Shipping Prices – The Bane of My Artistic Existence

Shipping Prices – The Bane of My Artistic Existence







Shipping is, without a doubt, the most stressful part of being an artist trying to make a living.

It’s also a bit of a dyspraxic nightmare — all the wrapping, weighing, taping, and hoping it arrives safely.
Squarespace lets me set my own shipping rates, hidden away deep in the developer settings. The problem? I wish I could simply set the postage within that items listing than have fulfilment profiles meant to cover a wide range of options; but I think I’ve found a way to have it feel more like that.

I’ve always ended up undercharging, while this is good for not overcharging you the customer .
Time and again, I’ve paid extra postage out of my own pocket — eating into profits that were already pretty slim with my “modest” early beginnings pricing.

By time bought extra packaging cause don’t have that foam that will make the glass frame better secured, and the tape and boxes and time, there isn’t really a lot left. And yet, I still cringe when I see how high postage costs have become, especially when someone has already paid £50 or more for a piece of artwork, where the post is often the same, if not more than what they are buying.

So, I’ve done a bit of an overhaul.

First, I’ve updated the shipping prices where applicable to flat rates (not size and weight based) to reflect the real costs as closely as possible and keep costs down with how say a A3 work on paper won’t cost as much as a A3 canvas to send.

I’m still covering part of the expense myself because, honestly, postage is ridiculously expensive these days, I charged £100 for a large painting, thinking surely that will be enough but came to £130. Whenever possible, I’m sticking with Royal Mail for the flat and small gift items, to not have those fine art shipping prices and keep costs down  — they tend to be the most reliable out of the domestic and have a bit of wiggle room when it comes to weight brackets- ie up to amount , than a precise accurate amount . I pay for 48 hour service, or 24 if there isn’t much difference. For larger, awkward artworks, I’ll still use flight logistics (who then pass things on to UPS or DHL locally - so maybe can just go straight to those, just means a little more filling in of paper work but it might possibly save, although so far they’ve been cheaper than going straight to the courier direct ), as they’ve proven dependable so far.

If you’re local-ish to Bristol, please check my local delivery options! Which I am always adding to, if unsure please drop me an email.

I’m happy to hand-deliver within about an hour’s drive (sometimes a bit further if arranged). It saves me the stress of packaging and guarantees your art arrives safely and quicker than post that has to first go to the depot, before being sent out again. And honestly the amount of bubble wrap and foam and safe to send options I use, I probably save money using fuel.

I currently offer this service for free — though tips are always appreciated!

Because I know shipping can be a deal-breaker, I’m offering free shipping until 1st January 2026 (expires at 8am that morning).

If you’ve added items to your cart before and inputted your email at any point or were signed in, check your inbox — you’ll have received a code automatically and a link back to your cart waiting for you .


Use the code. FREESHIP2BCA
at checkout for free shipping.


Or, if you’d prefer to contribute something towards postage, I can send you a smaller discount code instead. Either way I don’t wish for postage to be a barrier to being with the artwork you’ve fallen for, and while I do miss my artwork when sending to their new homes, I have to sell artwork to make room in the studio and to not be crushed under an land slide of paintings. keeping the hope of full time artist alive.

I’d love to know — does shipping costs  ever stop you from buying artwork (or anything online in general )? And would you rather see shipping included in the price upfront? Though I prefer to see the artworks cost and shipping price separate, to truly get a sense of this, its a personal preference , Let me know in the comments below!