The Collective / Artist Onboarding
You're in. Here is everything you need.
Four things to send back, one calculator to play with, and no guessing about where the money goes. Read this page once, then work through it in order. It should take about an hour, most of it spent photographing your work.
Read this before you open anything
Every form linked below is a master template shared with every artist in the Collective. Do not type your information into it.
MAKE A COPY FIRST. Each button below opens a copy dialog, or use File > Make a copy. Rename your copy with your own name.
Then Share your copy with Meg@timetowhistle.com as an Editor. Your copy is yours; the master stays clean for the next artist.
Your deadline
from the date of your acceptance email. If you need longer, say so. It is genuinely not a problem, we would just rather know than wonder.
Five steps, four things to send back
Work in this order. Step 1 sends us nothing, but it makes steps 2 and 3 much faster, because you will already know your numbers.
Play with the price calculator
Before you fill in a single cell, work out what you want to charge. Set a list price and see your take-home, or set your take-home and see the list price. It shows you exactly where every dollar of a sale goes.
Open the calculatorThere is a "Copy these numbers" button at the bottom. Use it, then paste into your Listing Packet.
Artist Listing Packet
Five tabs. Your contact details, one row per piece, and how the work gets to the buyer. The columns for commission, mutual aid, and your take-home calculate themselves from the price you set.
- START HERE — how the money works, and the legend for which cells to fill in
- About You — contact, bio, links, and your mutual aid choice
- Your Work — one row per piece, 25 rows to start
- Shipping — carrier, lead time, returns, availability
- Checklist — what to send back, so nothing gets missed
Fill in the pale gold cells only. Pale plum calculates itself, grey is for Whistle.
Agreement & Consent
Fifteen short lines confirming that the work is yours to sell, that your descriptions are accurate, and that you understand the commission and your mutual aid choice. Initial each line and type your name at the bottom.
Make my copyIf any line gives you pause, email before you sign rather than after. Nothing here stops you asking for a change.
Payment Details
Where your money goes. This lives in its own sheet on purpose, so your bank information never sits in the same file as your inventory. Share this copy with Meg and nobody else.
Make my copyNever email or text bank details as plain text, and never put them in the Listing Packet. Do not type your full SSN or TIN anywhere; that belongs on the W-9.
Photo & Asset Guide
How to shoot your work, what specs we need, and how to name and send the files. You do not need a studio. You need daylight, a plain background, and a few minutes per piece. Then share one folder link with Meg.
Read the guideHow the money works
Three things come out of a sale, and you can see all three before you list. Nothing is hidden and nothing changes without written notice to you.
You set the price the buyer sees. Whistle's commission comes out of that price. Your mutual aid contribution also comes out of that price, and you choose it. Shipping is separate and passes through to you in full.
| Commission by category | Rate | On a $200 listing |
|---|---|---|
| Handmade & craft | 20% | $40.00 |
| Music | 15% | $30.00 |
| Art & jewelry | 35% | $70.00 |
| Minimum commission per sale | — | $1.00 |
The minimum exists so that a $4 sticker still covers the cost of processing the sale.
A worked example
A $200 painting with $12 shipping, mutual aid set at the 1% minimum. Art & jewelry, so 35%.
Whistle's commission on this sale is $70.00. Card processing of roughly $6.45 comes out of that commission, not out of your share, leaving Whistle $63.55. Processing is estimated at 2.9% plus $0.30 of the full buyer payment, which is an estimate from the processor's published pricing rather than a guaranteed figure. Sales tax is not included in any of these numbers.
Mutual aid
Every sale sends a share to mutual aid. You pick how much, from 1% to 10%, and you pick where it goes. Whistle's commission does not change either way.
Set your percentage and your destination on the About You tab of your Listing Packet. It starts at 1%, which is the floor, not a suggestion of what is enough. Raise it whenever you like.
Shipping
Whistle does not warehouse or ship. Your work never leaves your hands until it goes to the buyer.
You ship direct to the buyer, or you have your own arrangement with a studio, gallery, or fulfillment partner. Either is fine, we just need to know which, along with your carrier, your typical lead time, and what you charge.
Whatever the buyer pays for shipping passes through to you in full. Whistle takes no commission on shipping, so there is no incentive for you to bury shipping in the item price. Set it honestly and it reaches you honestly.
Getting paid
Fast, and to an account in your own name.
1 to 2 business days after a sale
Bank wire processing times can affect when the money actually lands in your account, so treat that window as when Whistle sends it rather than when your bank shows it.
Payments go to the account on your Payment Details sheet. The name on that account must match the full legal name you gave us. Whistle needs a signed W-9 before your first payout.
You are responsible for reporting your own income and paying your own taxes on these sales. Whistle is not withholding anything for you, and nothing on this page is tax advice.
Questions that come up
I already typed my information into the master form. What now?
Email Meg@timetowhistle.com and say so. Nothing is broken and nobody is annoyed. We will clear it and send you a fresh link.
Can I change my prices later?
Yes. Email Meg with the piece and the new price. The commission rate for your category stays the same, so your take-home moves in step with the price you set.
Why is art and jewelry 35% when music is 15%?
Different categories carry different amounts of work per sale: photography, condition notes, packing questions, returns, and the time a one-of-a-kind piece takes to place with the right buyer. The rate for your category is shown to you before you list, and it changes only with written notice to you.
What if a piece arrives damaged?
Tell us on the Shipping tab how you want that handled: repair, replace, refund, or discuss case by case. Having your answer on file before it happens is the whole point of asking now.
Can I sell the same work somewhere else?
Yes, as long as it is not listed elsewhere at a lower price at the same time. If a piece sells elsewhere, tell us quickly so we can pull the listing.
I make more than one kind of thing. Which category applies?
Category is set per piece, in column D of the Your Work tab, not per artist. A potter who also releases music picks the right one on each row.
Do I need a business or an LLC?
No. Most artists in the Collective are paid as individuals. The Payment Details sheet asks which you are so we set the paperwork up correctly either way.
How many pieces should I start with?
Whatever you can photograph well. Three strong listings beat twelve rushed ones. You can add more at any time.