Duties and taxes may be applied when you import an artwork from another country. As such charges are defined by the governments, they are outside Artland's control.
When do custom fees apply?
Duties are usually to be paid unless both you and the gallery are located in the same country or are located in one of the EU member countries.
Who is responsible to pay such fees?
It is your responsibility to pay for such charges. In most cases, you will be notified about their amount once the shipment has crossed your country's border. In other cases, you might be asked to pay for them upon delivery.
How much will I pay?
Unfortunately, we are not able to make an estimation of custom duties and taxes. Import duties depend on the characteristics of the good (it being an artwork, its value), of the shipment (country of origin) anf of its insurance. Such amount is defined by the laws on importing goods of the destination country, so the information is publicly available. Moreover, each courier may apply processing fees related to the filing of custom documents.
On top of such fees, you might be asked to pay VAT or other kind of taxes on the product.If you are located in Europe, you may be able to determine the VAT applied to your shipment by using this tool.
If you are located in the US, governmental websites such as U.S. Custom and Border Protection might be helpful. Keep in mind that the US government also applies two specific fees: MPF (The Merchandise Processing Fee) and Custom Bonds. MPF is based on the value of the merchandise being imported, while Custom Bond is a contract between the US Custom, a principal (i.e. importer) and a surety and defines who is responsible for paying duties and taxes.
When will I pay?
When the good arrives at the port, you will be contacted directly by either the courier or the customs to pay such fees, which will allow for final import and delivery into the country.
Can I refuse to pay custom duties?
If you refuse to pay custom duties, the good will not be delivered. It will usually be held by the courier for a period of time and, then, sent back to the sender.