We previously gave you the inside scoop about Amazon's online art gallery slated to be unveiled later this year. Many galleries were invited to a business meeting in May and others have been contacted since. Now we have a few more details from galleries who are involved with the venture. Although Amazon hasn't made any official announcement about the plan, it has shared more info with potential associates and we thought we'd share them with you.
The online merchant wants to offer buyers over 1,000 art objects from at least 125 galleries. Amazon executives said to a dealer that the company has landed 109 so far. An art dealer was told the new site will be similar to Amazon Wine, with the company working with 90 separate vineyards and wine dealers across the U.S. Amazon will take a commission from sales as opposed to a monthly fee. That commission will range from 5% to 15% depending on the price of the work (FYI: Artspace charges 10% to 20%).
Amazon seems to be targeting smaller dealers rather than international businesses. However the venture hasn't appealed to many potential clients. “I didn’t really have to think much about it and said it wasn’t for me,” said Augusto Arbizo, the founder of the New York gallery Eleven Rivington. “I have said no to most e-commerce opportunities for the simple reason that I just do not have that much inventory. And we work with very few artists who do editions or prints.”
[viaTheArtNewspaper]
