For artists

Shipping Your Work

Every work sold on Artemisia travels by DHL Express, booked by us and insured for its full value, from your studio, wherever in the world it is, to the collector’s door. You pack the work and hand it to the courier; we arrange everything else, including the customs paperwork. This guide explains how to prepare a work, whether a painting, a work on paper, a sculpture or an object, so that it arrives exactly as it left your studio.

Insurance is included with every sale

Our promise to collectors is that every work arrives in perfect condition, so insurance is compulsory on Artemisia. Each work is insured for its full sale price with DHL Express Shipment Insurance (1.5% of its value, at least £12). The premium forms part of the delivery charge the collector pays at checkout: you pay nothing for shipping or insurance.

Insurance covers loss and damage in transit, provided the work was packed to the standard described below. It does not cover damage caused by inadequate packing, a fault in the work itself (such as paint that was not yet dry, or flaking), or delay. This is why we ask for photographs of every packed parcel. If a work is lost or damaged in transit, you are covered for your share of the sale.

When you list a work

We ask how the collector receives the work, its frame and glazing, how it will be packed, the size and weight of the finished parcel, any special requirements and where it is collected from. If the work is not packed yet, give your best estimate and say so: you confirm the final figures before collection.

Sizes are in centimetres and weights in kilograms, whatever country you are in (1 inch = 2.54 cm; 1 lb = 0.45 kg).

After a sale

Pack the work as described below.
Confirm the final parcel. On My sales, give its final outside size and total weight, add one to three photographs of it with a tape measure against it, confirm that you followed our packing requirements, and choose a weekday for collection and your collection address, with a telephone number including the country code.
We check, book DHL and insure the work. We recalculate delivery from the final figures. If the packed work costs more to ship than your estimate, we tell you before booking; otherwise we email you the label as soon as the collection is booked.
Attach the label and hand the parcel to the courier, then confirm on My sales.

If the final size or weight differs from your estimate

You are responsible for accurate packed dimensions, weight and collection details. Collectors pay for delivery when they buy, based on the figures you gave when you listed the work, and they are never asked to pay more afterwards.

Before collection: if the packed work costs more to ship than the estimate you gave, the difference is yours, and it is deducted from your payout. We tell you before booking, so you can repack the work more compactly if you prefer.
After collection: DHL sometimes re-measures a parcel. Additional charges caused by inaccurate information are deducted from your payout, and we always send you DHL’s documentation first.
Challenging a carrier’s measurement: if you believe DHL measured or weighed the parcel incorrectly, reply within 14 days of receiving their documentation with your photographs of the parcel against a tape measure. We dispute the charge with DHL for you, and nothing is deducted while the dispute is open.
Packing costs: packing materials, including any crate, are your responsibility and are not added to the delivery charge, so please allow for them in your price.
Damage cover depends on the work being packed to our requirements, as explained above.

Size and weight: how DHL charges

DHL charges for whichever is greater: the parcel’s actual weight, or its volumetric weight, which reflects the space it takes up.

Volumetric weight (kg) = length × width × height (cm) ÷ 5000

A box measuring 100 × 80 × 10 cm therefore counts as 16 kg, even if it weighs only 5 kg; a sculpture in a 60 cm cube counts as 43.2 kg. Measure and weigh the work once packed, rounding up, when you upload it: we use these figures to price delivery for collectors and to book the courier.

No single side may be longer than 300 cm, and no parcel may weigh more than 70 kg. Larger works are shipped on request.
DHL adds a handling charge to parcels whose longest side exceeds 100 cm, whose second-longest side exceeds 80 cm, or which weigh more than 25 kg.
Keep packing generous but not excessive: about 5 cm of protection on every side is ideal.

How the collector receives the work

When you upload a work for sale, we ask two things: how the collector receives it, ready for display, and how it is packed for the courier.

Rolled: the lightest and least expensive: A rolled work ships for a fraction of the cost of a stretched or framed one, and collectors can have it stretched, mounted or framed locally. Suitable for unstretched canvases and works on paper, prints and photographs that can flex; not for thick impasto or brittle surfaces. Roll the work paint side outwards around a wide, rigid tube (at least 10 cm across), with glassine, silicone release paper or acid-free unbuffered tissue between the layers, then place it inside a strong outer tube.
Flat: works on paper or board, prints and photographs: Unframed flat works travel between two rigid boards, larger than the work on every side, interleaved with glassine, silicone release paper or acid-free unbuffered tissue, with corner protectors for works on board. Light and compact, so inexpensive to send. Works on flexible paper may also be rolled, as above.
Stretched canvas, ready to hang: Ready to hang or frame, but larger and heavier once boxed. Protect the corners and the face of the work, and box it so that nothing can press on the canvas.
Framed, ready to hang: The heaviest and most expensive way to ship. Glass is the most frequent cause of damage in transit: we recommend acrylic glazing. If the frame has glass, cover it with a grid of low-tack tape, so that if it breaks it cannot cut the work.
3D, ready to display: sculpture, ceramics, glass and objects: Three-dimensional works travel in a box, or for heavy and fragile pieces a double box or a wooden crate. The size of the box usually decides the price, so fit it closely while leaving room for cushioning. See Sculpture and three-dimensional works below.

How the work is packed

Tube: For rolled works, on canvas or paper. Use a strong, rigid tube at least 10 cm across, with end caps taped firmly in place.
Flat-packed: For flat works on paper or board, prints and photographs: two rigid boards larger than the work on every side, the work interleaved with glassine, silicone release paper or acid-free unbuffered tissue, the whole sealed in a flat package.
Cardboard box: For stretched and framed works and most 3D works. Use a sturdy double-walled box with corner protectors and about 5 cm of cushioning on every side. Glass works must be double-boxed: a snug inner box inside the outer one, with cushioning between. Ceramics and other fragile pieces should travel the same way. Measure the outer box.
Wooden crate: For heavy or very valuable works, stone, bronze, large glass and large framed pieces. A crate adds weight, which counts towards the price, so please write to us first.

Packing paintings, step by step

Make sure the work is completely dry. Oil paint can take weeks or months to dry through; touch-dry is not enough. Do not ship a work that is still soft, tacky or freshly varnished.
Photograph the work, front and back, before you pack it. Should anything happen, these photographs support the insurance claim.
Cover the surface with a protective sheet: glassine, silicone release paper or acid-free unbuffered tissue. Glassine is a smooth, slightly translucent, acid-free paper with a waxy, almost plastic feel; silicone release paper is coated so that nothing sticks to it, even to textured paint; unbuffered tissue is the safe choice for photographs and other sensitive surfaces. Any of the three keeps the packing off the work. Never place bubble wrap, cling film or tape directly on the surface; plastic also traps moisture.
Fit corner protectors to stretched and framed works. Cardboard or foam corners take the knocks that would otherwise split a frame or dent a canvas.
Wrap in bubble wrap, bubbles facing outwards. Bubbles pressed against the work can leave a pattern of marks, particularly on oil paintings and soft varnishes. Use two layers for framed works.
Add a rigid board over the face of the work, such as corrugated cardboard or foam board, so nothing can be pushed through the canvas.
Box it securely. Use a sturdy double-walled box, with cushioning on every side. Once closed, the work must not move when you tilt the box. Seal every seam with strong packing tape.
Label it. Attach our label where it is clearly visible, and remove or cover any old labels. Do not write the value of the work on the outside.

Works on paper travel flat between two rigid boards, larger than the work on every side, or rolled as described above, always interleaved with glassine, silicone release paper or acid-free unbuffered tissue.

Sculpture and three-dimensional works

Photograph the work from every side before you pack it, including any existing marks.
Remove anything that comes off, such as a base, plinth or loose element, and wrap and label each part separately, with a note of how it fits together.
Wrap the surface in acid-free tissue, then in bubble wrap or soft foam, bubbles facing outwards. Patinated, waxed or painted surfaces must never touch plastic directly.
Support fragile parts. Pad arms, edges, rims and anything that projects, so that no part takes the weight of the work.
Use two boxes for fragile works. Place the wrapped work in a snug inner box, then that box in a larger double-walled outer box with at least 5 cm of cushioning on every side. Glass works must always be double-boxed, and ceramics should travel this way too.
Crate heavy works. Works over about 25 kg, or of stone, bronze or glass, are best sent in a screwed wooden crate. Please write to us first so that we can arrange the right service.
Mark the top, and seal and label the box as above. Once closed, nothing must move when you tilt it.

Installations, works in several parts and anything with electrical components: please write to us before you pack, and include assembly instructions with the work.

Please do not include

Aerosols, fixatives, solvents, oils or any other liquids: these are dangerous goods and DHL will not carry them.
Materials restricted by international law (CITES), such as ivory, tortoiseshell or certain tropical hardwoods.
Anything other than the work and its certificate of authenticity.

On the day of collection

Have the parcel sealed and labelled before the courier arrives. DHL collects on weekdays during local working hours, and the driver may telephone the number you gave us, so please include the country code. If you will be away, or there is a public holiday, please tell us at once so that we can rebook.

Sending across borders

Many sales travel from one country to another, wherever you are based. We prepare the customs paperwork for every international shipment, with the work described as an original work of art, and attach it to the booking.

Please make sure the artwork’s title, medium, dimensions and year are correct on Artemisia, as these appear on the customs declaration.
Import duties and taxes in the collector’s country are never charged to you.
Works by living artists rarely need an export licence, but some countries require one for older works, antiques or works considered part of their cultural heritage. If in doubt, please check with your national authority before listing the work, and tell us.
Some materials are restricted when they cross borders, such as certain woods, shells, feathers and other animal or plant material, even in small quantities. Please tell us beforehand if a work contains any.

If a work arrives damaged

The collector tells us within 48 hours of delivery, with photographs, and we claim on the insurance. Claims rest on evidence of good packing, so please keep your photographs of the work and the packed parcel. If damage is caused by inadequate packing, the sale is cancelled and the work is returned to you, as set out in the terms you agreed when offering the work for sale.

Questions about a particular work? Write to us at info@artemisia.art before you pack it.