Questions
The things artists and galleries ask before they list. Never hesitate to reach out directly and we’re happy to answer any other questions: studioassistant@foldlaboratories.com
Money
What does Fold cost?
Nothing to open a studio and nothing to list. There are no subscription fees or service charges. All we take is eight percent of the price of a work that sells. We take nothing from your delivery charge, and we pay the card processing fees ourselves. We don’t make money until you do.
How do I get paid, and when?
You are the seller of record on every sale, and the buyer pays Fold. We keep our commission and the sales tax, which we remit, and send the rest to your Stripe account: your price less our commission, plus your whole delivery charge. Your first three sales are each paid out 14 days after the sale. After that, Stripe pays you out daily.
What if a buyer wants their money back?
We issue every refund, in full, to the buyer’s card. What the sale paid you comes back from your Stripe account, and our commission and the sales tax come back from us, so you give back exactly what the sale paid you. If it has already been paid out, your Stripe balance can go below zero until your next sales cover it, or Stripe takes it from your bank account.
What if a buyer disputes the payment with their bank?
We answer the bank, once, with our own records and the dispatch record you made on your Sales page. We tell you when a payment is disputed, what we need from you and by when. If the bank sides with the buyer, we take back what the sale paid you. The dispute fee is ours, win or lose, and the work stays sold.
Listing your work
Can I list before my payment account is ready?
Yes. Catalogue as much as you like. Work stays off the market until Stripe has cleared you, and then goes live on its own.
How do editions work?
A numbered edition is one listing with a line for every impression — each numbered print and each proof has its own price and can be sold or taken off sale on its own. You can grow or shrink the run later; anything already sold stays exactly as it sold.
Can I change or remove a listing?
For sure. Edit your works or take them off sale and re-hang them. Changes you make take effect immediately. We’ll only stop you if a sale is currently pending.
The AI of it all
Do you use AI on my work?
We do. A vision model scans your photographs for attributes and the written details you provided when listing are turned into a form agents can easily search. Nothing that comes of this is ever represented as your words, and is only visible to AI agents. The description that any human would read is always yours.
What can buying agents actually see of my images?
It depends. An agent we cannot identify sees one reduced, watermarked copy of your lead image and nothing else. Agents that have asked us for a credential (and can therefore be traced) see your photographs at full size, including details like versos and signatures. Every link we hand out expires after fifteen minutes, and we keep detailed records of each: which agent, which photograph, and when.
Do you train AI on my work?
No. We do not train models on your work, and we do not permit anyone we work with to use it to train theirs. Our entire tech stack is developed to help artists leverage AI to their benefit. We take this part seriously.
Sending the work to a buyer
Who ships it?
We ask that you do. You choose the method and set the delivery charge when you list the work, we pass both to the buyer’s agent exactly as you wrote them, and we do not take a cut of it or mark it up.
How should I pack it?
Take glass out of the frame, or tape it across if it must travel in. Protect the corners, wrap the face against the wrap itself, and use a rigid box with at least two inches of cushioning on every side so the piece cannot shift. Mark it fragile on more than one face. Photograph the work and the packed parcel before it leaves you. If a work arrives damaged, those photographs are important to hold the shipper liable.
Authenticity
Should I certify my work?
Only if you want to — and if you do, it stays between you and the buyer. Fold does not collect, store or pass on certificates of authenticity, and we never write one on your behalf. If you have one, send it with the work. We do not authenticate art.
What is the statement you ask me to make?
This part is optional, but we like to ask if you made the work or if you represent the artist and have their permission. It appears on a public page with the date and whether your identity had been verified at the time. Providing this statement helps improve your trust and ability to sell.