Unlike other models, this platform is here to help you earn an income, not to make income off of your work, so you keep all proceeds with the exception of a small fee to cover basic operating costs (at present, 1%) and 5% that will be donated to the Open Medicine Foundation to help fund critical research for ME/CFS. We encourage buyers to make an OMF donation to cover the 5% fee so you can recoup an even larger share of the purchase price, as we know the great price you pay personally for creating as a chronically ill person.
You are responsible for setting your own prices, calculating your own shipping and communicating directly with buyers. We simply provide the platform and technology to make that possible. Our terms and conditions make clear to buyers that as they are purchasing from individuals suffering from a condition that can be difficult at best to predict let alone control, and to expect a longer lead time for fulfillment. It is your responsibility to work out shipping timelines with a particular buyer and to decline if necessary an order that you cannot in good faith fulfill under the conditions required by the buyer.
If you’re interested in simply sharing your work and story, we have a gallery set up for that and will include links to your payment method of choice so that fans of your work can make a donation. We also have a blog where we welcome musings from our community, even if you’re not in a place to share or sell your work.
Lastly, while we have big love and empathy for people suffering from chronic illnesses of all kinds, for now we are keeping this project focused on ME/CFS given how much need there is to change the tide and get the public and political will needed to fund this disease at a level commensurate with its severity and prevalence. Our name is intentionally broad as at some point we would like to broaden the marketplace to include other disabled creatives, but for now want to maintain focus on the ME/CFS community.
Please get in touch with any comments or questions!