TRUST is what I want associated with my name. —Dorothea Sandra

More and more, people want to buy art online, but as many of us know, buying a work of art online has its fears, dangers, and challenges. As an artist, I strive to create beautiful art. As a business owner, I strive for EXCELLENCE in client care.

HOW DO I DO THIS?

My buyers can trust my materials. I use only quality canvas. I also use “professional-level” paint. There’s “studio-level” paint for students, hobbyists, and beginners, which costs significantly less money. I use top quality, expensive, professional-level paint.
My buyers can trust my SSL secure and encrypted website. I use Squarespace, an American website building and hosting company with over 4 million subscribers and over 1.01 billion in revenue. My website is SSL secure, which secures connections and prevents hackers from impersonating businesses or stealing visitors’ information.
My buyers can trust their art to get packaged, shipped, and delivered professionally. Dorothea Sandra Art has a reputation for shipping internationally and nationally without any issues. From packaging a painting so it doesn’t get damaged to filling out Customs forms, Dorothea Sandra Art handles everything professionally.
My buyers can trust that I will be available to them for questions or any concern BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER their purchases. My art studio is located in a lovely town along the shores of Lake Huron in Northern Michigan. There are only about 2,500 people in town (and even less in the winter) with the nearest big box stores over 40 miles away. There are not many time-taking distractions, so even with a busy painting schedule, there’s always an abundance of free time to give to clients when they text, email, or call me.
My buyers can trust that I will work with them with a return. I have never had a return. With all the art I have sold and all the commissions I have been hired to do, I have never once had a return. If I do get one, I will definitely work with a client to make them feel satisfied and happy. Buying a work of art should be a super happy, joyful event.
- Return Policy: Dorothea Sandra Art accepts returns for both defective and non-defective products and new and slightly used products (meaning product has been removed from packaging). Exchanges are acceptable. There is a 30 day return window. The method to return is by mail and return labels will be downloadable and free. The refund processing time is 30 days.

Here’s a blog I wrote about the anatomy of a Dorothea Sandra Art sale. It shares who I am and what you can expect.

Anatomy Of An Art Sale

Written by Dorothea Sandra, BA, EDAC

My art business is not without its challenges. I live in a clean, safe, nature-filled part of Northern Michigan. It’s a fabulous place to create art, but it’s SUPER REMOTE.

I sell online internationally and nationally, but I also like to sell locally. I’m fortunate that about 40 miles away there’s a town called Alpena, Michigan. I really enjoy Alpena and call it my “authentic” arts town because it has not yet become too commercialized. It’s busy with so many downtown festivals and so many summertime visitors from all over the world. In 2024, Viking Cruise Ships on their Great Lakes Tours will stop 26 times in Alpena’s harbor.

Recently, at the Art In The Loft gallery in downtown Alpena, I sold a 6’x9’ painting called Wildflower Wonderland.

A cruise ship visitor from Kansas City, Missouri fell in love with this evidence-based design work of art. She really wanted to buy it but had no idea how to purchase it (while on a cruise) and then get it up on the wall in her home. The staff at Art In The Loft told her I shipped internationally and nationally and gave her my art studio number. When she called, I assured her I would take her through the sale step-by-step.

After she made the purchase, the first thing I did was have the painting taken off the gallery wall, wrapped back up, and transported back to my studio. In the studio, I then examined the painting and rewrapped it in acid-free glassine paper (which protects against moisture, air, and grease).

I then gave the painting additional protection by wrapping it in bubble wrap and prepared a shipping crate.

While this was going on, I got on the phone and called framing shops in Kansas City, Missouri to arrange for the painting to be stretched and attached to a wooden frame.

Why didn’t I stretch and frame the painting here in Michigan and then ship it to Missouri? If I had tried to ship a 6’x9’ framed painting, the cost would have been too expensive.

Finding the right stretching/frame shop for a client is one of the trickiest parts of the sale.

The first place I called—a well-known art chain store in Kansas City—wouldn’t stretch such a large painting. The second place I called—a framing store with corporate clients—at first said stretching a 6’x9’ wouldn’t be a problem and would only costs a couple hundred dollars, which is a good price for a stretch. The second time I called to confirm the sale, the manager told me he’d get back to me in 10 minutes. After waiting, I called him back an hour later and an employee told me he was busy talking to customers. He never did call me back. The third place I called—the Brookside Gallery on 114 West 63rd Street in Kansas City—was fabulous. They were a tiny bit more expensive, but they could easily trim and stretch a 6’x9’. I shipped the painting directly to them, which saved the buyer any to-and-from transport headaches.

When I make arrangements like this for my buyers, I always look for extreme business competence and excellent customer care. The Brookside Gallery also agreed to connect my buyer with their local art transport company/wall installer.

One thing I do as an art business owner is take responsibility for giving clients an easy, stress-free buying experience.

I figure if I am taking the extra time to create evidence-based design art that triggers the brain to produce happiness chemicals, then I should also take the time to create buying experiences that also produce happiness chemicals in the brain.

In the end, my client who bought an evidence-based work of art while on a cruise, will have been taken care of every step of the way.

I told her, until the painting is installed exactly the way she wants it on her wall, we are in this together.

Email: dorothea@dorotheasandra.com

Text or Phone: 1 (989) 255-9341