Art Brokerage
Reviews and Complaints

I had previously written about Art Brokerage Inc disgusting behavior when the owner specifically wrote "Deal with this As_hole" They tried to justify their action in another post I had written by claiming I lacked the knowledge to know about proper pricing and kept insisting I was pricing the item too high. Nothing could be further from the truth. To begin with I am a very sophisticated collector, having one of the larger sports collections nationally and am an expert in sports art for a quarter of a century. Items I have sold in the past have set World Records. Moreover I previously was the spouse of a gallery owner. Additionally I declined offers on this particular piece that were over 100 % higher that what Art Brokerage recommended I list this piece for.

In correspondence to them I explained that and specifically stated if they would not accept my pricing that was ok and I would simply not list the piece.

Yet, for this owner to then write "Deal with this As_hole" simply because I disagreed with them is something that is so low class and reprehensible they simply cannot defend themselves so they make up all kinds of excuses. Additionally they list on their website several originals by this same artist pieces of inferior quality for far more $$$ than what they suggested I list this piece for, yet when I pointed this out their comment was

that these pieces were all overpriced as well. Then why did they accept all these listings for inferior pieces at far higher prices? The owner hoped I would never see her insulting comments but they were sent in an email to me by error Now they have to live with this and rather than apologizing and accepting blame for their libelous comments they choose to double down

SHAME SHAME SHAME RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN BEFORE DEALING WITH THIS COMPANY!

It was very wonderful to have a company like Art Brokerage available for me to use to sell my art! I live in AK and it can be difficult to sell art. Helen with Art Brokerage was great to work with and the process was very efficient and went smoothly. My only complaint was needing to post my net take-away 1k below the appraised amount of the artwork. That 1k is "wiggle room" for negotiations (which I understand could be needed). On certain pieces of art listed, due to the 1k negotiation room I had to list my net take-away for a much less than what I paid for it. Besides that, I loved working with them and plan to in the future!

This is in regards to the serigraph I recently purchased from Art Brokerage.com. For me, this purchase was a true investment piece, and being that the transaction was all online, I was a bit hesitant , but I'm so glad I proceeded with the purchase. Working with Art Brokerage couldn't have been an easier. My initial inquiry got an immediate response and all further communications with Helen T regarding the next steps in the process, were friendly, responsive and clear. The whole experience put me at ease and confident that everything would proceed as expected. I now have my treasured serigraph framed and displayed in my home, and I couldn't be happier.
A very satisfied customer,
N.M.

WOW. My first purchase took a little while (ON MY PART) to find just the right piece of art. Along the way, Helen was AMAZING (A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.) with helping me and answering questions. Once I found the proper piece, what a pleasant experience. SMOOTH, EASY, EXCEPTIONAL service. The piece was packaged spectacularly, arrived in PERFECT hanging condition. Helen, followed the shipment from the moment I purchased it to the moment I told her it had arrived in perfect shape and I was very happy (AND SHE EVEN FOLLOWED UP AFTER THAT TOO!)

A spectacular experience I will HIGHLY recommend Art Brokerage, Inc. HIGHLY. SUPERIOR SERVICE AND DESCRIPTIONS! GREAT care is taken with the product and the sale!

I have sold 4 paintings through Art Brokerage, 2 very recently with Helen as my broker. The sales went very smoothly and were very easy on my part. After I had listed the paintings and coordinated pricing with their experts on the site, once the buyer contacted Art Brokerage about an offer, Helen handled all offers and counter-offered, was always helpful and supportive, and made the process very easy for me. I only paid for packaging then dropped the paintings at the places to be shipped. Extremely easy. Check was in my hands with a week or so of shipping. Even though buyer has 3 days to approve, they each approved even quicker and my check was sent promptly thereafter. Highly recommend this brokerage company and Helen as broker, in particular.

I had a great transaction with Robbie! He let me know I had an offer and advised me on how to proceed. With his advice, the art that I had been trying to sell for 5 years finally sold. I was happy with the price I got for the art and the communications with the broker. He advised me on how to package the art and provided a shipping label. I was able to track shipping and got confirmation when it was delivered. With in a day Robbie notified me that the buyer accepted the art and it would be paid out with in 7 days. I received an E-Check and it cleared the bank with no issues.

While I didn't get what I paid for the art, it was a very good transaction and I hope to have the same thing happen with the two other pieces I have listed.

Keep up the good work!

I recently sold my first piece of art through Art Brokerage, working with Helen T as my point-of-contact. I found the entire process to very efficient, from the initial listing of the piece, notification about a potential buyer, presentation of the formal offer, updates that the buyer's funds had been secured, responding to my packaging questions, providing feedback from the happy buyer upon receipt, and prompt payment via an eCheck process. I highly recommend Helen and Art Brokerage. Be aware that patience is needed after your art is listed. It may take many months for the right buyer to come along. Also, be truthful about the condition and description of your piece, as buyer approval of the as-received artwork is required before funds are released to the seller.

I believe my "broker" Helen Tu has scammed me. I was trying to purse a Frank Howell print. Made an offer that included shipping. Received an invoice with shipping. I agreed to pay $50 for insurance. Wired funds to bank as directed in Ketchum, ID. Bank returned funds saying the name provided was not associated with the account. I was charge a fee of $50 for the bank not exceptinng the funds. Notified "Broker" that funds had been transfer-did not hear from "Broker" for a week regarding touble with funds being wired. Broker never called me on phone to discuss. No phone number provided from Art Brokerage Inc. on paperwork. I would think the "seller" would have wanted to know what was happening with the transaction. No effort has been made to continue sale or refund $50.

Hello Art Brokerage, I have never sold artwork and I did not know where to start. Then, I found Art Brokerage. I was concerned about listing a valuable piece of artwork but quickly found that your technology and customer service made the process seamless. I was very relieved and now felt comfortable selling this piece of art which had been in our family for several generations. It took some time but then, when we had a buyer, you expertly managed the sale, purchase, escrow, shipping and delivery process for us. You stayed in close communication and set realistic time frames for the entire process we knew what to expect. I received my echeck yesterday and deposited it at Bank of America and that was that as they say. Really well done thank you you are a real professional. Art Brokerage

This was my first purchase through Art Brokerage and it couldn't have been better. Helen was helpful every step of the way. She was way more responsive and helpful than I would've ever expected. There were some delays in the shipping, which I expected given the size of the painting, as well as the ongoing hiring and supply chain issues, and Helen contacted the shipping company on my behalf and was able to provide me with updates that weren't available through the tracking website. Given that Art Brokerage isn't the shipping company and shouldn't be responsible for this since the seller is the one arranging the shipping, I was amazed at this level of service. The artwork that was delivered was exactly what I expected. In addition, I contacted an art dealer about some original Sam Park pieces he used to own and he told me that he's retired, and he recommended I try Art Brokerage.

"I first encountered Jaline Pol's work at the Hanson Gallery of Fine Art in Sausalito, CA when I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area. I stumbled upon her work again at Atlas Gallery in Chicago when I moved there for a few years. One of her pieces was the inspiration for a poem I wrote for a poetry class I took at the University of Chicago.

Art Brokerage made it possible for me to acquire one of Jaline Pol's pieces, "Nous Aurons D'efrangés Fleurs Sur Nos Efageres" (translated "we will have fringed flowers on our shelves") at a price only possible in a pandemic. This was a dream come true. It was a breeze working with Helen T who was highly communicative, professional, and supportive throughout the transaction from the time I expressed interest in the piece to my acquisition of it. I highly recommend Art Brokerage, and look forward to using their services again to expand my personal art collection."

The good folks at Art Brokerage did a spectacular job! I first saw a real interesting sculpture in a gallery on West Broadway NYC in 1991 - a long time ago. For some reason I thought about it again a few years ago and was able to use this thing that they did not have back in 1991 to find it called Google. It lead me to Art Brokerage where I tried to buy the piece for around two years. We finally were able to complete the purchase with the great help from Art Brokerage. They were competent, knowledgeable, pleasant and responsive. Frankly, I was a little reluctant making payment over the net to a group I did not really know, but that worked out fine. Among other things, they did a superb job packing the object, that could easily have been damaged in transit. It took me an hour to unpack it! After all these years this beautiful piece is now prominently displayed in my living room and I LOVE IT! Thank you to Art Brokerage for doing a superb job from start to finish!

Selling your art work to someone you will never personally see can be a stressful process. You work with your art broker to agree on a price then you take your art to a shipping service and pay out of pocket the costs to professionally and securely prepare the art work for shipping. Then your art work is gone on a truck. You have nothing but hope that the artwork will be delivered safely, that it will be accepted by the buyer, and that agreed upon funds for the sale will be received.
To make this great leap of faith you will need the utmost trust with your art broker and that is exactly what I found with Helen Smith. Her timely communications were key in my recently successful selling of some artwork. She let me know what to expect during the entire process, answered all of my questions in a very timely manner, provided me tracking information to stay on top of the progress of the shipment and even arranged for me to receive my full payment quicker than expected.

As I said, Trust is KEY and Helen Smith made sure that a potentially stressful transaction was carried out smoothly. I fully endorse Helen Smith and Art Brokerage for all of your artwork selling needs.

I was advised by a gallery if I wanted to sell the art I'd accumulated over the years- with COAs mind you- this was the place to go. They denied my postings and did not state as to why. They went on to claim the art was not valued at what I'd previously purchased it for.

I have UV protection glass in the frames and the frames were a custom job. So the frames themselves were upwards of $200/frame per piece. Each piece was about a grand from where I'd purchased it from.

They even admitted that it's a difference of opinion and "sorry" this didn't work out.

Far as I can tell they not only don't know what they're talking about, but they're undervaluing the works.

I even went ahead and checked other similar listings on their site and they were listed at close to $2000. Yet my postings for $1200 weren't approved? Similar product, more well known artist, and artists signatures as well all on my pieces. Very weird they'd approve unknown artists works and value it higher than that of well known artists- with the pieces even signed by the artists and COA provided.

Overall, I can only deduce this to being a form of discriminatory practice on their part.

I wouldn't trust this company and plan on steering clear. I can sell the pieces for what they're valued at without their help. It'll take more legwork on my end, but I guess that's what I have to do. Nothing in life is easy, I suppose.

Bought painting from Art Brokerage. No shipping damages. Item professionally repaired discovered later at appraisal. Art Brokerage does not authenticate et James Warren original painting 1978 "The Wise Man" I assumed, my error, Art Brokerage had expertise in the world of art. They do not. They are no more than a platform, just a middleman selling cars, trinkets etc. They should make it crystal clear to the buyer: They do not authenticate, They do not inspect work in any way, It could be a photo, It could be a fake etc. They have NO expertise in the Art world. Buyer should understand clearly up front he must pay to have the work professionally authenticated and inspected for all possible problems immediately. Art Brokerage does nothing. Trying to find someone in charge to communicate with is next to impossible.

Art damaged during shipping or by the buyer and it is being sent back to me damaged without any insurance payment. I sold an art print using this brokerage. Per their policy, I shipped the art in a professionally packaged art box. I have the receipt and I can get a written account of the staff helping me. I was there for a while. I wanted to ensure the art was packaged safely. Before I shipped the art, the brokerage told me the art is covered by insurance. They buyer pays the shipping and insurance. It is also clearly stated in their policy that the buyer pays for insurance. I also have a note from the broker reminding me to ship professionally or insurance may not cover any damage. I fulfilled my obligation and shipped the art in good condition and in a professional art shipping box. At some point the art was damaged. The brokerage now wants to return the art to me - damaged - and no insurance payment. This is a $2000 piece of art that is now damaged and likely can't be resold. I have contacted the brokerage many times. I've left voice mail messages. They have not responded other than to tell me they are shipping the art back to me. They never provided me with insurance coverage. I would like the insurance policy and the payment to cover the damaged piece of art. Again, Artbrokerage will not respond other than to say, we're shipping it back. I have all this documented. I am hopeful we can resolve this with insurance. If not, it is a much bigger issue as it's a $2000 piece of art. Please contact me if you need an additional information. Thank you

Poor representation, price gouging company that only cares about the money. Reminds me of other unethical businesses and practices. To whom it may concern, I am filing a complaint against Art Brokerage Inc. located in Henderson, NV. This complaint is for their complete failure to provide service, selling my art piece without my consent, and engaging in clear price gouging. The company has a 20% markup that they refused to negotiate on, even after months of no progress. As a result, my piece was sold at a price that was 30% higher than the artist's brand new price. Despite my repeated attempts to explain that the listed price ($4860) was significantly above the new gallery price, making it unattractive to potential buyers, the business refused to adjust the listing price and left it unchanged. Furthermore, the company does not allow customers to sell their piece elsewhere while it is in their possession, essentially holding my artwork hostage. I am seeking fair compensation for the six months of no service that I received. Below are some of the correspondences that clearly demonstrate the price gouging and the company's lack of effort in selling my piece:

"Robbie *** [protected]:56am PDT
Hello ***,
Your art is listed at $3,600 net to the seller. We mark up the art by 20% for our profit and quote 10% over that to allow for negotiation. The quoted price is $4,680, with the understanding that the buyer may make a reasonable offer. If you wish to sell this artwork, you must lower the price to the range of $2,000 - $2,500. We cannot help you recoup the full retail price you paid long ago. The secondary resale art market does not work that way.
Warmest regards,
Robbie"

"*** [protected]:08pm PDT
You are starting off at $4,680? That could be considered fraudulent. The piece is brand new and costs about $4,000 with tax and shipping. You need to work with me on the markup because we can either sell it or not, and if we don't, you get $0. I will not accept anything less than $3,400 net, and I request that we start with a quote of $4,000. That's a 10-15% profit, which is better than nothing. Please be reasonable."

"Robbie *** [protected]:58pm PDT
***,
You have been perpetually unhappy, and now you are accusing us of "fraud" for our 20% markup, which is necessary for our business to survive. We cannot work with sellers who believe they can dictate our terms and make false accusations. We are removing your listing and suggest you find another platform for selling your art. Perhaps you should try *** or an auction website. We wish you the best of luck with your sale.
Warmest regards,
Robbie"

Art Brokerage is still offering a painting for sale that I had already bought and paid for before it was shipped. I won the auction for the painting on eBay on May 14th, and the auction ended on May 19th. I was the highest bidder and promptly made the payment. When I reached out to the seller to arrange pickup, they informed me that they had listed the painting on Art Brokerage and chose to sell it there after I had completed the purchase. The seller attempted to retrieve the painting but had already shipped it on May 27th at 9 PM EST. I made it clear that the painting was sold and paid for, and should have been available for my pickup two days prior. The seller was uncertain about how to proceed and mentioned that Art Brokerage advised them to disregard the previous sale and continue with their brokerage service. I cooperated with the seller by sending them the invoice and the Certificate of Authenticity for the painting I had bought three days earlier. Art Brokerage has not yet responded to my email from the previous Friday, in which I asserted my ownership and stated that the seller no longer owned the painting as of May 19th. I will keep the community informed about the issue of brokers selling property without proof of ownership. I filed a claim with Artbrokerage.com regarding the questionable ownership, providing my proof of purchase and payment receipt. I am active in the community and will be open about my efforts to prevent my property from being sold without my consent. The painting was purchased for 1300 USD, and Art Brokerage sold it for 2500 USD, earning the seller a significant profit. I have provided the receipt, the auction screenshots, and I maintain my claim of ownership with payment made to the seller before Art Brokerage listed the item. I have both bought and sold items through Art Brokerage before, and the process was consistent. The item is still being brokered through Artbrokerage.com, and their CFO Helen was notified on the 22nd, with my initial inquiry on May 19th regarding the painting. The buyer from Art Brokerage is unaware of the ownership dispute. Most businesses would investigate when ownership is contested, but Art Brokerage continues to sell the item, risking the discovery of unclear title post-sale. I want to alert others that Artbrokerage.com does not verify ownership before selling items. If you suspect Artbrokerage.com is brokering your artwork without proper ownership verification, you should contact authorities and file a complaint. Art Brokerage will not stop the sale even with ownership proof sent to their CFO and consultants. A complaint and an investigation by local authorities may be necessary. I have provided my purchase, the Certificate of Authenticity, and the auction details, which show the item was not the seller's to sell. I plan to start a website for those who have dealt with Artbrokerage.com to share experiences and educate others about the industry's practices and Art Brokerage's adherence to them. Brokerage houses should suspend sales of disputed items to verify ownership claims. I encourage everyone to share their experiences and help those dealing with Artbrokerage.com, and to report such issues to the ComplaintsBoard.com. Look online for the upcoming site where we can collectively offer guidance and support.