Built By An Artist Who Got Tired Of The System
I've been selling art online for years.
Like many artists, I've listed my work on platforms such as Bluethumb, Artmajeur, eBay and Fine Art America.
My work has also been represented by galleries in Brisbane.
I've experienced the excitement of making sales. I've also experienced the frustration of watching fees, commissions and complicated systems slowly eat away at the reason I started creating art in the first place.
The Sale That Broke Me
Recently, I sold an artwork for around $900 through an online platform. Lets call it "Purple Finger".
After commissions, fees and associated costs, my share was closer to $400. This wasn't a small artwork. It was over 100cm wide.
Then came the shipping.
The platform controlled the communication. The platform controlled the shipping process. The platform sat between the artist and the buyer.
A simple misunderstanding around courier bookings turned into a nightmare.
The first courier booking I cancelled was collected anyway. The artwork was sent through the wrong service. Two weeks later, the artwork arrived back at my studio.
After all the stress, confusion and wasted time, I cancelled the sale entirely.
Not because the buyer did anything wrong.
Not because the artwork wasn't wanted.
Because the process had become more painful than the sale was worth.
The Problem Isn't The Artists
Artists are expected to create the work.
Photograph the work.
Write the descriptions.
Build an audience.
Market themselves.
Package the artwork.
Organise freight.
Handle customer enquiries.
And then hand over huge percentages of the sale to platforms that often put themselves between the artist and the collector.
Meanwhile, many platforms encourage artists to spend even more money on featured listings, promotions, upgrades and premium placements just to be seen.
I've never paid for those extras.
Not because they don't work.
Because I don't believe artists should have to keep paying to be visible.
Why RedToe Exists
RedToe exists because I believe there is a simpler way.
A platform where artists and buyers can connect directly.
A platform where artists manage their own communication.
A platform where artists organise their own shipping.
A platform that doesn't try to control every part of the transaction.
Most importantly, a platform that doesn't take a massive chunk of every sale.
If an artist knows how to package their work, ship their work and communicate with their buyer, why should someone else take 30%, 40% or even 50%?
Keeping It Simple
RedToe is not designed to become another giant corporation squeezing artists for every dollar.
The model is simple.
When you list an artwork, you pay a flat 5% listing fee based on the artwork's advertised price.
That's it.
No commission when it sells.
No featured artist packages.
No premium placement upgrades.
No pay-to-win visibility.
No hidden surprises.
The listing fee helps cover the cost of running the platform while ensuring artists keep the proceeds from their sale.
Why I'm Doing This
I'm not building RedToe because I think it's going to make me rich.
I'm building it because I know how hard it is to get artwork in front of people.
One of my own artworks sat listed online for more than a decade before finally selling.
That sale reminded me of something important:
Art doesn't always sell quickly.
But it can't sell if nobody sees it.
If RedToe helps artists gain more visibility, reach more collectors and keep more of what they earn, then this project has done its job.
FOR
THE HELL OF IT
The name RedToe comes from the idea that not everything has to be built for maximum profit.
Sometimes you create something because it should exist.
Because you've lived the problem.
Because you're tired of seeing artists treated as a revenue stream instead of the reason the platform exists.
RedToe is for artists.
Built by an artist.
For the hell of it.