What does The Online Art Gallery do?

The Online Art Gallery is an independent Australian platform where emerging and established artists sell original artwork directly to collectors. Founded and run solo by Michelle Nixon, the gallery keeps commissions low and onboarding simple so artists can focus on creating, not navigating technology.

The problem

Michelle's first attempt at building an online art marketplace was on Sharetribe. It lasted eight weeks. The dealbreaker was Stripe Connect. Artists were required to submit copies of their driver's license, passport, and bank details before a single sale had been made. Around 65% of artists who started onboarding refused to go any further. On top of that, buyers couldn't purchase artwork from artists who hadn't completed their Stripe verification, meaning potential sales were lost before the platform even had momentum.

Michelle also struggled with excessive automated emails she couldn't control, slow support response times that cost her days of progress (she works part-time, three days a week), and a platform that wasn't flexible enough to customize for the art industry's needs.

Why PuppetVendors?

Michelle evaluated over ten platforms including Sharetribe, Wix, CS-Cart, Tradly, Dokan, Hyperzod, POWR, Magento, WooCommerce, and Garnet. Her criteria were clear: easy artist onboarding, flexible customization, strong support, SEO capabilities, automated workflows, and a checkout experience that felt secure and simple for buyers.

PuppetVendors paired with Shopify checked every box. The vendor portal gave artists a straightforward way to register and upload work without sharing sensitive personal information upfront. The support team, specifically Martin and Vivi, responded fast enough to keep Michelle's part-time schedule on track.

How they implemented it

Michelle ran the entire implementation solo:

1. Installed PuppetVendors on Shopify and customized the platform

2. Set up metafields and configured the vendor portal for artists

3. Tested the full onboarding flow using fake identities

4. Invited 20 volunteer artists to test onboarding and provide feedback over one week

5. Made platform adjustments based on feedback before soft launch

6. Opened artist onboarding to the public with advertising

The full process took 29 days working part-time. Michelle estimates a full-time operator familiar with Shopify could be live within a couple of days.

Results

• 122 artists onboarded and growing daily within 47 days of joining PuppetVendors

• Artists report the onboarding and uploading process is easy, even for those who struggle with technology

• Zero artist dropoff due to identity verification (compared to 65% dropoff on Sharetribe)

• Solo operator running the entire platform without additional staff

Her advice to others

Just do it. Get an account and have a play with it. Don't be afraid to ask for help.