Where it goes, and what happens if something is wrong

Shipping

Shipping is free, worldwide, on every order. No minimum, no surcharge for distance, no handling fee.

Carrier	FedEx, DHL or UPS — tracked and insured for full value
Packaging	Rolled in a rigid, moisture-protected tube
Transit time	3–5 business days after dispatch
Customs documents	Declared accurately as a hand-painted oil painting, HTS 9701.10
Duty and import VAT	The customer's responsibility

How long each order takes, stage by stage

Order type	Painting	Drying, varnish & QC	Before dispatch
Custom portrait	3–5 weeks	4–7 days	Your photo approval
Rush commission (+$90)	3 weeks	4–7 days	Your photo approval
Original painting (ready to ship)	Already painted	Final condition check	1–3 business days

Then 3–5 business days in transit. These are honest estimates, not promises — oil dries at its own pace. If you have a hard deadline (a gift, an event, an installation date), tell us before ordering and we will confirm a realistic schedule rather than promise and miss it.

When your painting arrives

• Keep the packaging until the painting has been inspected.
• Film the unboxing — a short video from the sealed parcel to the opened painting is the single most useful thing if anything ever goes wrong in transit.
• If the parcel looks damaged, photograph it before opening it, then photograph the painting, and email us within seven days.
• Tracking number is emailed the moment the parcel leaves the studio, so you can follow it door to door.

We declare the true value of every shipment. Under-declaring means your parcel can be held, returned or destroyed, and the cost of that lands on you rather than on us — so we do not do it.

Duty and import VAT

• United States — hand-painted oil paintings are duty free (HTS 9701.10), and shipments under the $800 personal exemption threshold generally incur no duty at all.
• United Kingdom and European Union — import duty on original paintings is normally zero, but import VAT is charged on the value of the goods. That VAT is the customer's responsibility and is collected by the carrier before delivery.
• Everywhere else — check your own country's rules for original artworks. Our invoice and certificate give you the documentation a customs officer will ask for.

Why your painting arrives rolled

A canvas rolled inside a rigid tube is one of the safest things you can put in the post. A painting stretched on a frame needs a wooden crate to survive the journey, which costs three to five times as much to move and still arrives damaged far more often. Any local framer will stretch the canvas onto stretcher bars — usually within a few days, and for roughly the price of a takeaway meal. We send the exact finished dimensions with your certificate so there is no guesswork.

Returns and refunds

Commissions

A commissioned painting is made specifically for you, to a composition you approved, so it sits outside the usual right of return. Here is what protects you instead:

• You approve the digital mock-up before any paint is mixed, with unlimited free changes at that stage.
• You receive two progress photographs and can raise concerns mid-painting.
• You receive a photograph of the finished canvas and get one free round of adjustments.
• If the finished, approved painting does not match what was agreed, we repaint it at our cost, or refund it in full.

Once a commission has been approved at the finished-photograph stage and dispatched, it cannot be returned for a change of mind. In the UK and EU this exclusion for personalised goods is expressly permitted (Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU, Article 16(c)) and is stated on this page and at checkout before you pay.

Original paintings

An available original is a finished, unsold work rather than something made for you, so it carries a 14-day return window from delivery. Return it in its original rolled packaging, unframed and undamaged, and we refund the purchase price once it is back and inspected. Return shipping is paid by the customer unless the piece arrived damaged or is not as described — for a rolled tube sent back from the US or Europe that is normally around $100; we confirm the exact figure and the return address before you ship anything.

Damaged or lost in transit

Photograph the parcel before opening it, then photograph the damage, and email us within seven days of delivery. We repaint or refund in full and handle the insurance claim ourselves. You will not be asked to negotiate with a courier.

Order cancellations

• Before the mock-up is approved — cancelled in full, no questions.
• After mock-up approval, before painting starts — a full refund less any third-party costs already incurred.
• After painting has begun — the deposit is retained, because the work has already been done.

Getting in touch about an order

Email [email protected] with your order reference. Replies come within 24 hours.