How Charles Moffett uses Artlogic Pay to fuel transactions

  • Case study

    With ambitions for growth, Charles Moffett uses Artlogic Pay to fuel transactions

  • Gallery name: Charles Moffett

    Location: New York City, USA

    Market: Primary, Contemporary

    		 Size: 4-10 employees 
     Gallery established: 2018 Started using Artlogic Pay: April 2023
  • Charles Moffett is a contemporary art gallery based in New York. Established in 2018, now with two operational spaces, Charles...

    Charles Moffett is a contemporary art gallery based in New York. Established in 2018, now with two operational spaces, Charles Moffett says: “we have ambitions to grow bigger and we are growing”... With eyes set on growth, it’s important that the gallery has access to a variety of payment methods to attract and retain collectors.

    The gallery started out receiving payments via cheques and wire transfers (like many galleries do).  As the gallery’s operations have scaled, they have come up against payment errors, a rise in admin time for payment reconciliation, and collectors wanting a variety of secure payment options – exposing the need for a more robust payment system.

    Quoted in Artnet, Moffett’s ethos is abundantly clear: “I always told myself the day that I start paying artists late in order to fund the gallery’s ambitions is the day that I close down.” And, described by Lily Stockman (whose work formed the first solo show presented by the gallery) “no one is as scrupulous, nor as savvy [as Charles Moffett].” 


  • “Being able to say: ‘here’s a link here to a payment platform which is operated through Stripe and you can enter your details and pay via this way’ is great.”

    Simply put, the team at Charles Moffett wanted to provide easier ways for collectors to pay for artworks that resonate with the way they’re accustomed to making payments in other industries. Artlogic Pay speeds up the buying journey and increases confidence – something experienced by the team at Charles Moffett: “Being able to say ‘here’s a link here to a payment platform which is operated through Stripe and you can enter your details and pay via this way’ is great."

  • “People want flexibility with how they’re paying: whether it's ACH or credit card”

    Charles Moffett has previously encountered a challenge when it comes to collecting payments from collectors who've sent funds using the wrong details: “We have had issues in the past where somebody sends a transfer using incorrect details and that throws the whole payment process off two weeks because the money leaves their account but doesn't hit our account because it's the incorrect account then has to be returned which slows everything down.” Artlogic Pay has helped to reduce this risk, allowing the team at the gallery to ensure that artworks reach collectors more quickly, and spend less time chasing payments.

    A key deciding factor when opting to implement Artlogic Pay at Charles Moffett was its flexibility in handling payment options. Whilst the gallery prefers wire transfer for its low fees, they are “sometimes happy to be charged fees on credit cards just because it expedites the payment process”. The ability to let the collector choose whether they pay by wire transfer or credit card keeps sales moving forward, and appeals to a new generation of collectors.

    “People want flexibility with how they’re paying: whether it's ACH or credit card” Charles Moffett has previously encountered a challenge...

  • “I think that the Stripe element [of Artlogic Pay] helps ease nervousness.”

    Building trust with collectors is crucial. One way to do that is ensuring that security is at the forefront of any online transaction. Security forms the backbone of Artlogic Pay, which processes payments through the Stripe platform, which has helped Charles Moffett reassure collectors and build trust along the buying journey.

    For Moffett: “Everybody's always nervous about getting hacked and losing money, whether it's money going to the wrong place, or invoicing details getting changed. Artlogic Pay is very helpful: every now and again we allow somebody to pay for their artwork with a credit card link, and there is peace of mind in sending out the link knowing that it's going to get paid in a direct manner.”

  • 'With the time saved, there's no shortage of things that we could be doing rather than working on admin' Admin...

    "With the time saved, there's no shortage of things that we could be doing rather than working on admin"

    Admin around sales and payment reconciliation has been a huge drain on time for the team at Charles Moffett. Artlogic Pay’s integrated approach (with the invoicing system in the platform) means that Moffett is able to see if a payment has been made or is outstanding, so he “can just fire it off to the team and say this has been paid for, we can set up shipping, tell the collector that the payment has been made, etc.” This has allowed the team to spend more time on other projects, and liaising with artists: reducing the admin burden of payment collection.

    “With the time saved, there's no shortage of things that we could be doing rather than working on admin, speaking with our artists being the main one. We really enjoy the [Artlogic] platform and see a lot of opportunity for growth.”



    Image credits: 
    Sam Bornstein, Spiel Room and Maggie Ellis, Energy Broth. Photo: Daniel Greer
    Charles Moffett portrait. Photo: Charlie Rubin

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