THIS IS A NEW PAGE ABOUT SHIPPING ART AND ART MATERIALS TO THE USA
- CURRENTLY UNDER DEVELOPMENT

The aim is to provide A GOOD UNDERSTANDING FOR ARTISTS OF:
  • The three key issues re tariffs and payment of duty relating to art
  • What changed in Summer 2025 - and the new arrangements for shipping art and art materials to the USA ​
  • Implications for Artists: What you need to know - BEFORE you start selling art to the USA
  • References to
    • Trade Systems; and
    • the situation in different countries
Picture
Postal Services across the world will stop shipping to the USA by 29 August. This is when the latest Trump Executive Order commences IMAGE CREDIT see bottom of page

SUMMARY OF KEY ISSUES:
why art sales to the USA are suspended/stopping
​

The three key issues relate to:
  1. Exemption of original art from tariffs - has this changed?
  2. The requirement for "Delivery Duty Paid" plus reservations by postal services about the duty and data collection they are being expected to provide
  3. The suspension by post services around the world of all postal deliveries of packages to the USA
US Art Import Tariffs:

DOES ART CONTINUE
TO ENJOY AN EXEMPTION
FROM TARIFF DUTY?

​DOES THE DISMISSAL OF THE "DE MINIMUS" EXEMPTION MEAN THAT PROTECTION FROM DUTY HAS CHANGED FOR PACKAGES OF ORIGINAL ART?​
  • ​It's unclear what impact Trump's new Tariff Notices (as per FACT SHEET 30.7.25 see below) have on the existing LEGAL EXEMPTION of all original art from all tariff duty
  • Legal Experts have questioned whether the President has the legal power to unilaterally change the current agreement that ALL ART (within the existing definition) is NOT subject to any international tariff.
  • This may result in challenge in international courts.
  • If art becomes subject to duty, the repercussions are wide-ranging eg
    • no imports of historical art as "cultural artifact" by the USA.
    • and/or no exhibitions of art from other art museums around the world - because of the cost of the duty!
  • However, commercial art (i.e. not one-off and for sale) is generally not covered by this exemption and is subject to duty! (Elsewhere it varies from country to country)
What is generally considered duty-free in the USA prior to new Directions (per Google AI)

  • 1) Original artworks: Paintings, drawings, pastels, original engravings, prints, lithographs, and sculptures are typically exempt from import duty when they are original and hand-made.
  • 2) Antiques: Works over 100 years old are also usually duty-free.
  • 3) Works of archaeological, ethnographic, or historical interest: These are also covered under duty-free exemptions.
In the U.S. government’s Harmonized Tariff Schedule, an artwork is defined by factors such as originality, artistic intent, and market perception. Broadly, this means that the object has to be either an original or a limited edition work. Its primary purpose should be for aesthetic appreciation, and it is recognized as fine art through its association with reputable galleries, auction houses, and so on.
4 Ways Trump’s Tariffs Have Changed Art Collecting in 2025 | Artsy
Artworks and other cultural objects may also be imported tariff-free, but currently exemption is legally unclear. Art lawyers, including some based in the US, have so far been unable to agree on the legal effect of the Order on US imports of art.

​Unless and until there is authoritative clarification by or on behalf of the President, bewilderment and turbulence continues to destabilise the art ecosystem.
US Art Import Tariffs | Art Law | Art Quest
 REQUIREMENT FOR "DELIVERY DUTY PAID"

​ie. to deliver on Trump's promise to "make other countries pay the tariff duty due"
  • US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on 30 JULY 2025 ending the global import tax exemption on low-value parcels (SEE LINK). which takes effect from 29 August. 
    • ​The new tariffs on the import of goods to the USA - worth less than $800 (but more than $100) - start on 29 August 2025.
  • The US has also demanded that all packages be delivered DDP (i.e. Delivered Duty Paid) which means 
    • the seller is responsible for all costs and risks, including customs clearance, import duties, and taxes, until the package reaches the buyer's specified destination.
      • In theory, his creates a hassle-free experience for the buyer by ensuring they only pay the purchase price and receive the goods without unexpected fees or delays. 
      • In reality, no seller is going to incur costs and not seek recovery.
    • DDP places significant responsibility and much higher costs on the seller, making it a strategy that requires
      • expertise in international shipping AND
      • a deep understanding of the destination country's customs and tax laws.
      • knowledge of what the duty will be BEFORE they price their artwork for sale.​
    • In addition, carriers and postal services are concerned about duty and data collection:
      • ​​​how and by whom customs duties are collected
      • what additional data will be required
      • how data transmission to the US Customs and Border Protection will be carried out
To ship art to the USA in August 2025, you will need detailed documentation, including an invoice and a Certificate of Authenticity, to ensure the artwork's classification as duty-free original art under U.S. tariffs. You should prepare for potential tariffs on non-original art, ensure proper, careful packaging for fragile items, and be aware that recent changes in U.S. import regulations may require careful documentation and planning.
Google AI Overview
"Key questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding how and by whom customs duties will be collected in the future, what additional data will be required, and how the data transmission to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be carried out," the company said in a statement. "These changes affect all postal and parcel service providers worldwide, many of whom have already announced a suspension of postal shipping to the U.S."
DHL quoted in Here's why European postal services are suspending U.S. deliveries
AROUND THE WORLD, POSTAL SERVICES WILL  STOP SENDING PARCELS to the USA on 29 August 2025 (or earlier). ​
  • This is directly related to the requirement for:
    • ​delivery duty paid
    • clarification of whether tariffs are required on all categories which are currently internationally exempt from tariffs.
    • very poor implementation of the changes by the Trump government
"New US Import Tariffs Trigger Global Suspension of of (all) package deliveries"
You Tube video - see below

WHAT HAS CHANGED (Summer 2025)
​- a bit more detail
​

See also the References at the end of this page where the heavy lifting documents are!
EXEMPTION FROM TARIFFS
  • In principle, art has been exempt from tariffs for a long while. In theory this should still be the case.
  • However, the exemption from tariff payments for goods valued at less than $800 has been terminated for countries wishing to export art to the USA 
  • the only goods which do NOT bear a tariff and which can still be sent by post is for art valued at less than $100
  • the impact of the new tariff rates - around the world - is variable, depending on the rate agreed
  • Legally, it is disputed whether the tariffs can be implemented by the US Government. 
  • There are two theories
    • ​the new tariffs apply irrespective of existing tariffs re art
    • the new arrangements cannot replace existing international agreements re how to tariff art (i.e. nil duty for specific defined types of art)

SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN COSTS
  • the increased tariffs and the impact on shipping services means a significant increase in cost of shipping internationally
  • the cost increases relate to:
    • the new tariff rate on exports to the USA
    • the fee being charged by postal services or carriers to process / validate the paperwork and the payment of the relevant duty (sum due)
    • the increase in cost of art as artists have to pass on both the tariff and the increased cost of getting through Customs to the buyer
  • Right now, the the problem for many who sell art to the USA at the moment is that
    • they are unable to give an accurate estimate of the duty and fees payable by the buyer - and
    • hence cannot provide a price to sell art to American buyers if they want to recover costs

DELIVERY DUTY PAID
What is imperative is that all artists can calculate
  • the tariff duty to be charged and
  • the cost of shipping and
  • the cost admin fees
  • BEFORE they put a piece of art up for sale online.
​
This has resulted in the WORLDWIDE SUSPENSION OF POSTAL SERVICES to the USA
  • all post and parcel services by postal services are or will be temporarily suspended by 29 August 2025 
    • Dates vary by country
    • the suspension applies to all packages (both business and personal)
    • the only packages which can get through are valued at less than $100 (ie the exemption still applies to these parcels)
  • there is no date for when this suspension will end. It depends on matters being clarified by the US Government
  • postal services are concerned about expectations about their role re duty and data collection - and onward transmission
  • the airlines have become an absolutely pivotal part of the overall process. They refuse to carry any post (i.e. a an incredibly large number of small parcels)  until such time as matters which are still unclear are clarified by
    • the US government and
    • those handling payment of duty on export
    • how parcels will NOT be left unclaimed or unprocessed on planes or at airports
  • Many artists are now suspending sales of art to the US - and putting notices to this effect on their websites and social media accounts - because the postal service is the most effective and least costly method of shipping art
Picture
A response by Heather Murray on her website

What are the IMPLICATIONS FOR ARTISTS? 

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?  |  WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?
​
The only certainty is uncertainty
Analysts have said that the regulatory changes, if they are maintained, are likely to have a considerable impact, particularly on small and medium-sized European companies exporting lower-value goods to the US.
Postal services in Europe suspend parcel shipments to US amid uncertainty over tariffs | The Guardian (25.8.25)
IMPLICATIONS for Artists who sell art to US Buyers

Artists outside the USA who have habitually sold to buyers in the USA are impacted by all the changes until such time as matters have been fully clarified.

​Likely impact will include:
  • Reduced Income
  • More administration
  • Increased costs - impacting on cashflow. Essential that you know what these are to make sure your prices are adjusted appropriately
  • lots of updates on social media and websites to keep people / buyers well informed

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO - NOW!
  • State on your shop page/site that you are no longer sending parcels of your art to the USA.
  • Add that you will reinstate postal services just as soon as the situation is sorted and everything is certain - and the planes take off!
  • CHECK on any parcels you have sent recently.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • The rate of duty applicable (if any)
  • the correct tariff code for your artwork
  • to be very, very careful and do your research in depth if the artwork contains mixed materials - which might attract a different tariff
  • how to process your package so it is "Delivery Duty Paid" - and so you get no nasty surprises some days later when the Postal service tells you what you owe them
  • how much the Postal Service Fee is going to be for processing your package - do NOT ignore this one
  • what the cost of using an art courier service might be - including all the processing fees (I'd skip this one if you've always used the postal service, since it's going to be a lot more)
  • what the NEW price for your art is going to be after you have taken account of the two new tariffs and fees - assuming you are NOT (as trump assumes) going to just absorb the additional costs for no return.
  • HOW LONG IT'S GOING TO TAKE TO WORK OUT ALL THE CALCULATIONS AND UPDATE ALL THE PRICES ON YOUR WEBSITE OR SALES SCHEDULE

See also International Art Shipping: How to ship / export art to other countries on this website
(which has not been revised as yet but does have all the tariff codes relevant to art)
IMPLICATIONS for artists working in the USA

US Artists  wanting to buy art supplies of specialist art materials (eg canvas, paints, brushes etc) from outside the USA will find the following applies
  • all will have to bear the additional cost of the import tariff (relative to the country which produces the art materials ) - because whether they import direct or buy from their local supplier (physical or online) the importer is going to pay the tariff.
  • they will also have the additional costs of processing charged by the postal services or carriers getting the goods through Customs
  • rising costs of art materials will also have an impact on teaching art in schools. 
    • ​elimination of waste is likely to become a priority

​THE REFERENCE SECTION
​

THIS SECTION PROVIDES LINKS TO RELEVANT ARTICLES - SO YOU CAN DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH
Donald Trump’s late announcement left operators with ‘extremely limited timeframe to get prepared’
The Guardian 25 August 2025
Some important acronyms relating to TRADE / IMPORTS / EXPORTS / TARIFFS AND DUTY:
​
  • HS refers to the International Harmonized System of codes commonly used throughout the import and export process for the classification of goods. 
    • The Harmonized System is a standardized numerical method of classifying traded products.
    • It is used by countries around the world to uniformly identify and describe products for purposes such as assessing duties and gathering statistics.
  • HTS refers to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, a product classification system used for imports into the United States to determine applicable duties and taxes. 
    • ​It extends the international Harmonized System (HS) by adding an additional four digits, making the code specific to the U.S. to detail tariffs and trade rules for imported goods. 
  • IEEPA refers to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (9177), a United States federal law enacted in 1977
    • this grants the President authority to regulate international commerce and freeze assets by declaring a national emergency in response to an external threat. 
    • This law enables the president to implement sanctions, such as reciprocal tariffs, by issuing licenses and orders to control international trade and financial transactions​
 GENERIC (COMMENTARY BY ART JOURNALISTS
The suspension is expected to impact millions of packages, with the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the USPS estimating that in 2021 there were over 3 billion inbound packages.
Newsweek
THE LEGAL ANGLE ON ART BEING EXEMPTED FROM TARIFFS
  • US ART: IMPORT TARIFFS | Artquest - This provides a historical and helpful perspective on the changes to the taxation of art over the years.  READ a key paragraph from this analysis BELOW. 

THE ETSY PERSPECTIVE
Presidential Executive Orders are made under powers delegated by Congress under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEP).

Trump initially declared an emergency in relation to Canada and Mexico, which he later expanded to include most of the rest of the world because of trade imbalances (notably not Russia, Belarus and North Korea).

IEEP, however, does not delegate authority to restrict imports or impose tariffs on so-called ‘informational materials’ that specifically include ‘artworks’.

This statutory derogation of Presidential power chimes with the current statutory exemption of artworks from import tariffs under HTS. Not all art lawyers, including some in the US, agree that HTS and IEEP together exempt imported artworks.
US ART: IMPORT TARIFFS | Artquest 
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A listing developed by one news service of the number of countries where package carriers were suspending shipment to the US
In 2024, de minimis shipments coming into the U.S. were valued at more than $1.36 billion, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Essentially, the current impasse is in part determined by whether or not the President has the power to determine changes to tariff exemptions on art in this way.  That, in turn, means
  • we cannot expect a resolution to the issue any time soon
  • unless there's an appetite to fight this out in the (international) courts.

​What is needed is a clear statement of fact by the US Government - which is agreed as legal by relevant bodies.
​I think it's reasonable to expect that sorting out issues re art will not be the top priority.
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CLICK THE PIC - to see the Reel about the new PDDP service for sending parcels to the USA
UK
The de minimis exemption had allowed goods valued at $800 or less to enter the US without paying any tariffs. US consumers relied on the exemption to buy cheap clothes and household items from online commerce sites like Shein and Temu.

​The White House says the global exemption was being used to "evade tariffs and funnel deadly synthetic opioids" to the US.
The administration already ended the de minimis exemption for Chinese goods on 2 May but the rest of the world was spared until now.
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Euronews Article about postal services suspended across Europe (23 August 2025)
EUROPE
CANCELLATION OF POSTAL SERVICES ACROSS EU
Postal services across Europe have suspended most parcel shipments to the US, citing widespread uncertainty about the impact of new import tariffs announced by Donald Trump.
Postal services in Europe suspend parcel shipments to US amid uncertainty over tariffs | The Guardian (25.8.25)
La Poste, which sends 1.6m packages on average to the US each year, 80% of them from businesses and 20% from individuals, said the new rules had been confirmed by US authorities only on 15 August.
​​Postal services in Europe suspend parcel shipments to US amid uncertainty over tariffs | The Guardian (25.8.25)
AUSTRALASIA
NZ Post said it expected the suspension would be short term but could not give customers an exact date.
ASIA
NORTH AMERICA 
This particular video was published 3 days ago
BEFORE many more countries also announced that they will be suspending mail services as of 29th August

CREDITS
​Banner Map: Produced by the US Government (Central Intelligence Agency) edited by Charles J Sharp | Wikipedia
"No longer shipping" Image at the top of the page courtesy of Astral Synergy Productions