We try very hard to make the purchase process as easy as possible.
Here are some frequently asked questions that might help answer some of the questions that you have.

How long has Comic Mint been selling animation art?

We have been selling animated art for over 25 years. Originally starting out as the Comic Art Gallery, Andrew Van Embden renamed the business as Comic Mint after deciding to go fully online in 2003. Comic Mint has been an Authorized gallery with most of the major studios for well over 20 years.

For more background information have a look at our "About us" page.

What type of animation art and collectibles does Comic Mint have on the website?

We have one of the largest collections of in-stock animation art available on the internet. And each and every piece is of the highest quality. We have everything from original production cels, original drawings, original storyboards, limited edition pieces, one-of-a-kind signed originals, original model cels, publicity and title cels, comic strips, comic covers & splashes and comic interior pages.

For more information about the different types of animation art visit our "Types of animation art" page.

What is the difference between a Production Cel and a Publicity Cel?

A production cel is a piece of animation art that was created as part of the animation. A publicity cel is a cel that is not from the animation - but was created for promotional purposes. The characters on a publicity cel are usually depicted in an "ideal" pose. Slides and transparencies are created from publicity cels and sent to different publications for promotional purposes.

For more information about the different types of animation art visit our "Types of animation art" page.

Are Cels the same as Sericels and Giclee?

No, cels (short for celluloid) are a sheet of clear acetate or nitrate which is hand-painted and then placed over a background and photographed. The outline of the character (hand-inked or xeroxed) is applied to the front of the animation cel. The colors are hand-painted onto the back of the cel.

Sericels are created using the silk-screen printing process which is used for the creation of limited edition pieces. The colours of an image are printed onto the back of an acetate or on fine art paper or canvas - one color at a time.

And Giclees are different again. Giclees are created by printing millions of microscopic ink droplets with such precision that the original image is reproduced with amazing accuracy in color and detail. No other printing technique can consistently reproduce art so close to the original. Giclees are created on fine art rag paper or canvas, which are coated for protection. They are generally done in editions of no more than 500 pieces and are often signed by the artist. Some artists add paint (hand-embellish) on top of the printed canvas giclee.

For more information about the different types of animation art visit our "Types of animation art" page.

I can't find a piece of artwork on your website that I'm looking for - can you help me?

Yes, of course. While we have over 1,000 pieces of animation art and collectibles on our website - we have many more items that we are yet to put on the website - or that we don't currently have stock of (but can order for you). So please send us an email - using the "Contact us" enquiry form and we will do our best to assist you.

The Collection Links page of our website is a great way of finding exactly what you after.

Are the items you sell on your website all certified and originals?

Yes, they certainly are. The majority of every single piece of artwork issued after 1992 is issued with a certificate of authenticity. And any artwork issued prior to 1992 or after 1992 but missing a studio certificate, is issued with a gallery certificate of authenticity. Comic Mint is an authorised PREMIERE gallery. For more information about certificates of authenticity visit out "Certificate of authenticity" page.

Can I contact you if I have a question?

Please contact us with any questions that you may have. Send us an email - using the "Contact us" enquiry form and we will do our best to assist you.

Do you have a newsletter that I can subscribe to?

Yes, we do. We send out a regular email newsletter which provides information about new editions to the website and animation art that has been recently purchased. And best of all, if there are new releases that we have coming soon you will be one of the first to hear about them. You can subscribe using our “Subscribe" page.

Where can I find information about making a purchase?

At the bottom of each website page is a list of pages. The "Making a purchase" page provides information about making a purchase. If you have any more questions, please send us an email using the "Contact us" enquiry form.

What are the different methods of purchasing an item?

We try to accommodate all methods of purchasing items.

The easiest way is to add the item that you are interested in to the website shopping cart and then purchase the item using your preferred credit card – Visa, Mastercard or Amex are accepted.

We also accept payments using PayPal. To make a purchase using PayPal our account is info@comic-mint.com. Please include in the Notes section of your PayPal payment what artwork you are paying for (please include the Title of the art and the Item Code). Please then contact us by email to let us now that you would like to purchase the item and to confirm your PayPal payment.

Direct payment to our bank account. Please contact us by email if this is your preferred method of payment - and we will provide our bank account details.

Visit our "Making a purchase" page for further information.

Do you guarantee the quality of your animation art?

Yes, we definitely can. Over the past 20+ years as a Studio Authorized Gallery, we have worked hard to maintain our high standards. We only purchase and stock the highest quality animation art. And as a PREMIERE Authorized Gallery we often have the first option to purchase newly available or one-of-a-kind pieces. For more information about Comic Mint visit the "About us" page.

Is making a purchase on your website safe and secure?

Yes, our payment gateway is secure and payments are made through the STRIPE payment system.

Stripe has been audited by a PCI-certified auditor, and is certified to PCI Service Provider Level 1. This is the most stringent level of certification available.

Do I have to pay any additional tax?

No. The price stated includes any taxes. Comic Mint pays Goods & Services Tax on every purchase in Australia.

Will you keep my information private?

Your personal information is safe with Comic Mint. We will not sell, rent, trade, or otherwise disclose any information about our customers to any outside company, organization or individual.

We will, at times, e-mail information to our clients and newsletter subscribers about special offers or newly arrived artwork which may be of interest to you. These messages will be infrequent, and we hope you will enjoy receiving them.

If, at any time, you wish to stop receiving such messages, simply send us an e-mail with the word REMOVE in the subject line and your address will be promptly removed from our mailing list. Alternatively, click the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of the email.

The Comic Mint is the sole owner of all information collected on comic-mint.com and is for our private use only.

Visit our "Privacy policy" page for further information.

I'm having trouble with making a purchase on your website. Can you help?

From time to time the internet can be slow, or there may be issues with our website or with your internet service provider. We apologise for any inconvenience and frustration that you may have experienced.

Please try again in a short period of time … or alternatively send us an email info@comic-mint.com or use the enquiry form on our "Contact us" page. Alternatively, you can call Andrew Van Embden on 0061 403 995 265.

Can I order by telephone?

Yes, you can. We are located in Australia - for calls from outside Australia call us on 0061 403 995 265. Calls from within Australia 0403 995 265.

Why are all of your prices in US dollars?

The US dollar is the most widely used currency in the world - and so it makes sense to use US dollar pricing for our animation art. If you need assistance with converting US dollars to other currencies, we can recommend www.xe.com as an accurate reference. Please note that currency rates fluctuate on a daily basis so the conversion rate today might be slightly different to when a payment is actually made.

Can I purchase an item using Layaway?

Yes, you can.

OUR POLICY: We require a minimum 25% non-refundable deposit which will be collected at the time of the order, and the balance of the payments will be split into equal payments for up to 3 subsequent months. Your credit card will be automatically charged at the end of each month until the layaway is paid off.

The artwork will be shipped upon completion of the final payment. If a layaway is in default for 30 days, on the 31st day, we reserve the right to cancel the layaway, keep all paid funds and reoffer the art for sale. Please contact us if you would like to use our Layaway option.

Visit our "Making a purchase" page for further information.

How long does it take to receive a purchased item?

When you place an order from our website, we endeavour to always try and ship the next day, so that you have your purchase within 5 to 7 days. If an item is purchased on a Saturday or Sunday, that will add two days to the shipping, as FedEx do not pick up over the weekend. The only other exception to a shipping delay is an out of stock item that may require to be drop shipped to you directly from the studio. All packages we ship will require a signature.  Visit our "Making a purchase" page for further information.

Do you sell to all countries in the world?

Yes, we do! We regularly sell to customers in the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Canada, Japan, South Africa, Philippines, Singapore, Austria, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Switzerland. Visit our "Making a purchase" page for further information.

How much do you charge for shipping an item or several items.

We ship anywhere in the world for a flat rate of US$30 - and this is for one item or for multiple items. We want to make the purchase as cost-effective as we can for our customers, so when we ship to you, Comic Mint is wearing the majority of the shipping fees.

Why are there some items marked as SOLD?

If an item is marked as SOLD it means that it was recently purchased and that we currently do not hold any other stock of that item. If you are interested in the piece please contact us because we may have new stock coming - or if it is a production piece, we may be able to order another piece for you. Obviously one-of-a-kind pieces will not be available - and generally we will remove these items from our website within a short period of time.

You can contact us using our "Contact us" enquiry form.

How do I know what are the latest items added to your website?

We often feature new items on the homepage of our website - or at the top of the page of each section of our website. You can also hear about new items that we have in stock by subscribing to our newsletter - just complete our subscription form on our "Subscribe" page.

Does Comic Mint buy art from private collectors?

Usually we don't buy from private collectors. However contact us using our enquiry form on the "Contact us" page providing details of your art and we will let you know if we are interested in your art.

Does the animation art come framed?

No, each piece of animation art comes unframed. As framing is very much an individual decision and is best if it matches other framed pieces that you may have, we provide each item unframed for you to organise framing yourself. It is also dangerous to ship framed artwork, due to the risk of damage that can occur to the artwork if the glass breaks!

If you have any other question ...

Please contacts us ... just go to our "Contact us" page and fill out the enquiry form.