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Most frequently asked questions about artnet

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1. Do I need to login to use artnet?

    Many of artnet's services are free and do not require a login, such as:
    Artists Directory
    Galleries Network
    Auction House Directory
    Events Calendar
    artnet Magazine

    Services which require a login/subscription are:
    artnet Price Database
    Market Trends Reports
    Market Alert Emails
    artnet Online Auctions

2. How do I learn the value of a particular artwork?

    Step 1: Begin by doing a basic search for your artist to get an overview of his/her works. Type the artist's name into the search box at the upper right of artnet's page, or through the Artists Directory.

    Step 2: On that artist's summary page, you'll find artworks for sale at galleries and upcoming auctions to gain some idea of the current market price. For example, see Milton Avery.

    Step 3: The artist's summary page will also tell you how many past sale results artnet's Price Database contains by this artist. The Price Database is a comprehensive illustrated archive of 3.7 million auction lots from 500 international auction houses since 1985. It allows you to independently research sold prices of similar works by that artist to compare to yours. You can search by just artist name, or narrow your search down to works of a certain medium, size, particular work dates, title keywords, etc. The Price Database requires a subscription. Visit the Price Database to learn more.

    Step 4: For in-depth analysis of all auction sales of a particular artist, consider purchasing a Market Performance Report.

    Note: To authenticate and appraise your artwork, try our Art Services listings for appraisers and art consultants.

3. Can I be notified when artworks by a specific artist are for sale at auction or in galleries?

    Yes, through our Market Alert Email service. Choose up to 30 artists from artnet's database of 180,000 international artists. Select by artist and medium, then receive email alerts when works of art become available that match your criteria. For more information visit Market Alert Emails.

4. I found an artwork for sale that I'm interested in. Who should I contact?

    Please contact the gallery who listed the work online. Contact information for the gallery can be found under the enlarged view of the artwork. Click "send email" to send a direct message to the gallery, or call the phone number listed.

5. I'd like to find potential buyers for an artwork I own. Where do I look?

    Find your artist in the Artists Directory or search engine, and visit his/her artnet homepage. If any dealers are advertising an interest in purchasing works by this artist, they will be listed here under "Dealers wanting to buy". If none are listed, you might look at the list of "Dealers selling" because dealers who frequently sell an artist may also be interested in buying as well. Either list can be sorted by location so you can find dealers in your area.

    If you are a dealer, set up a Gallery Website so that you may continuously advertise your inventory.

    Also consider buying a banner advertisement across the top of that artist's page or on the artnet search engine results page for any specific name or phrase. To learn more about banner advertising, click here.

6. How do I set up an artnet Gallery Website?

    To learn more about becoming part of the Galleries Network, click here.

7. I'm an artist seeking representation. May I contact artnet's member galleries?

    artnet asks that artists respect our member galleries' busy schedules and refrain from contacting them about your work unless they specifically mention on their site that they are looking for new artists. Please also be sure only to approach galleries who specialize in Emerging or Contemporary art, not those who deal exclusively in Old Masters or Modern art for example.

8. How do I subscribe to the artnet Price Database, Market Alert, or purchase Market Performance Reports?

    Click on “Join Now” at the top right corner of any page on artnet, above the “search” field. Then click on one of the services listed under “Are You a New Customer?”
    Step 1: Select a Type of Subscription
    This link will take you to the first step of the subscribing process: Select a Type of Subscription.
    Click the orange Add to Cart button located under the subscription you wish to purchase.

    For Institutional (greater than 900 searches per year) and IP Restriction accounts for the Price Database, please contact us at 212-497-9700, x373 or
    email auction-sales@artnet.com.
    Step 2: Review Your Order
    This step will help you review the services you have requested to purchase. If you wish to remove a service, simply click the appropriate box in the “Remove” column and click the orange Update Cart button. If you wish to make further purchases, select the desired service from the beige “Add Another Service” box. When you have reviewed your final selection, please click the orange Next button.
    Step 3: Enter your Billing Information
    The third step of the registration process will ask for your billing information. Any field marked with a star is required to continue the process. Please enter a valid email address so that we can contact you in the event that your credit card expires. The Username and Password must be minimum of four characters. The Password hint will be given to you in the future if you forget your password. Please be sure that your username, password and password hint are all different, or you will not be able to continue.
    You must also confirm that you have reviewed and that you accept artnet’s Terms and Conditions.
    Click Next at the bottom of the page to go on to the next step. If you wish to cancel the transaction, please click the “Cancel This Sign Up” link. If you have missed a required field, or have entered a username that is already in use, you will be asked to fix the fields highlighted in yellow before you continue on to the next step.
    Step 4: Review and Complete your Order
    On this page you will see a summary of the services you selected and the billing information you entered. Please review carefully. If any information is inaccurate or missing, click the Edit Info button to go back to the billing page and then edit changes.
    If everything is correct, please hit the Purchase button at the bottom to charge your credit card and finalize your order.
    Step 5: Print Receipt
    Once you have purchased your order you will be taken to a confirmation page that you can print for your records and an email will be sent to verify your first monthly charge. Click Continue to go to your Member Services home page and begin using your service.

    *Note: If you already have a username and password and wish to purchase another subscription, simply login with your existing username and password and click on the type of subscription that you want under “Buy Other Services” – this will take you through a similar sign-up process without requiring you to create a new username and password.

9. I already have a subscription but I am having trouble logging in. What can I do?

    Here is a brief list of common login issues and solutions:

    1. Is the caps lock key currently turned on? Your login information is case specific. Please make sure that
    you are using the correct letter cases for your password.

    2. What time and date does your computer’s clock currently show? If the time or date is incorrect artnet will
    not be able to log you in for security reasons.

    3. Have you recently cleared your cookies and cache of temporary data? artnet uses what are called session
    cookies to recognize that you have logged into the site. Depending on your personal browsing patterns you
    may need to clear your cookies in order to login to artnet.

    4. You may need to configure your browser to have the correct security settings. Please follow this guide to
    show you how to turn these settings on.

10. I only signed up for a one-month Price Database or Market Alert account, but my credit card has been billed
this month. Why was I charged again?

    As stated in the "Service Description," both the Individual Rollover and the Professional Rollover automatically renew every month. There is no one-month subscription. If you would like to only use the Price Database for one month, you must cancel the service before the renew date listed on your Member Services page. If you cancel before the renew date, you will be able to access the Price Database until the renew date, but your subscription will not be renewed.

11. I logged into my artnet account, but my Price Database account is no longer listed under
“My Current Subscriptions.” How can I reactivate it?

    If there was a problem with your credit card (e.g. it expired, you were over your credit limit, etc.) and we were unable to renew your service, your subscription will automatically be removed from your list of current services after the normal renew date. To restore service, you must reactivate your subscription to that service. To do so, please log in to your account and click on the orange Renew button on your Member Services page and it will prompt you to update your billing information and renew your service. Your credit card will be charged at this time. If your card is about to expire, a warning email will be automatically sent to notify you.

12. In addition to my normal monthly charge for my Price Database Subscription, there is a second charge of a
different amount on my credit card. What is this second charge?

    If you go over your allotted monthly searches (10 per month for Individual Rollover, 30 for Professional Rollover) you are automatically charged for each additional search. If you have an Individual Rollover account, it is $3.50 for each additional search. If you have a Professional Rollover account, it is $3.25 each for the additional search. The extra charges appearing on your credit card statement are for the previous month (i.e. your bill will show your monthly fee for the current month and the extra charges from the previous month). Local sales taxes may apply.

13. How do I update my credit card information?

    You can update your credit card information online.

    Step 1 : Click the “login” link at the top of the artnet homepage and log into your account. This will bring you to the Member Services Home page.

    Step 2 : On this page, you will see a box titled “My Account,” under which you will see “Update Account Info.” Under this heading you can select “Update Billing/Contact Info” to change your billing information.

    Step 3 : Enter your updated information and click the orange button labeled “Update” to save all changes. Your information will be updated and you will be taken back to the Member Services Home page.

    *If your subscription has recently closed due to billing issues, please click on the orange Renew button listed under the name of your previous subscription and enter updated billing information.

14. How do I cancel my service?

    You can cancel any self-renewing subscriptions purchased online by logging into your Member Services home page.

    Step 1 : Click the “login” link on the upper right corner of the artnet website and log into your account with your username and password. This will bring you to your Member Services home page.

    Step 2 : On the Member Services page, you will see under the headline “My Current Subscriptions” all currently active services (i.e. Individual Rollover or Professional Rollover). Beneath each service you will see a “cancel service” button. Click on the “cancel service” button and then confirm by clicking OK in the pop-up window. Your subscription status will then say "Set to be Cancelled" with the phrase “Subscription Cancels: mm/dd/yyyy.” You will then be able to use your remaining Price Database searches until the cancellation date listed.

    *Note: Please be aware that between the date the subscription is cancelled and the end of the billing period in which it was cancelled, you will be able to use the service. Any searches over the amount you have available on that account are still subject to overage charges. If you incur overages after cancellation, your card will be charged one final time for the overages on the date the account closes (the date listed on your Member Services page beneath the name of the subscription after the account is cancelled.)

15. What is artnet's refund policy?

    Refunds are only issued within three months of the charge date. Charges older than three months are considered indisputable. The maximum refund, regardless of reason, is three months worth of a subscription.

    Refunds are granted in the instance that:
    1. artnet has erroneously charged a client.
    2. A client has requested cancellation by phone or email and it has been recorded in artnet's Phone Records but the account was not cancelled.

    Refunds are not issued when:
    1. A client is unaware of the automatic renewal policy on any applicable subscriptions.
    2. A client is unhappy with the quality of the service, information in the database, or timing of the market alerts.
    3. A client has used the subscription (such as having done Price Database searches or purchased an artnet Market Performance Report).
    4. A Market Alert subscriber fails to enter the artists into her/his profile and no alerts are sent.
    5. A Market Alert subscriber does not give a valid email address.
    6. A customer has more than one Price Database account but each is under a different username.
    7. A client wants to upgrade Price Database accounts, but has used the original account prior to the upgrade request.

16. Do I need JavaScript turned on in my browser? If so, how do I do this?

    JavaScript
    artnet uses JavaScript to enhance the user's browsing experience. Most common browsers (e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox) already have JavaScript turned on by default so there's no configuration necessary. If you suspect that JavaScript was turned off in your browser, please follow these instructions to turn it on:

    With Internet Explorer 6 and 7 (Windows):

    1. Click on the Tools menu.
    2. Select Internet Options.
    3. Click on the Security tab.
    4. Click on the button Custom Level... located at the bottom of the window.
    5. Scroll down until you see Scripting. It should be near the bottom of the list.
    6. Under Active scripting, make sure the option Enable is chosen.
    7. Click OK. Click OK again to close the Internet Options.

    With Internet Explorer 5 (Macintosh):

    1. Click on Preferences in the Edit menu.
    2. Click on Web Content under the Web Browser option.
    3. Under Active Content, click the checkbox Enable scripting.
    4. Make sure Java is enabled.
    5. Click OK.

    Firefox 2.x.x and 3.x.x (Windows):

    1. Open Firefox
    2. On the Tools menu, click Options.
    3. Click on the Content icon.
    4. Check the box next to Enable JavaScript.
    5. Click the Advanced button to open the Advanced JavaScript Options box.
    6. Check the boxes under Allow scripts to section that you want to allow.
    7. Click OK. Click OK again to close the Options box.

    With Firefox 2.x.x and Higher (Macintosh):

    1. Click on Firefox and select Preferences.
    2. Click on the Content tab.
    3. Ensure that Enable JavaScript is checked.
    4. Close the window.
    5. Quit/exit Mozilla Firefox after you change settings and then re-start the application.

    With Safari (Macintosh):

    1. Click on Safari, then select Preferences.
    2. Click on the Security tab.
    3. Under Web Content, ensure that Enable plug-ins and Enable JavaScript are checked.
    4. Close the window.
    5. Quit/exit Safari after you change settings and then re-start the application.


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