The thing most people get wrong
Carriers bill the greater of actual weight and dimensional weight, which is the size of the box divided by a fixed number. A 40 by 60 inch flat pack weighs about twenty pounds and bills like eighty. Above a certain length plus girth a large package surcharge lands as a flat step, not a slope. Box depth is worth more to the final price than the destination is.
Why these are not treated as art at the border
Read this before using any rate below. The favourable duty and reduced VAT treatments that people mean when they say art is duty free live in Harmonized System Chapter 97, headings 9701 to 9706. Heading 9702 covers original engravings, prints and lithographs produced from plates wholly executed by hand by the artist, and it expressly excludes anything produced by a mechanical or photomechanical process. Digitally originated artwork output on an inkjet or dye sublimation printer is a mechanical reproduction, so giclee prints, canvas transfers, wood prints, metal prints and acrylic face mounts of digital work are in practice classified under heading 4911, most often subheading 4911.91 for prin
The small print, in plain English
- This is an estimate, not a quote. Nothing on this page is a binding price.
- The final shipping cost is calculated and confirmed at checkout, and the amount you are charged there is the amount that counts.
- Orders ship on delivered at place terms. Any import duty, tax, VAT, GST or customs brokerage fee charged by your country is your responsibility and is not included in the price you pay us.
- The courier will usually collect those charges from you before it hands over the parcel, and it may add its own fee for advancing them.
- Import rules, tariff rates and de minimis thresholds changed several times in the last year and can change again with very little notice.
- Duty and tax treatment depends on how your customs authority classifies the piece, and a printed edition is often not treated the same way as an original work.
- Please check your own country's current rules before you order, because we cannot predict what your customs authority will decide.
- We do not give tax or customs advice. If the amounts matter to you, speak to a customs broker or a tax adviser in your own country.
- Sales tax is added only for deliveries to states where we are registered to collect it. If you are elsewhere in the United States, you may owe use tax directly to your own state.
- Oversized, crated and acrylic pieces are quoted individually and the estimate shown for them is the least reliable figure on this page.
Where these numbers come from
- US Customs and Border Protection
US import requirements, de minimis suspension guidance, entry procedures and CSMS trade messages. - Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, US International Trade Commission
Authoritative US duty rates by heading, including Chapter 49 printed matter and Chapter 97 works of art. - Federal Register
The primary text of the executive orders, proclamations and interim final rules that changed US de minimis and tariff policy in 2025 and 2026. - World Customs Organization
The Harmonized System itself, the explanatory notes that define heading 9702 and heading 4911, and the classification opinions that decide which one a print falls into. - UK Integrated Online Tariff, GOV.UK
UK duty and VAT treatment by commodity code, including headings 9701 to 9706 and 4911. - HM Revenue and Customs
UK import VAT rules, the reduced valuation method that produces the five percent effective rate on works of art, and the conditions for qualifying. - European Commission, Taxation and Customs Union
EU customs tariff, member state VAT rates, the Annex IX definition of works of art, and the 2026 removal of the 150 euro duty relief. - Canada Border Services Agency
Canadian tariff classification, CUSMA courier de minimis thresholds and GST or HST collection at the border. - Australian Border Force
Australian customs tariff Schedule 3 including Chapter 49 and Chapter 97, and the 1,000 Australian dollar import threshold. - Australian Taxation Office
GST on low value imported goods and the registration obligation for overseas sellers. - Japan Customs
Japanese tariff schedule, consumption tax on imports and the 10,000 yen de minimis. - Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore
Singapore GST on imports and the overseas vendor registration regime for low value goods. - Singapore Customs
Confirmation that Singapore levies duty on only four categories of goods, none of which is artwork. - United Arab Emirates Federal Tax Authority
UAE VAT on imports and the treatment of goods entering through the Gulf Cooperation Council common tariff. - Receita Federal do Brasil
Brazilian import taxation and the Remessa Conforme programme for cross border ecommerce. - Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, India
Indian basic customs duty, social welfare surcharge, IGST rates and the exemption notifications for works of art. - Korea Customs Service
Korean de minimis thresholds, the personal customs clearance code requirement and VAT on imports. - UPS
Published rate and service guides, dimensional weight divisors, fuel surcharge tables and accessorial charges. - DHL Express
Published international express rate cards, remote area surcharge lists and country import guides. - FedEx
Published rate and surcharge tables and an alternative dimensional weight reference. - Tax Foundation
The state and average local combined sales tax rates used in the us_sales_tax block, updated twice a year. - New York State Department of Taxation and Finance
New York sales tax registration, the taxability of shipping and handling charges, and exemption certificates. - Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board
State by state economic nexus thresholds and registration requirements for remote sellers.
Model last checked 2026-09-07. Tariff and de minimis rules changed several times in the last year, so if you are reading this long after that date, check your own country's current position.