This is the most important guide in this category, because it explains the single thing that makes acquiring art on Art Kelen safe: your payment is protected until the work reaches you.
What the protection is. When you pay for a work, your money does not go straight to the artist. It is held by the platform. The artist is paid only after the work has been delivered to you and the order is confirmed. Until that happens, the money is held on your behalf — not the artist’s, and not Art Kelen’s to keep.
What it protects you from. It means you are never in the position of having paid for a work that has not arrived, with no recourse. The structure makes sure the work and the payment move together: the artist receives payment because the work reached you, not before. If something genuinely goes wrong before that point, your held payment is what makes a fair resolution possible.
When the payment is released. An artist’s payment is released after the artwork is delivered and the order is confirmed — either by the buyer confirming receipt, or by Art Kelen verifying delivery. This can take up to 7 days after delivery. That short window is deliberate: it gives you the chance to receive the work and confirm it is as it should be.
It protects the artist too. This is not protection for collectors at artists’ expense. The artist gains the certainty that a confirmed order is a real, funded sale — your payment is already secured by the platform before they dispatch. Both sides act in confidence.
Why it only works on the platform. This protection exists because the transaction happens on Art Kelen. A payment made privately, off the platform — by direct transfer to an artist, say — has none of it. This is why every guide in this Help Centre asks you to keep payments on Art Kelen. It is not a rule for its own sake; it is the very thing that keeps you safe.
Acquire with confidence. Your payment is held until the work is genuinely yours.