FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – BY BUYERS

1. What is different about your site that distinguishes it from so many other sites that are in existence for many years?

Our site will have e-commerce functionalities built in. Once you like a painting after seeing all the details on our site, you can directly place an order and pay for the painting on the site.

(Most well-known art websites belong to Art Galleries who use their site as an alternate marketing channel to promote art to a wider audience. As a Buyer, if you want to buy a painting from these sites you cannot do so, since majority do not have e-commerce functionalities. The buyers will be asked to contact the Gallery by telephone/ e-mail for more details such as price, availability, etc. But as a Buyer you would like to see all the details on the website and also buy when you are ready to.)

The site will only display paintings that are available (not sold). Paintings already sold will move to the Artists Profile which you can view to see the range of Artist’s work.

(On most art websites you will not know if the painting is available from the site itself. If after contacting the art gallery you find that the painting has already been sold, you would be disappointed and perhaps annoyed at wasting your time. When galleries sell thru their galleries as well as online it is possible that what you see online may always not be available. This will not be the case with Kalaa where we only sell online and any painting that is listed is available for purchase.

We carefully select artists based on their talent and professionalism but we are not judgmental about their style or work. This means that our collection is much more eclectic and would cater to a wider range of tastes.

(Galleries accept artists based on their perception of whether their art is “popular” or “marketable”. This may keep out promising young artists with non-conventional styles, themes and mediums. At Kalaa we scout for highly talented artists who are as yet un-recognised. By promoting the works of such emerging artists we not only offer quality art at competitive prices leaving enough room for appreciation, but you will enjoy a wider choice of styles and themes.)

Kalaa is positioned as a destination for Buyers who genuinely love art and buy it for its own sake and not just as an investment. This positioning will be apparent in the way we organize the SEARCH features on the site and how we market the site, among other things. For e.g., we will organize our SEARCH features using criteria such as Theme, Medium & Surface, Key Words that best describe painting, Colors, Orientation, suitability on the wall and Budget.

(Most other art websites organize their search for paintings primarily “By Artist”. A few of them have themes and Medium/Surface as well. But Search By Artists does not help a Buyer who does not mind buying the work of an unknown artist so long as it meets his criteria and he likes it.)

2. What kind of Art will you list on your site?

We will start with all kinds of “FLAT” Art, i.e. 2-dimensioanl art, such as Paintings, Drawings, Prints and Art Photography, which are easily shippable. We will add Sculpture and selected Crafts as categories later. As far as possible, we will encourage artists to offer works that are easily shippable. Any work of art that offends any religious faith, person or community will not be allowed on the site and we will strictly enforce this.

3. Is this site meant only for emerging artists? Will KALAA list works from established and commercially successful artists?

We are open to listing Art works of any artist; even those who are already established and successful. However, since we believe there are more art lovers than art investors, we will have a bias towards emerging and unknown artists. This also means we will not be promoting Artists; rather we will promote their Art.

4. How do you price the artworks? Is there any special benefit in buying from Kalaa?

As far as possible we primarily source directly from Artists thus eliminating any middleman costs. We also do not charge the artist for listing their art on our site. By not having a physical gallery, we do not incur any storage, display and high establishment costs. So, the artworks come to you direct from Artist passing through Kalaa only for quality and authenticity checks prior to shipment.

The pricing reflects all the above savings and a markup for Kalaa that’s well below “industry” standards. Costs of shipment thru courier and insurance etc. are charged at actuals and we do not try to make any money off extras.

Most importantly we believe in transparency and you will find prices for all artworks on the site itself. At checkout we will provide a detailed invoice showing cost of artwork, freight and insurance charges and taxes if any.

5. Can I buy on a cash and carry basis (without an invoice)?

No, unfortunately not. We sell only on a “delivered” basis and payment is currently accepted only by Credit Card. Later we will introduce payments by Debit Card, Cheques, etc. but not by cash. If you are based in India, payment will be in Indian rupees if the shipment is to an address in India. If you want it shipped overseas then payment has to be made in Foreign currency using an International Credit card. Overseas buyers have the choice of paying in one of 3 currencies – USD, Euro and Sterling Pound.

All sales are against invoice and local taxes will be added if shipment is within India. For shipments outside India, Indian sales tax is not applicable, but Buyer is liable to pay Import Duty and local taxes in the country of Import.

6. Will the artworks be insured and what happens if artwork gets damaged or lost in transit?

Artworks costing below In.Rs.20, 000 or USD 500 are self insured by KALAA at no extra cost to Buyer for upto 90% of the value excluding cost of shipping. Re-imbursement is claimable for total loss (max 90%) and for damages sustained during transit (upto 90%). Claims will be paid only after following due “CLAIMS PROCEDURE” provided claim is logged within the “claim registration window” of 48 hrs from receipt of shipment.

Artworks costing above In. Rs. 20,000 or USD 500 will not be self-insured by KALAA and Buyer will have option of purchasing Transit and Damage Insurance cover thru Kalaa at an additional cost of 2% of value. If the Buyer does not choose to buy insurance, Kalaa will not be liable for re-imbursing Buyer for any damages sustained in transit or for total loss.

7. Why should I pay in advance; and what happens if KALAA is unable to ship the painting for whatever reason?

By paying in advance, the art item is reserved for you and it will be removed from the site listing so others cannot order it. On payment the sale amount is not immediately charged to the card account but only secured against your card limits until item is shipped. This means that your available card limit will be reduced to the extent of the payment amount. The card account is charged soon after the items(s) are shipped to you. If, for whatever reason, Kalaa is unable to ship the item(s), the card account is not charged and the hold on the card limit is released.

8. How soon after payment will we get our shipment?

From the time payment is made, it will take a maximum of 2 weeks to ship the goods. During this time Kalaa will receive the artwork from artist, check it for authenticity and quality; pack it in transit-worthy packaging and finally ship it to you thru a reliable Air Courier company, or by Air Freight, in case item is bulky.

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9. If KALAA cannot ship the artwork after payment how will I be compensated?

It is possible that in rare cases KALAA may not be able to ship the painting selected by buyer for which he has made advance payment. This could either be due to a quality problem discovered before shipment or non-availability of painting with KALAA. In this case KALAA will refund the full payment (i.e. the card will not be charged). Once this is done, you can choose either another similar painting from the same or different artist. If the artist has not delivered to KALAA for whatever reason then we will blacklist the artist.

In any case KALAA will not be liable to pay you any more than the payment value.

10. How will claims be handled? What happens if I have a quality complaint after receiving the artwork?

First of all we need to clarify what constitutes a “quality” problem. If for e.g. you purchased a painting and you feel the colors are not the same as you saw on the computer screen, will this be treated as a quality problem? The answer is No, since we cannot ensure the color of the artwork is optimized to all kinds of computer monitors. We will take all care at KALAA to ensure the pictures listed on our site are a faithful rendering of the original. If you have any doubts about the color, you can request for a color photo to be sent by mail before purchase.

Similarly, you may feel that the size of the artwork is either much smaller or larger than you imagined. Here again this is not a quality problem. We provide the dimensions of the artwork on the site and we also have a unique feature that allows you to “see a paintings on the wall”. This way you can put up the painting you select on a virtual wall and see its size and proportion in relation to familiar objects in the rooms.

A quality problem is usually due to damage caused to the artwork. KALAA checks for damages and flaws prior to shipment. So, damages if any, are usually caused during transit. If consignment is insured you will be compensated for the damage including upto total value in case it is severe.

11. Can I cancel my order after payment; and do you have a returns policy?

After payment you can cancel your order without any charges provided your request reaches us by e-mail within 48 hours of making payment. If your request reaches after 48 hours, but within 7 days from making payment, we will deduct 10% and refund the balance. However after 7 days, there will be no refund and we will ship the order to you.

We do not have a returns policy, i.e. you cannot return a purchase after it has been delivered to you. So, you must be sure of your purchase when you check out and pay for it. If you need time to decide, you can save items in your shopping cart, without checking out, for upto 10 days. However, during this time, the item will not be de-listed from the site. If anyone else purchases the item, then it will be removed from the shopping cart.