Bluethumb Communication Policy

Best practices when communicating directly with collectors

Kate Revill avatar
Written by Kate Revill
Updated over a week ago

Bluethumb now hosts an amazing feature where collectors can communicate directly with artists. This communication is monitored by the Bluethumb team to make sure the communication guidelines are adhered to. It's also to ensure everyone involved has a good experience and is treated fairly. So, we've put together the following terms and guidelines below.

Requirements

Sales and orders

All enquiries started via Bluethumb must be completed through Bluethumb. This is a matter of integrity and a requirement of our terms and conditions. Any breach may cause temporary or permanent (artist) account deactivation. Only transactions completed on Bluethumb are covered under our Fraud Protection for artists.

Fair and respectful communication

Play nice! Naturally everyone involved is required to be respectful, fair, and any inappropriate behaviour towards other artists, collectors or the Bluethumb team is unacceptable and will be dealt with accordingly. 

Exchange of personal information

We work very hard, and invest heavily in marketing to create leads & sales. So exchanging personal information to continue conversations off Bluethumb is not allowed, unless approved by a Bluethumb team member. Failure can cause temporary or permanent (artist) account deactivation. 

Directing the client to an external/third-party site for completion of sale

Please respect the work Bluethumb does and never attempt to direct a client to a different site (including your website, your social media accounts or a third-party selling platform). This is strictly against the communication policy. 

Difference in pricing

Your artworks are to be priced uniformly on your Bluethumb profile website, via your social media or a third-party platform. If your artworks are priced differently on your personal website / other online platforms, Bluethumb can issue a notice at its discretion or put your account on hold temporarily until the prices are made uniform. 


Here are a few guidelines that we think might be helpful in communicating with collectors.

Communication

At Bluethumb, our average response rate to collectors is under 3 minutes (this is including after hours communication). This does mean less sleep - but great service!

Now that you are communicating directly with collectors, getting in touch quickly is key to converting that question into a sale.

  • Are you easily accessible over emails/texts/calls? Put your most contactable numbers in your accounts so the team can reach you quickly and easily. 

  • Do you have a landline number in your profile - fun fact, it can't receive texts when you sell something (or when Bluethumb or collectors try to reach you).

  • It’s team Bluethumb’s full time job to keep on top of all questions that are coming through about your artworks. Mention this in your listing (e.g. ask Bluethumb about commission/more photos etc.) so we can easily answer the small itsy bitsy questions (e.g. is this ready to hang - the most common question we get).

  • All conversations taking place via Bluethumb are occasionally monitored by Bluethumb staff - so if we think we can answer a question quicker, we will step in on your behalf as well. It's always good to follow up when you can though :)

Quoting a price

We understand maths isn't everyone's favourite past time - so we've put in an easy to use price calculator right in your inbox. You can use it to calculate all factors involved. It's key that you quote the final all inclusive price to the collector (and not the breakdown). This helps reduce the variables where a negotiation on pricing can happen.

Before quoting - keep these points in mind as well:

Are your prices uniform across all platforms that you sell through - including your website? They should be!

  • Even if your website doesn't include shipping prices or agent's commission. Price uniformity is an industry standard and can sometimes be missed very easily. This instils confidence in the collectors towards costs and avoids any price related discrepancies cross platform. This is also something we stand by quite strongly and is also a part of Ts & Cs of all art market platforms (including us - read details here).

How does this affect you might ask?

  • Most people only make decisions based on pricing when they're on the checkout/order page. That means, any discrepancies in pricing pushes them towards losing confidence in the brand (that's you as an artist). This pushes them back to the cycle of finding artwork they want and doing this all over again. Best avoided!

Commissioning an artwork

Have a quick read at this article which outlines a few points that every artist should consider when working on a custom/commissioned piece for a collector.

Relationships and Trust

Bluethumb's brand & reputation is built on trust and integrity - hard won over many years and thousands of interactions. We will never compromise on this. 

When you're talking to collectors directly you represent both yourself and Bluethumb. Always remember this and you'll be on track. 


Now that we've got through the formalities we hope you enjoy the new direct chat tool. This is brand new so if you find something that's not working as expected - as always, please let us know.

Your team at Bluethumb
💙👍

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