What to do if you receive damaged art in the post

If a piece of art arrives damaged in the post, do not throw anything away, photograph the parcel and the work exactly as they arrived, and contact the seller within a day or two. Almost every reputable gallery would far rather replace, repair or refund a damaged piece than lose your trust, but the way you handle the first hour decides how smoothly that happens.

What should I do the moment I open the parcel?

Stop unpacking and document everything before you go any further. The single most useful thing you can do is take clear, well-lit photographs while the work is still in its packaging: the outer box, any crushed corners or punctures, the internal padding, and then the artwork itself with the damage visible. If the courier is still at your door, point out visible damage and note it on their handheld device before signing, or sign as “damaged” rather than accepting it clean. These few minutes of evidence are what turn a frustrating situation into a quick resolution.

Resist the urge to “tidy up” by repackaging or discarding the box. Couriers and insurers frequently ask to see the original packaging to judge whether the work was protected adequately, and a flattened box thrown out with the recycling can quietly weaken an otherwise straightforward claim.

Who is actually responsible when art is damaged in transit?

Your contract is with whoever sold you the work, not with the courier who delivered it. This matters more than people expect. When a gallery arranges shipping, they are responsible for getting the work to you in sound condition, and the relationship with the courier is theirs to manage. You should not be passed back and forth or told to chase the delivery company yourself. A good seller treats the courier claim as their problem and keeps you out of it.

The courier delivered the parcel, but the gallery sold you the artwork. Direct your conversation to the seller and let them handle the rest.

That said, your cooperation speeds things up. The clearer your photographs and the sooner you send them, the easier it is for the gallery to file with their carrier and resolve your case rather than absorb a loss.

How do I report it, and how quickly?

Email the seller promptly, attach your photographs, and describe the damage plainly. Speed genuinely matters: many couriers impose tight windows for damage claims, sometimes as short as a few days, and a seller who reports late may find their own claim refused. A calm, factual message within 24 to 72 hours, with images attached, gives everyone the best chance of a clean outcome. Keep it in writing rather than relying on a phone call, so there is a clear record of when you reported the problem and what you said.

State what you would like to happen, while staying open to options. Depending on the work, the seller might offer a replacement, a repair arranged at their cost, a partial refund if you are happy to keep the piece, or a full refund and return. For an editioned print there may be another copy available; for a unique original, repair or refund are the realistic routes.

When is repair the right answer rather than a refund?

Repair makes sense when you love the specific work and the damage is the kind a professional can address invisibly or near-invisibly. Cracked glazing, a dented frame, a small tear in paper, or a scuffed mount are often well within a conservator’s reach, and many galleries — particularly those used to shipping fragile pieces, such as the coastal print specialists at Beside The Wave Ltd or contemporary dealers like ArtWave West — will know a trusted framer or conservator to recommend. The key is to agree, in advance and in writing, who arranges and pays for the work.

Be cautious about attempting repairs yourself. Replacing glass in a frame is reasonable; touching up a paint surface, flattening a buckled sheet, or removing tape from the back of a work on paper is not. Amateur intervention can turn a fixable problem into a permanent one and may also void any claim the seller could otherwise have made.

What if the seller won’t help?

Most will, but if you hit a wall, your consumer rights are stronger than you might think. Goods must arrive as described and of satisfactory quality, and an item that turns up broken plainly is not. If you paid by card, your card provider or PayPal may offer a route to recover the cost where a seller refuses to engage. Keep every email, every photograph, and the original receipt or invoice together in one place from the start, so that escalating, if it ever comes to that, is simply a matter of forwarding what you already have.

The reassuring truth is that damaged-in-transit art is common enough that established galleries have a routine for it. Document calmly, report quickly, and let the seller do their job — and far more often than not, a frustrating delivery becomes a footnote rather than a loss.