Dispatch times
Pieces already in the shop dispatch within 2–4 business days of payment clearing. Commissions run to their own agreed schedule, normally four to six weeks from the point everything is decided.
Everything is packed by hand by the person who made it, which means dispatch waits for a day I am in the studio rather than going out on a schedule.
How it is packed
Glazing face out, wrapped first in acid-free tissue, then bubble wrap, then set upright in an outer carton with a minimum of 50 mm of crush space on every side. The outer box is marked this way up and it matters: carried flat, anything that works loose in transit falls onto the specimen. Carried upright, it falls harmlessly to the bottom edge.
Costs
| Destination | Service | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Tracked, 3–5 days | $12 flat |
| United States, orders over $150 | Tracked, 3–5 days | Free |
| Canada | Tracked, 7–14 days | From $28 |
| UK & EU | Tracked, 8–18 days | From $38 |
| Rest of world | Tracked | Quoted individually |
International orders
I ship to most countries. Two things to know before you order.
Duties and taxes are yours. Import duty, VAT and customs handling fees are charged by your country, not by me, and are not included in the price.
Biological material has its own rules. Some countries restrict the import of insect specimens regardless of species or provenance. Checking your own country's position is the buyer's responsibility. If a parcel is seized at your border for a rule that applied at your end, I cannot refund it — so please write first and I will tell you what I know about your destination.
When it arrives
Leave it wrapped for several hours if it has come off a cold van into a warm house. Unwrapping a cold box into a warm room condenses moisture onto the glazing and, worse, inside it. Once acclimatised, unwrap upright.
Hanging hardware is already fitted. Use two hooks rather than one for anything over about 2 kg — a single point lets the piece rotate slowly, and a rotating shadow box eventually sheds its flora into the bottom of the frame.
Returns
Returns are accepted within 14 days of delivery on shop pieces, provided the work is unused, undamaged and returned in its original packaging. Write before sending anything back so I can confirm the address and the method.
Return postage is the buyer's cost unless the piece arrived damaged or was not as described. Refunds are issued to the original payment method within five business days of the piece arriving back safely.
Commissions are not returnable, because they were made to your specification and cannot be resold. I will show you progress photographs at every stage precisely so there are no surprises at the end.
Damage in transit
Rare, but it happens. If a parcel looks compromised:
- Photograph the outer carton before opening it further.
- Photograph the piece in its packaging.
- Email both sets of photographs within 48 hours of delivery.
Almost everything is repairable, and I would far rather fix a piece than argue about it. Where a repair is not sensible, I replace or refund.