Artwork Shipping UK to US - de minimis, tariffs and customs

You probably arrived here from an internet search for shipping art, crafts, or prints to the US with the new tariff and customs rules changes after the de minimis on imports goes away at the end of this month (August 2025).
Hi. Welcome. You should get a tasty beverage, and I’ll give you what I know so far.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert, nor should you rely solely on my information here, but it should give you a place to start.

My situation as an artist selling my art globally:

I ship a small variety of art things that I make with my own hands, including original artwork on canvas and paper (those are typical surfaces for me, and includes original paintings, drawings, illustrations, cards, monoprints and monotypes), non-limited prints I have manufactured externally by a professional printing company (not my own hands, budget friendly, non-fine art prints like postcards, “leaflet” style stuff, etc.*), and sometimes make my own gicleé prints (archival, mechanically produced prints, which are typically limited, and sometimes hand-embellished).

My shipping needs are global, and I’ve been using the Harmonized Tariff Schedule for the United States for years. I always get a little anxious when filling out my customs forms, but I have never had an issue with delays relating to my information, rejections or - to my knowledge - surprise fees or duties, because I use the HTS information to correctly categorise and describe my parcel contents. I really dislike the whole process; I’m an artist. The business of selling my art is a necessary pain in the ass. If Jen Dixon Arts were a big company, I’d probably “have people for that”, and I’d happily be covered in paint most days.

Art and the global system nomenclature:

For original, made by you paintings, drawings, or handmade prints, you’ll probably want to look at this chapter of the HTS: Chapter 97. Find it by scrolling to Section XXI: Works of Art, Collectors' Pieces and Antiques, Chapter 97. You’ll see a downloadable document that will open in a new browser tab (you can even export a CSV file). That section will give you the exact codes you need to put onto your customs forms, and as long as you are clear, and give the correct wording from the Article Description column, you should clear customs without issue. And there does not - at the time of writing this - appear to be any upcoming change in customs, duties, or tariffs for these things; they should clear free, according to what is stated in that document, but that relies on you giving them the correct info on your forms (same as it ever was**).

Tread carefully, creative friends: websites that report on art world stuff (this was a helpful read from Artsy) caution about materials use. So, if you are creating assemblage, or other kinds of mixed media*** works, you might run into some complications. For example: if you make hand-painted 2-D landscapes but the surface you use is (just a wild example off the top of my head) quilted placemats, that could get you into a complicated materials grey area with the border. No matter what, if you have a question, consult someone in the specialist art shipping industry before attempting to do this on your own. Don’t guess. Don’t assume. And don’t think you’re more clever than the customs inspectors. It’s not worth the risk.

For non-fine art, non-limited reproductions by common printing companies (think: Moo, Mixam, Vistaprint, etc.), you’re probably going to want to look at Chapter 49 of the HTS. Section X: Pulp of Wood or of Other Fibrous Cellulosic Material; Waste and Scrap of Paper or Paperboard; Paper and Paperboard and Articles Thereof, Chapters 47-49. That’s the one that covers things like my postcard packs and my “mini posters”. Those items should also cross into the US free of new tariffs, customs fees, or duties. Again, your situation may be very different to mine, but I don’t send “bulk” of those items to anyone - they’re just one or two prints of an item at most per package - but if you have doubts or questions, please consult a specialist.

What about [insert specific thing here]?

Many of your questions are probably answered within the specific chapter documents I mentioned (49 and 97), including what IS NOT covered by those codes. But keep in mind that there are so many classifications for materials involving paper or textiles, hand or mechanical creation or reproduction, and age of the item, etc., so look at the entire HTS (the search function is very good) for terminology that could describe your art goods. For example: architectural drawings, etchings, and photographic prints are all classified differently to art drawings. So don’t guess; don’t assume. Search for your specific needs.

TL;DR

Click the link above (or right here) to take you to the US Government’s Harmonized Tariff Schedule for all the codes you need to document your original art, prints, and more for entry into the United States. You were likely already doing that (or used an automated process when booking shipping services because that’s part of selling your work globally in physical form), and you’ll see that - at the time of writing this blog post - many**** paintings, illustrations, and prints will be exempt from the new tariffs, customs, and duties (whatever you want to call these entry fees) according to the US Government’s own HTS documentation. Again, I am not a shipping or customs expert. This is what I’ve found for answers for myself, and you may have different circumstances.

Will I still ship art to the US after August 2025?

Yes, unless the situation changes. I don’t want to stop shipping to the US (many of my collectors and customers are in the US), so for now, I will carry on as normal. I will be rebuilding my online shop shipping policies over the coming weeks (free shipping is ending because it’s become so expensive everywhere), but I’m not going to exclude America at this time.

Other solutions for avoiding customs, tariffs, and fees at the border?

I’m setting up a high-quality (fine art level, limited editions etc.) print-on-demand service to fulfil print orders of my art within the US, UK, and EU markets. No borders get crossed, which means no customs complications. I’ve chosen a very good printer (archival, super posh prints on fancypants papers), and that should be available by the end of this month, perhaps beginning of September. That will be in addition to my physical goods shipped from my UK studio, and that was always something I’d planned anyway, but had not found a good solution until recently.

Hope this helps. We’ll get through this messy time, my creative friends.

Jen x

Notes for * markers above:

*If you create calendars, notebooks, pads, or other “merch”, you are going to need to dig deeper into the HTS. I also don’t know about zines yet, which is something I’ll be looking at more closely too, because I want to make those and also little comic/illustration books… Those might be in a grey area. As I said above, if in doubt, go consult an expert in these things. Who should you consult? I wish I knew. I have to find the best option for my own needs too, so that may also be a “back-burnered” art project for now.

**Did you say that in your head like the Talking Heads lyric? I did.

***Mixed media in the “beyond pencils and paint on the same surface” kind of mixed media. Think: textiles, wood, metal, found objects, etc. kinds of mixed media. No one is likely to be concerned that you drew with oil pastels on your watercolour painting. The border typically cares about materials in a more industrial/commercial/agricultural/hazard sense. If you keep it in mind that wood could have chemicals in it, or a found object might have lead paint in it… you get the idea. Mixed media is a broad term, so be clear in your description of anything that you couldn’t use on a sketchbook page and you should be fine. If in doubt, consult a specialist art shipping company for guidance.

****I’m just covering my butt here, because I’m not a customs law expert. I am writing based on my own interpretation plus information I have found from others.