FAQs about Conversations

This article provides general information about the Conversations in Artsy CMS.

What is an “Artsy Confirmed Buyer”? 

An “Artsy Confirmed Buyer” (ACB) is a user who has made a purchase through Artsy before. Once a sale on Artsy has been verified by the gallery or collector, the user receives ACB status and badge- displayed in Conversations.  

Identifying ACBs increases the quality of your experience on Artsy and is a reciprocal process for all partners: When a gallery reports a sale to their Account Manager, Artsy’s Marketplace Support team will assign ACB status to the collector, ensuring that all future galleries (including you) can proceed confidently when they receive a new inquiry.

Through the “New” filter tab, I have discovered a number of unanswered inquiries, some of which date back many months. Should I respond now? 

It absolutely does not hurt to respond now! Sales have been recorded on Artsy as long as 12 months after the initial inquiry was received.

How do the “@reply-artsy.net” email addresses work? 

These Artsy-hosted emails work exactly like a regular email. With this system, we have the ability to provide better customer service. The system of Artsy-hosted email aliases is the foundation for creating a robust messaging center in your CMS.

Is there a character limit in Conversations?

No, there is no character limit on replies.

Why are my Conversations muted? 

This occurs either if a gallery’s contract lapses or for Trust and Safety reasons. Please contact partnersupport@artsy.net for further assistance. 

Which payment options could I provide?

Collectors have the possibility to Make Offers or place Purchase orders from within their Conversation page - depending on the artwork listing option you’ve set up. When doing so, they have the possibility to pay via credit card or bank transfer. You can learn more about our Make Offer in Inquiries feature.

I received an inquiry from a fraudulent user. Can you tell me more about whether your team has seen this before and what strategies you are employing to better vet these inquiries?

We do see suspicious users occasionally—no corner of the internet is safe from spam. We assure you that we’re working hard to protect our gallery partners. 

Here’s a breakdown of some of the safeguards currently in place:

• We temporarily block inquiries from a user that has placed 10+ inquiries in a 1-hour span and review these manually daily. Those inquiries from commercially-driven users are then released and conversations proceed as usual
• Our system automatically flags language in conversations the suggest fraudulent behavior (one example being, requests for strange payment methods like Bitcoin, WesternUnion or MoneyGram) 
• We now require that all users register with Artsy before they can place an inquiry

We certainly rely on our partners to protect each other as well. Please feel free to reach out to us via trust@artsy.net if you have any concerns or questions.