Is there any way to know what customs fees may be incurred when shipping a painting?
Is there anyway to prepay the fees?
There isn’t a place on the customs form to pay the fee, so I’m curious how it’s done.
Thanks in advance.
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I am in the UK. When I buy something from abroad, I go to the uk government website and ask what the import duty is for the item I am buying. For example, a box of Richeson casein from the USA. The answer in that example is 3% (of the purchase price) + the UK’s Value Added Tax on top (a purchase tax). Thus I can calculate in advance what the total cost will be.
When the Post Office receives the item at this end, I get a card through the door telling me how much I owe and to pay up if I wish the item to be delivered. They give me 14 days to do this (after that they would return the item to the sender). I go on-line and pay up. Next day, the postman brings me my paint.
If the carrier from the US to the UK is FedEx rather than USPS /Royal Mail, then In my experience they turn up on the door step with the item, collect the tax owing and deliver it at the same time.
If you are a seller - in the US, anyway - there are handling companies that deal with all this so the buyer pays the whole whack up front to the seller, who I guess hands a chunk over to whoever is handling the shipping. Dick Blick does this, I think, or CheapJoes, I can’t remember which. I don’t imagine it is something an artist could organise for their customers but I have no idea, I’m afraid.
Hope this is what you were asking 
it’s an awful lot of waffle if not. Sorry.
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I have no idea but I seriously love your art. I study it as I am learning landscape painting (portrait artist for 25 years)
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Karen, very kind of you to answer! The information is very helpful.
I found on USPS.com (the US postal service’s site) that a sender cannot prepay customs duties. The postal service is not equipped to collect and remit the money.
So it’s interesting that Blick’s can do it!?
When I send internationally, I only use USPS because the other carriers are so expensive.
Hi Maria, how nice of you to say! So happy my work gives you food for thought. Trisha
On my eBay auctions I put a disclaimer saying that this will go through customs, and be prepared to pay whatever duties/taxes/fees are charged on your end.
Theresa, that is a good idea.
Buonasera, desidero solamente chiedere se devo aggiungere anche il prezzo per la spedizione al prezzo dell’opera d’arte, oppure non c’è necessità in quanto è già specificato nel modulo della spedizione che riguarda i vari paesi. Grazie mille
I thought I’d include a translation of the original Italian message:
“Good evening, I just want to ask if I should also add the price for shipping to the price of the work of art, or there is no need as it is already specified in the shipping form for the various countries. Thanks so much.”
This translation was created by Google Translate:
Shipping should not be included in the price if selling through a DPW Auction or a PayPal link because both will let you set shipping by world region.
In Italian:
La spedizione non dovrebbe essere inclusa nel prezzo se si vende tramite un’asta DPW o un collegamento PayPal perché entrambi ti permetteranno di impostare la spedizione per regione del mondo.
Grazie mille, gentilissima
grazie mille, gentilissima
There is a little known form called “Works of Art - Declaration of Authenticity” that will prevent duty charges on your work.
I ship to the UK a lot and other countries occasionally. I always include this form with the Customs form. Only once in the UK was I charged duty in spite of including this form. I think that was a shake-down. No one has ever questioned it.
I can’t seem to attach it here so go to my website to download it.
https://melindapatrick.com/declaration-of-authenticity/
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Hi Melinda, how do you attach this to the item? Does it go on the outside of the box in an envelope, or…? Thank you!
I attach it to the Customs Form. I take my parcel to USPS and they put them both in a cellophane sleeve that attaches to the box.
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