How to buy your first work of art: prices, certificate and delivery, step by step
Your first original work of art in six steps: what it costs, where to look, what to ask, how it is verified, how it travels insured and which document comes with it. A gallery’s guide.
ByErick González
Buying a first work of art is simpler than the word "art" suggests. It is a purchase with a price, a document and a delivery, like any other, with one difference: the work is unique and its history starts with you. This guide walks the six steps as they happen in our gallery, so you know what to expect in any other.
1. What an original work costs
In our experience, works on paper and small editions start around USD 500; unique works by emerging artists sit between USD 2,000 and 6,000, and rise with institutional shows and a second gallery. On this site every work shows its price, in your currency if you like. Nothing is "price on request".
2. Where to look
Start with a gallery's roster, not an image search: a gallery has already made the selection and answers for the work. The works available filter by medium, size and price; the curated collections group works by theme, like an exhibition in miniature. Save the ones that stop you and come back a week later.
3. What to ask
Is it unique or an edition? An edition states how many exist; the price should reflect it.
Where has it been shown? Exhibitions and fairs are part of the provenance.
Which document comes with it? The right answer is a signed certificate of authenticity, not an email.
What does delivery cost and who insures it? It should be in writing before you pay.
4. How it is verified
Every work that leaves Avant.Dev carries a certificate of authenticity: the facts of the work frozen in a tamper-evident ledger, the signatures of the artist, the gallery and the collector, and a pass for your phone's wallet with a QR that opens the certificate's public page. Anyone with the QR can check that the chain holds; nobody can rewrite it.
5. How it travels
On each work's page you enter your country and postal code and see the delivery options with their price before the work goes into the bag. The delivery is insured for the price you paid, from the moment the carrier collects the work until you sign. If it arrives damaged, tell us within 48 hours with photographs of the box and the work, and the loss is ours, not yours. Outside Mexico, import duties are collected by the receiving country.
6. What you keep
The work, the invoice, the certificate in your wallet and a public page that shows what you decide: the work, the artist and the stamps, never your name or what you paid unless you switch it on. If one day you want to sell, the certificate is transferred with the work and the artist receives a resale royalty.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an account to buy?
Not to see prices or quote the delivery. To buy, an account is created with your email, with no password required, because the certificate is issued in your name.
Can I see the work before buying?
Yes, by appointment in Mexico City, and you can also collect it in person at no delivery cost.
What if I change my mind?
The return terms are on the Returns & delivery page; read them before paying, as you would for any purchase.
How avant.dev helps
Art advisory is what we do every day from Mexico City: we help collectors discover, acquire and build collections of original contemporary art, with the paperwork, the delivery and the certificate handled. If you would like a second opinion before your next acquisition, book a free 30-minute consultation or browse the works available now.
This content is for information and education only and does not constitute financial, investment, legal or tax advice.
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