It is rare, but it happens: a work arrives and something is wrong. It was damaged on its journey, or it simply is not the piece the listing described. This guide is the calm first step — and the reassuring fact is that the platform’s protection exists for exactly this.
Do not confirm receipt. The most important thing first: if a work has arrived damaged or not as described, do not confirm receipt of it. Confirming receipt is for a work that has arrived as it should. While you have not confirmed, the transaction is not complete and your payment protection remains fully in place.
Document what you have received. Photograph the work as it arrived, and photograph the packaging too — keep the packing materials rather than discarding them. If a piece was damaged in transit, the state of the packaging can be part of understanding what happened. A clear visual record helps everyone reach a fair view.
Raise the concern promptly. Open a support conversation, or use the path the platform provides for a problem with an order, and explain plainly what is wrong. Do this soon after the work arrives, while everything is fresh. Mention the specific order and the work, and include your photographs.
What happens next. A genuine problem of this kind is taken seriously. It does not become an argument you must win against the artist alone — Art Kelen provides a clear process for looking at what happened and reaching a fair outcome. Because your payment is still held, a real resolution is possible: that may be a refund, or another fair conclusion appropriate to the situation. The next guides, on disputes and on refunds, explain how that process works.
Act in good faith. This protection is for genuine problems — a work truly damaged, or truly not as described. Raised honestly and promptly, a real concern will be met with a real process. That is precisely what the structure is there to provide.
A work arriving wrong is disappointing — but it is not a loss. Pause, document, and raise it. The protection has you.