through the button in the Fees section. Nothing sold, nothing owed. Ever.
Plain promises — and plain limits
- Free to list — always. No listing fee, no monthly fee to be here, no fee to ask a question.
- No guarantee of a sale. We will put your work in front of buyers and promote the gallery, but nobody can promise a piece will sell, or when.
- Buyers pay artists directly. Art Safe Buy and Trade does not collect or hold sale money, and offers no escrow. Read the Safety section before you buy or sell.
- Your art stays your art. Listing here never transfers your rights. Your photos and your work are yours.
- Real art by real people. Every listing is checked by a person before it posts. No mass-produced prints passed off as originals — if it is a print or a reproduction, the listing must say so.
The gallery
Fresh pieces from working artists. When you buy, you pay the artist directly — their payment link or shop is right on their listing. The gallery is brand new, so the first real pieces are on their way. Here is exactly what a listing looks like:
EXAMPLE — NOT A REAL LISTING
“Lake at Dusk” — original acrylic, 16×20
by Example Artist, Michigan
$180
A real listing shows the piece’s photo here, the artist’s story, the size and medium, shipping terms — and the artist’s own button to buy from them directly.
List your art like this — freeYOUR PIECE HERE
This spot is waiting for an artist
Maybe you?
$0 to list
Paintings, drawings, photography, sculpture, woodwork, fiber art, digital art — if you made it with your own hands and heart, it belongs on this wall.
List your art — freeYOUR PIECE HERE
Buyers are already looking
This gallery is shared with thousands of art lovers in artist and collector groups
5% only when you sell
A $60 piece costs you $3. A $250 piece costs you $12.50. Paid only after it sells — never before.
See the feesThe money, in plain words
No gallery math, no fine print. Galleries commonly take 40–50% of a sale. Here, an artist keeps 95% — and pays nothing at all until something sells.
| What it is | What it costs | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Listing a piece | $0 — free | Your piece in the gallery, checked by a real person |
| Success fee — only when a piece sells through this site | 5% of the sale price | Keeps the gallery running. Examples: a $50 sale = $2.50 · a $100 sale = $5 · a $400 sale = $20 |
| Featured piece (optional) | $5 for 7 days | Your piece pinned at the top of the gallery and shown first |
| Pro artist page (optional) | $9/month | Your own page: your story, all your pieces in one place, and a link to your own shop or site |
✅ Sold a piece? Pay the 5% here
5% of your sale
Work out 5% of what your piece sold for (a $100 sale = $5), then pay that amount with this button. Type the amount in at checkout. Sold pieces with the fee paid stay in good standing to keep listing — that is the deal, and it is how this gallery stays alive.
Pay the 5% success fee⭐ Featured piece — $5
$5 for 7 days
Your piece goes to the top of the gallery with a FEATURED ribbon for a full week — the first thing every buyer sees. Pay here, then send us the piece name in your listing message and we pin it the same day we get it.
Feature my piece — $5🎨 Pro artist page — $9/month
$9/month
Your own page on this site: your photo and story, every piece you have listed in one place, and a big link out to your own shop, Etsy, or website — buyers can buy from you there too. Cancel any time.
Get my Pro page — $9/monthPlain truth: Art Safe Buy and Trade is a small marketplace run by a disabled veteran in Macomb, Michigan — not a gallery and not an auction house. Fees above are the only money this site ever charges. Buyers never pay a fee here, and sale money always moves directly between buyer and artist.
List your art — free
Fill this in and the form builds your listing text. Copy it, then send it to us in a Facebook message with a photo of your piece — we check it and put it in the gallery. The form itself does not send or store anything; only the message you send does.
Safe buy & trade rules
This marketplace runs on direct deals between real people — which is exactly why it is cheap. A few rules keep everybody safe:
- Buyers pay the artist directly — through the payment method on the artist’s listing. If anyone asks you to pay “the site” for a piece, stop: that is not us.
- Never pay by gift card, wire transfer, or cash app to a stranger who won’t video-call. When in doubt, ask the artist for a short video of the piece with your name on a sticky note next to it.
- Artists: ship with tracking and share the tracking number with your buyer. Pack art like it matters — it does.
- No escrow, no buyer-protection claims. This site does not hold money, so it cannot refund a sale. Deal directly, ask questions first, and keep your messages.
- Artists: pay the 5% when you sell. It is the honor system that keeps this gallery free to list on. Artists who sell here and skip the fee lose their listings.
- Report a problem. If a deal goes wrong, message the founder through Facebook with your messages saved. Bad actors get removed — permanently.
Questions artists ask
What does it cost to list my art?
Nothing. Listing is free, for as many pieces as you like. You only pay when a piece sells through this site — 5% of the sale price, paid with the button in the Fees section. Optional extras are Featured ($5 for 7 days) and a Pro artist page ($9/month). That is every charge there is.
How do I get paid when someone buys?
Directly from the buyer, through the payment method you put on your listing — your PayPal, Venmo, or your own shop (Etsy, your website, anywhere). The money never passes through this site, so you get paid the moment the buyer pays.
Can buyers also buy from my own site or shop?
Yes — that is encouraged. Your listing can link straight to your own shop, and a Pro artist page puts that link front and center. If a piece sells through your listing here, the 5% success fee applies; this runs on the honor system, and it is what keeps listing free for everybody.
What kinds of art can I list?
Paintings, drawings, photography, sculpture, woodwork, fiber art, digital art, mixed media — original work by real artists. Prints and reproductions are welcome too, as long as the listing says plainly that it is a print. What is not allowed: other people’s work, mass-produced décor passed off as original art, or anything you don’t have the right to sell.
What if my piece doesn’t sell?
Then you have paid nothing — there is no listing fee to lose. Try a Featured week ($5) to put it at the top of the gallery, adjust the price, or list another piece. You can ask us to take a listing down any time, free.
Who runs this site?
Jerry Brock — a U.S. Marine veteran and 100% disabled veteran in Macomb, Michigan, who has bought, sold, and collected art for years and built this for the artists in his “starving artists trying to make a living” groups. It is a sister site to Trading Cards Safe Buy and Trade and Tools Safe Buy and Trade.