Everything you need to know about Artfinder Returns

What is Artfinder’s return policy?

Customers at Artfinder benefit from a free global 14 day return guarantee for their order. After receiving their parcels, customers may request a return for any of the following reasons: Change of mind, Damaged, Listing discrepancy, or Late delivery. If a customer requests a return and subsequent refund for their order, it is important to note that we must process this for them as per our policy.

Which couriers do we ship with? 

Most of our returns will be booked using DHL for international shipments, and USPS for domestic US shipments. We may occasionally use Fedex when services are not available from other couriers, or we may also contact you if no service is available, to check if you have a suggested courier we could use for this.

Who pays for returns and will I be charged anything?

Please rest assured Artfinder covers all costs associated with returns, as these are prepaid when we book them on our account. We typically book all returns with Delivery Duty Paid (DDP)* so that any Custom Charges or Duty Taxes are automatically billed to us. If you find yourself having to pay any extra charges in order to accept the delivery (in instances where specific country custom taxes apply that would not be covered by DDP) we will of course refund you for this, so please send us any receipts you have showing the amount paid in order for us to process this for you.

*It is worth noting that we ship items with DDP when the artworks have been initially shipped correctly to the customers. All shipments will be shipped back from the customer as a “Return to seller”, therefore please note that if you have shipped the artwork as a “Gift”, undeclared the item value or the commercial invoice has been incorrectly completed upon shipping to the customer, then we may need to ship the return DDU (Delivery Duty Unpaid) and all associated customs fees will be charged to the receiver of the returned goods i.e. the artist.

Selling on Artfinder is a commercial venture, as such all shipments should be shipped correctly as commercial goods, the artwork value declared appropriately as per what the customer has paid, and the shipping documentation must align with the details on the order.

How does the return process work?

1. The customer will make a request for return from their Artfinder account. This automatically puts the order on hold until the return is resolved.
2. You will receive an email notifying you of the return request from the customer. At this stage of the process, you may then wish to reach out to the customer directly (if they have not already discussed this with you prior to the request) to discuss possible alternative options when the reason for return is damage or late delivery. If the reason is misrepresentation on the listing or is unclear, we recommend reaching out to discuss this further.
3. You will then receive a second email notifying you of the return being booked and providing you with the tracking number to follow up on delivery.
4. Once the artwork is collected and safely returned to you, we will then proceed with the refund for the customer, unless a replacement or repair is being offered. If a replacement or repair is the preferred option, please email us at sellers@artfinder.com with the new tracking details so that we can update the order accordingly, and once delivered, let us know so that we can remove the hold from the order and process your payment accordingly.

You will find more details on our return process here.

It is important to note that we rely on your cooperation with both us and the courier throughout the returns process. The courier may contact you directly, or you may be required to get a customs agent/broker to clear your shipment once it arrives in your country. Failure to cooperate may lead to the shipment being returned to the customer, and it is important to note that should this occur, we will not provide reimbursement or arrange another shipment.

My return address is not up to date

It is important for you to keep your return address up to date at all times, as we will book returns directly based on this. Please note that if the return address is part of our list of Restricted Countries, we will need to reach out to you to confirm the new address before organising the return. Such delays can be frustrating for your customer so it is always better to proactively ensure all details are correct (Including a local phone number for the country of the return address).

If you receive an email notification of a return request and you need to update your return address, please ensure that you do so by a day prior to the collection date. If we do not receive notifications of the return address change before a day prior to the collection date, we will go ahead with the return address as per your settings. You will see more info on how to manage your Return Address here. 

Please note that we will not be able to cancel a booked collection if the return address is incorrect, and we will not be able to redirect the parcel to a different address once it's in transit. 

Can my return address be a PO box? 

Unfortunately most couriers will refuse to deliver to PO boxes, so we regretfully cannot accept a PO Box as a return address. 

What other options do I have if a customer requests a return?

For a late delivery, you may want to offer a refund of shipping cost and/or partial discount in order for them to keep the artwork.

For damaged orders, you have several options available: 

• Offer a partial discount to cover the cost of repair 
• Send a replacement artwork (and advise if the damaged artwork needs to be returned or not) 
• Have the artwork returned to you for repair to then be resent to the customer later on. You can read more about what to do for damaged order here.

Please note that these options will be at the customer’s discretion and that although we are of course happy to help communicate this to them, we will have to go with whichever option they prefer.

How can I avoid returns?

Although customers have an option to return an artwork within 14 days of delivery, there are steps you can take as a seller to minimise the possibility of a return, such as:

• Better photography on your listings, showing the artwork in clear light and high resolution;
• Keep the communication going: update your customer regularly regarding their order or delivery; 
• Send them images of the packaging prior to shipping the order;
• Ensure all the details on your listing are clear and complete, such as sizes, description, signature location or shipping options (ready to hang, framed/unframed, rolled in a tube, etc..) to avoid any surprises upon delivery. 
• Be sure to include any relevant insurance to avoid damages in transit. If these occur, you will be able to claim compensation from the courier or insurance company.

You will see a detailed list of possible steps you can take here.

Do you have any suggestions on how we could improve our returns process? Share them with our community by joining our forum discussion on the topic here: https://www.artfinder.com/community/artists/forum/topic/22304/

We always welcome feedback so please drop us a line at feedback@artfinder.com and let us know your thoughts on our returns process!