Antfarm Zimbabwe, a local website and software development company, has announced the launch of an online store called ZimArt Shop. Antfarm launched ZimArt Shop in order to give Zimbabwean artists an online platform to sell their products. The online store is open to visual artists, writers, craft suppliers, local galleries and designers.
How do artists get their work on ZimArt Shop?
The first step is signing up. Artists can do this by going to the ZimArt Shop website and set up an account. When registration is complete, users are sent to the seller’s dashboard.
The sellers dashboard is where artists will be able to:
- See their orders pending and complete
- View sales history
- See revenues and conduct general accounting
- Manage products, upload pictures of items, set descriptions, set prices, mark items as sold and run sales and discounts.
Sellers will get their own shop link (zimartshop.co.zw/shop/”myshop”), similar to sites like Etsy. This sellers shop link is the one artists can send to potential clients so they can view their catalogue of products.
Service fees and shipping
ZimArt Shop will not physically keep any of the products. The products will be collected from the artist when there has been an order and the buyer will pay for the shipping. Shipping costs for buyers will depend on the distance and the mode of transportation used.
On the Artist end of the transaction, the store charges a commission of 10% for sales up to US$250. Sales above US$250 carry a rate of 5% + US$20.
How will artists get paid?
ZimArt Shop will only collect products when there has been a payment to the site. The money will be held in a central bank account and artists can choose their prefered method of payment. Options range from a bank transfer, Western Union, or cash. Artists can request payment at any time.
Payment options for buyers
There are two payment options available on the site at the moment which are PayPal (more for any international customers) and Paynow. I spoke to a representative from Antfarm Zimbabwe and they said that they will soon be adding mobile money wallets like EcoCash to make payments more accessible.
Beyond the circles of clients and galleries that creatives usually sell to I think ZimArt Shop is an interesting proposition. It’s another avenue that they can get their work to a broader audience.
The store also offers art event managers a place to list and sell tickets for exhibitions and arts & craft fairs.
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