International Shipping for Artists Selling Overseas

Selling overseas sounds glamorous right up until you're staring at a customs form trying to figure out what an HS code is. International shipping isn't actually that complicated once you've done it a couple of times, but the learning curve on the first shipment can be rough if nobody explains the basics first.

The paperwork you can't skip

Every international shipment needs a customs declaration, whether you're sending a single print to a customer or freighting booth gear to a con overseas. This form describes what's in the package, its value, and often a commodity code (sometimes called an HS code) that customs uses to sort and tax it. Getting the value wrong, intentionally or not, is the single most common reason packages get held up or hit with unexpected fees.

Be accurate and be specific. "Art prints, paper, framed" clears customs faster than "gift." Vague descriptions are what get packages flagged for manual inspection, and manual inspection means delays measured in days or weeks, not hours.

Duties and taxes are the buyer's problem, usually

Most international orders are sent DDU (delivery duty unpaid), meaning the customer pays any import duty or tax when the package lands in their country, not you. This is worth stating clearly at checkout or in your shop policy, because nothing sours an international sale faster than a surprise customs bill the customer wasn't expecting.

Some sellers choose to prepay duties (DDP) for a smoother customer experience, but it adds complexity on your end and isn't necessary for most small sellers just starting to ship overseas.

What actually changes by country

• Value thresholds: many countries don't charge import tax below a certain declared value, but that threshold varies a lot and changes periodically, so don't rely on a number you read once and assumed was permanent.
• Restricted materials: most art prints and paper goods are fine everywhere, but if you're shipping anything with wood, certain plastics, or mixed materials, it's worth a quick check on that specific country's import rules.
• Transit time: economy international shipping can take anywhere from one to six weeks depending on the destination and customs backlog. Set expectations with buyers up front rather than promising a domestic-speed timeline.

If you're shipping booth gear internationally, not just orders

This is a different situation entirely from shipping a customer's print. If you're an artist travelling overseas for a convention and shipping your actual booth setup ahead of you, treat it like freight, not a small parcel. You'll likely need a more detailed commercial invoice, and depending on the country, possibly a temporary import arrangement if you're bringing the gear back out afterward rather than selling it there.

Contact the shipping carrier directly and tell them exactly what you're doing (temporary import for a trade event, gear returning home afterward) because this changes the paperwork significantly compared to a standard sale shipment. Doing this wrong can mean your gear gets stuck in customs at exactly the wrong moment, days before a show.

Start small and learn the pattern

If you're new to international sales, don't try to solve every country's rules on day one. Ship a handful of orders to wherever your actual customers are asking from, pay attention to what customs flags versus what clears cleanly, and build your process from real experience rather than trying to pre-solve every edge case. The rules genuinely do vary enough between countries that a general guide only gets you most of the way there.

Curious what a Shapeshift kit actually looks like in person? Head to the Artist Booths homepage to see the full lineup and find the one that fits your table.