What courier should I use to ship my artworks?
All artists on Artfinder are currently responsible for the fulfilment of their orders which means that, as a seller, you are required to pay for the initial outbound shipping for an artwork. Customers are charged the shipping amount indicated in a seller's shipping profile. This amount is then passed on to sellers when the order is paid out.
Getting a Quote
We recommend getting quotes from couriers, and then using these to populate your shipping tables. Once you have an estimate of the price of shipping, we advise rounding-up so that you're not hit with extra expenses. You can always partially refund the customer if you've charged too much, but you can't claim money if you've undercharged.
With regards to which couriers to use, we always advise our artists to research the best couriers, and if possible to speak to an advisor at the courier directly. Most couriers now offer online quotations, which means that it now takes only a few seconds (and clicks) to find out how much it will cost to ship your artwork anywhere in the world.
As well as cost of shipping, it is important to check your customer’s location as some countries may be subject to specific rules with regards to artworks being imported.
Research is Key
It is important to note that the below is a result of our research into this, and all information provided is correct at the time of publishing. It is the responsibility of the artist to ensure that they are shipping correctly, using an appropriate courier.
We recommend you ship all your orders using a trackable service, as it will mean that you are able to follow up on the parcel's journey as it progresses to its destination. We also advise you to keep the customer updated regularly if any delays occur or if you receive any notifications from the courier regarding the shipment's progress.
With regards to insurance, you will need to check which couriers offer insurance, and you are able to factor this into the shipping costs in your shipping tables.
International Couriers that offer Tracked shipping:
DHL Express allows the shipping of artwork. It is important to note that DHL also advise the following here (What you can and can’t send with DHL): that you CANNOT send 'Antiques, works of art and fine art with an individual value over £5,000'. It is also important to note that this information is for DHL Express only, and for couriers such as DHL Paket, different restrictions and Terms may apply.
Fedex recommends shipping artwork that has a lower maximum declared value and limit of liability of no greater than $1000. How to Ship Artwork | FedEx. Should you wish to ship artwork which is higher value, we would recommend getting in touch with Fedex directly.
TNT allows the shipping of art, however, it could be classified as a restricted item depending on the value - What is a prohibited item? | What is a dangerous item? | TNT United Kingdom
You are also able to ship with your local postal service, and depending on your location, will need to check how artwork is classified and what restrictions there may be.
UK Couriers:
Evri. It is important to note for evri that they class framed paintings/photographs as 'No Protection Items', which means that the shipper sends them at their own risk, and they can only be carried on a no protection basis on any service. Evri | Prohibited Items.
Yodel and Collect+ have works of art on their restricted items list, and we would therefore not recommend using these couriers.