Buying & Shipping Guidelines
Tips for safer transactions, smoother payments, and better shipping outcomes.
Please Note
Use these guidelines for smoother transactions, safer payments, and better shipping outcomes.
Useful Tips for Buying
- Ask for a video of the artwork they are selling and have them state their name and date in the video as well. If they cannot provide you with that video, then do not proceed with the transaction and please report that member to the admin/moderator team.
- Ask the admins and moderators if they know of the seller. One of us may be able to provide you with insight. Also ask the seller if they have any sales references of people that you can contact to ask how their transaction went with the seller.
- Always use goods and services via PayPal or Venmo if it is a new seller that has no sales references.
- Always obtain shipping insurance for the total purchase price.
Useful Tips for Shipping Art
- Always obtain shipping insurance for the total purchase price.
- For transactions $10,000 and less, UPS through Pirate Ship's website provides by far the best shipping rates and can fully insure the package for the sale price.
- For transactions above $10,000, you will need to seek alternative shipping options to fully insure. We recommend utilizing goshippo.com to find the best shipping rates that will fully cover the transaction cost.
- For packaging the art, Park West art boxes are highly recommended since they provide proper spacing and styrofoam corners. You can also use TV boxes from U-Haul, Lowe's, or Home Depot, but make sure to use packaging materials that provide proper shock absorption protection to the art during shipping. Bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and styrofoam are all good options. Make sure the art itself cannot jostle around in the box.
- When packaging, never place any packing materials directly on the canvas itself as you run the risk of damage to the art due to the added weight that can cause the canvas to sag onto its stretcher bars on the back.
- Before shipping, take pictures and videos of the art in the packaging as proof of proper packaging. This will help if you need to file a shipping insurance claim if the art gets damaged during shipping. Insurance claims will not go through if you improperly package your art beforehand, so please take the necessary added precautions to ensure you have done this properly. The admin and moderators can provide advice if anyone needs help on packaging.
- If the art arrives damaged due to shipping carrier mishandling, do not panic. The receiver or buyer of the art will need to take pictures of the packaging and where the damage on the art has occurred. Do not throw away any of the packaging or ship the damaged art anywhere during the insurance claim process. The insurance claim may ask for the buyer to get a third-party letter stating the art or frame cannot be repaired. Michael's, Hobby Lobby custom framing, or another art framer may be able to provide this.
- For expensive pieces, we also recommend requiring a signature upon delivery. This helps prevent issues from inclement weather and reduces the risk of package theft.