Shipping policy
This Shipping Policy forms part of our [Terms of Service] **[FILL: /policies/terms-of-service]** and works together with our [Refund Policy] **[FILL: /policies/refund-policy]** and [Privacy Policy] **[FILL: /policies/privacy-policy]**. By placing an order with Tailmark, you agree to the terms below.
Our products are hand-painted to order and shipped from our studio in **Foshan, Guangdong Province, China**. Two things follow from this that are worth knowing before you order: your piece needs to be **painted first**, and international parcels travel a long way. The sections below set out what to expect.
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## Shipping Locations
We currently ship to:
- **United States** (all 50 states, subject to the restrictions below)
- **United Kingdom**
- **European Union** and EEA countries (e.g. Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Czechia and others)
- **Canada**
We do **not** currently ship to:
- **P.O. Box addresses** — our carriers require a physical street address. If a P.O. Box is the only option, please contact us before ordering.
- **U.S. military addresses (APO/FPO/DPO)** and U.S. territories (Guam, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa), due to carrier restrictions.
- **Australia, New Zealand and the rest of the world** at this time. This may change — if you are outside our supported regions, contact us and we will see what we can do.
- Some **remote or hard-to-reach areas** may carry an additional shipping charge or delivery restriction. If this applies to your address, we will contact you **before** dispatch and obtain your approval before charging anything additional. If delivery is not possible, we will cancel and refund your order in full.
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## Production & Dispatch
Every order goes through three stages before it leaves our studio:
| Stage | Typical duration |
|---|---|
| **1. Painting & production** — your portrait is hand-painted to your specification from the photo you provide | **2–5 business days** after order confirmation |
| **2. Artwork review** — we email you a photograph of the finished piece; we wait for your approval or for **3 calendar days**, whichever comes first | **1–3 calendar days** |
| **3. Dispatch preparation** — protective packaging, quality check and handoff to the carrier | **1–2 business days** |
Most orders are therefore dispatched within **4–10 days** of order confirmation. More complex or larger pieces may take a few days longer; if so, we will email you a revised estimate.
Orders placed on **weekends or Chinese public holidays** are processed the next business day. Our studio also pauses production during the **Chinese New Year holiday** (typically late January to mid-February); orders placed shortly before and during this period will take longer, and we will post a notice on this site with the exact dates each year.
Because your order is made to your specification, cancellation terms are set out in our Refund Policy: you may cancel within **24 hours** of ordering at no cost; once your artwork has been painted, a **$10** fee applies.
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## Shipping Costs (DDP — Duties Included)
All shipping rates below are quoted on a **DDP (Delivered Duty Paid)** basis. This means the price you see at checkout already includes:
- International tracked freight from China to your door
- **All customs duties** (including the U.S. Section 301 tariff on China-origin artwork described below)
- **U.S. Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF)** and other customs clearance fees
- **Import VAT / GST** for UK, EU and Canadian destinations, collected at checkout where applicable
- The carrier's last-mile delivery
**You will not be asked to pay any additional customs charges on delivery.** This is the standard experience on a DDP shipment, and it is what our rates are designed to deliver.
| Destination | Flat shipping rate (DDP) | Free shipping threshold |
|---|---|---|
| United States | **$11.95 USD** | Orders over **$59 USD** |
| United Kingdom | **£9.95 GBP** | Orders over **£49 GBP** |
| European Union | **€9.95 EUR** | Orders over **€49 EUR** |
| Canada | **$11.95 CAD** | Orders over **$59 CAD** |
The exact shipping fee is always shown at checkout before you pay. Shipping fees are **not refundable**, except where the problem was caused by us (wrong item shipped, or an address we should not have accepted). In those cases the shipping fee is refunded together with the order, as set out in our Refund Policy.
> **Why US / Canada is higher than UK / EU.** Each US shipment triggers a fixed **Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF)** of around USD 32.71 charged by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, plus brokerage fees. Because we ship on a DDP basis (you do not pay these on delivery), they are built into the US / Canada shipping rate. We minimise the impact by routing every shipment through our carrier's consolidated customs clearance (Entry Type 11 informal entry), which reduces the per-parcel MPF component to a small fraction of the formal-entry minimum.
**Express shipping.** A paid express option is available at checkout for time-sensitive orders (a memorial service, a birthday):
| Destination | Express (DHL Express / FedEx Priority) | Delivery (door to door, after dispatch) |
|---|---|---|
| United States | **$29.95 USD** | 3–5 business days |
| United Kingdom | **£24.95 GBP** | 3–5 business days |
| European Union | **€24.95 EUR** | 3–7 business days |
| Canada | **$29.95 CAD** | 4–7 business days |
Express shipments also ship on a DDP basis — duties, MPF and brokerage fees are included in the price.
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## Estimated Delivery Times
Delivery times are **estimates only, measured from the date of dispatch** (not from the date of order), and are **not guaranteed**.
| Destination | Economy tracked (standard) | Express |
|---|---|---|
| United States | **7–15 business days** | 3–5 business days |
| United Kingdom | **7–15 business days** | 3–5 business days |
| Western Europe (Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Ireland, Luxembourg) | **8–15 business days** | 3–7 business days |
| Rest of the EU (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Poland, Czechia, Nordic countries and others) | **10–20 business days** | 5–8 business days |
| Canada | **10–18 business days** | 4–7 business days |
Adding the production time above, **most customers receive their order within 2–4 weeks of placing it** on the economy service.
Delivery may take longer due to factors outside our control — customs processing, carrier backlogs, severe weather, strikes, and peak-season volumes (particularly November–December and around Chinese New Year). A delayed delivery on its own does not entitle you to a refund; if your parcel is significantly overdue, contact us and we will open a trace with the carrier.
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## Order Tracking
Once your order ships, we will email you a **tracking number**, the carrier's name, and a tracking link. Tracking information usually appears on the carrier's website within **24–48 hours** of dispatch.
If you have not received a tracking number within **7 days** of your artwork being approved, please check your spam folder first, then contact us.
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## Shipping Carriers
We work with a range of trusted cross-border carriers. The carrier used for your order depends on your destination, the size of your parcel and the service level:
- **Economy tracked service (DDP)** — parcels are carried by an international line carrier (typically **YunExpress DDP, Yanwen Special Line DDP or 4PX DDP**) from China. Customs clearance is handled by the carrier under consolidated **Entry Type 11** clearance. Parcels are then handed to your local postal carrier for the final mile: **USPS** in the United States, **Royal Mail** in the United Kingdom, **Deutsche Post / DHL Paket, Colissimo, Poste Italiane** and other national posts in the EU, and **Canada Post** in Canada.
- **Express service (DDP)** — **DHL Express, FedEx International Priority or UPS Worldwide**, door to door, with carrier-handled customs clearance.
All standard and express orders ship on a **DDP basis** — duties, MPF, brokerage fees and import VAT/GST are paid by us (or pre-paid by the carrier on our behalf). **You will not be charged any customs fees on delivery.**
We select the carrier and service for each shipment based on reliability and cost. **We cannot accommodate specific carrier requests** — for example, we cannot ship a standard order by DHL Express at economy rates. If you need a specific carrier, contact us before ordering and we will quote the price difference.
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## Packaging & Handling
Our portraits are packed to survive international transit, but they are finished artworks and need careful handling on your end too.
**How we pack:**
- The painted surface is covered with **acid-free glassine / silicone release paper** to protect against scuffing and to keep the paint from sticking to the wrapping.
- **Hard corner protectors** are fitted on each corner of the frame or canvas.
- The artwork is placed inside a **double-walled corrugated outer carton** with at least 5 cm of cushioning (bubble wrap or foam) on every side.
- The carton is marked **FRAGILE**, **THIS SIDE UP** and **DO NOT BEND** on at least two opposite faces.
- For larger pieces (above ~40 cm in either dimension), the frame is braced with internal wood or foam battens to prevent flex.
- A **packing slip** is included inside; the **commercial invoice** is attached to the outside in a clear pouch.
**Curing before dispatch.** Oil paint cures slowly. Thinly applied layers are touch-dry within a few days; heavily applied (impasto) layers can take weeks to months to fully cure. To minimise the risk of paint softening, smudging or sticking to the protective cover in warm transit conditions, we hold **heavily textured pieces for at least 30 days** after the final brush stroke before dispatch. This is built into the production estimate above and is one of the reasons production can take up to 5 business days. Our standard thinner applications ship after the customer has approved the finished photograph.
**How to handle your parcel on arrival:**
- Open the carton from the top. Do **not** flip the parcel onto its face.
- Lift the artwork out by the frame edges or canvas stretcher bars — not by the painted surface.
- If glassine paper is stuck to the surface, do not pull; gently warm with a hairdryer on low and slide it off.
- Allow the piece to acclimatise to room temperature and humidity for a few hours before hanging, especially if it has been in a cold delivery vehicle.
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## Customs, Duties & Import Fees
Your order ships from China. Customs rules differ by destination and are outside our control, but **on our standard DDP service you do not need to do anything at customs** — the carrier handles clearance and any duties / fees on our behalf.
The product classification we use on every customs declaration is **HS code 9701.10 / 9701.90** — *Paintings, drawings and pastels executed entirely by hand* (i.e. original hand-painted oil portraits). This is the international standard tariff heading for original artwork and attracts favourable treatment in most jurisdictions.
### Customs duties by destination
| Destination | Duty rate on HS 9701 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| **United States** | **0% base duty + 7.5% Section 301 surcharge** (China origin) | Section 301 has applied to China-origin artwork since 2019 and was not affected by the IEEPA tariff litigation of 2025–2026. The duty is calculated on the declared value of the artwork. The Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF) and customs brokerage fees are also charged on every formal or informal entry. We pay all of these on your behalf under DDP. |
| **United Kingdom** | 0% | Qualifies for the **reduced 5% VAT rate** on original artwork. Collected at checkout under our IOSS registration for orders ≤ £135. |
| **European Union** | 0% | Qualifies for **reduced VAT rates on original artwork** — for example 5% in Italy, 5.5% in France, 7% in Germany, 9% in the Netherlands, 10% in Spain. Collected at checkout under our IOSS registration for orders ≤ €150. |
| **Canada** | 0% | Subject to **GST + provincial sales tax** (PST / HST) depending on destination province. Collected at checkout where applicable; otherwise paid on delivery. |
### Why the US / Canada shipping rate is higher than UK / EU
Three components make U.S. and Canadian shipments more expensive than shipments within Europe:
1. **Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF).** U.S. Customs charges a fee of 0.3464% of the declared value, with a **minimum of USD 32.71 per entry** on a formal entry. We minimise this by routing every shipment through our carrier's consolidated customs clearance (Entry Type 11 informal entry), which reduces the per-parcel MPF component to a small fraction of the formal-entry minimum — but the cost is still material and is built into the rate.
2. **Customs brokerage fee.** A flat fee per entry charged by the carrier or its broker for filing the customs declaration. On our DDP service this is pre-paid by us.
3. **Section 301 tariff.** U.S. Customs applies a **7.5% Section 301 surcharge** on China-origin goods, including original artwork (HS 9701). This is charged in addition to the (0%) base duty.
Because all three costs are paid up-front by us on a DDP shipment, they appear in the shipping rate rather than as an additional charge on your door-step. The UK and EU equivalents (import VAT under IOSS) are also paid up-front but are smaller and scale with order value rather than carrying the fixed-cost burden of MPF.
### Orders outside the DDP thresholds
- **UK orders over £135:** Import VAT may be charged by HMRC on delivery, plus a carrier handling fee. These charges are the **customer's responsibility**.
- **EU orders over €150:** Import VAT, customs duties and carrier handling fees may be charged on delivery. These charges are the **customer's responsibility**.
- **All Canadian orders:** GST / HST / PST and any applicable duties are paid by us under DDP for standard service; for remote-area surcharges, see the Shipping Locations section.
We are not responsible for delays caused by customs, or for parcels held pending payment of customs charges. If you are unsure whether duties will apply to your order, please check with your local customs authority before purchasing.
### Cultural goods regulation (EU 2019/880)
EU Regulation 2019/880 on the import of cultural goods applies to **antiques and works of art over a certain age or value** (over 250 years old, or over 200 years old and above €18,000 in value). Our products are **modern, custom-made portraits** and are fully outside the scope of that regulation — no import licence or importer statement is required for any order.
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## Lost or Missing Packages
If your parcel has not arrived within a reasonable time of the estimated window, or tracking has not updated for an extended period, **contact us** and we will open a trace with the carrier and keep you informed.
Where the carrier **confirms your parcel was lost in transit**, we will — at your choice, and as set out in our Refund Policy — **remake and reship your portrait free of charge**, or **issue a full refund including the shipping fee**.
Once a parcel is **marked as delivered** to the address you provided, it is considered delivered. We are not responsible for parcels lost, stolen or misplaced after that point. Please check with household members, neighbours, your building's mail room and your local delivery office before contacting us. In areas where parcel theft is common, consider using a workplace address or a parcel locker if available.
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## Address Accuracy & Changes
Please check your shipping address carefully at checkout. We are **not responsible** for delays, losses or extra charges caused by an incorrect or incomplete address. If a parcel is returned to us because of an address error, redelivery costs are the customer's responsibility.
If you need to change your shipping address, contact us as early as possible. We can update the address any time **before dispatch**; after dispatch, we can rarely redirect a parcel in transit. Address changes requested after production has started may also delay your order.
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## Contact
Questions about shipping? Reach us at:
- **Email:** tailmarkart@gmail.com
- **Phone:** +86 132 0235 2684
- **Business:** Tailmark (operated by Foshan Chonglaiyou Trading Co., Ltd.), Hongyang Shanxin Garden, Xiqiao Town, Nanhai District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province, China
*Thank you for choosing Tailmark. Every piece we ship is painted by hand, just for you — we pack it carefully and track it all the way to your door.*