Shipping and Returns Policy

GalerieClub Fine Art — GALERIECLUB, M. Jessel, entreprise individuelle (auto-entrepreneur), 8 Place de Tassin, 69160 Tassin la Demi-Lune, France — SIREN 831 077 557, R.C.S. Lyon — VAT FR 70 831 077 557 — galerieclub1(arobase)gmail.com. Last updated: April 2026.

1. Shipping Origin

All artworks are dispatched from our gallery in Tassin la Demi-Lune, France (Lyon metropolitan area). We ship worldwide, with a primary focus on the United States and Canada.

2. Processing Time

Orders are processed within three (3) to seven (7) business days of payment confirmation. This processing window is required for professional packaging, preparation of export customs documentation, and handover to the carrier. For artworks requiring an export licence under the French Code du patrimoine, processing time may extend to six (6) weeks (see Section 8).

3. Carriers and Shipping Methods

We exclusively use tracked, signature-required international express services: UPS Express Saver. We do NOT use standard postal services (La Poste, Colissimo, USPS First Class) for paintings, regardless of declared value, because they lack adequate handling protocols for framed works.

4. Estimated Transit Times

Transit times are carrier estimates and do not include customs clearance delays:

United States (East Coast — NY, MA, VA, FL): 3–5 business days.
United States (West Coast — CA, WA, OR): 4–7 business days.
United States (Midwest and South — IL, TX, GA): 4–6 business days.
Canada (ON, QC, BC): 4–7 business days.
Rest of world: 5–14 business days.

5. Shipping Costs

We offer free shipping to the United States and Canada on all orders. No additional shipping charges will be applied at checkout for these destinations.

6. Insurance During Transit

Every artwork is insured in transit at one hundred percent (100%) of the purchase price (or higher declared value on request), at our expense, for the duration of the journey from our gallery to the buyer’s delivery address. In the event of loss or total damage in transit, buyers will receive a full refund or, where possible, a replacement of equivalent value. Partial damage is addressed under Section 11 (Damage in Transit).

7. Customs Duties, Import Taxes, and VAT

GalerieClub Fine Art is VAT-exempt on export sales to buyers outside the European Union under article 262 I of the French General Tax Code (Code général des impôts). Accordingly, prices displayed for US and Canadian buyers do NOT include French VAT.

However, the buyer is the importer of record in the destination country and is solely responsible for any import duties, taxes, customs fees, or clearance charges levied by the destination country’s customs authority. Indicative rates for original works of art (HS customs code 9701.10 — “paintings, drawings and pastels, executed entirely by hand”):

United States: duty-free (0%) under HTSUS 9701.10 on original works of art over 100 years old, and on most contemporary original paintings. No federal VAT. Some states may apply use tax.
Canada: duty-free (0%) on original paintings under HS 9701.10. GST/HST applies at 5%–15% depending on province on the declared value.

We will declare the true sale price on the customs invoice. Under-declaration of value is illegal and will not be performed under any circumstance, regardless of buyer request.

8. Cultural Heritage Export — French Code du Patrimoine

Under articles L.111-1 and R.111-1 of the French Code du patrimoine, original paintings may require an export licence (certificat de libre circulation or export licence for EU export) depending on age and value. Our current thresholds: any painting more than fifty (50) years old AND of a value exceeding EUR 150,000 requires a certificat de libre circulation delivered by the French Ministry of Culture before export outside the European Union. For artworks within our typical price range (under EUR 50,000), no export licence is generally required, but we routinely obtain and retain export documentation for audit purposes. Buyers will be notified if any licence is required before shipment; processing adds two (2) to six (6) weeks.

9. Delivery, Receipt, and Inspection

A signature from an adult (18+) is required upon delivery. We strongly recommend the buyer:

Inspect the outer packaging for visible damage BEFORE signing.
If damage is visible, sign “received with visible damage : subject to inspection”.
Photograph the outer packaging from all angles before opening.
Unbox in a clean, well-lit area and photograph the artwork within 48 hours of receipt.

10. Damage in Transit

If the artwork arrives damaged, the buyer must notify us at galerieclub1(arobase)gmail.com within forty-eight (48) hours of delivery, providing: photographs of the outer packaging (all sides), photographs of the artwork showing the damage, the signed delivery slip, and the carrier’s waybill number. Resolution options include: full refund upon return of the damaged artwork, partial refund if the buyer elects to keep the work, or funded professional restoration by a conservator of our mutual choice.

11. Returns — US and Canada Buyers (Contractual Inspection Period)

For buyers residing in the United States and Canada, where no legal right of withdrawal applies, we voluntarily grant a contractual period of seven (7) calendar days from the date of delivery to examine the artwork. During this period, the buyer may return the artwork. However, as custodians of the artworks we offer, we reserve the right to refuse or refund any order if we have reason to believe that the buyer might return the artwork without a valid reason. This policy is intended to prevent antique or collectible artworks from undergoing unnecessary international shipping, which carries inherent risks to their preservation.

The consumer must then return the artwork to our Tassin la Demi-Lune address within seven (7) calendar days of sending the withdrawal notice, at the consumer’s expense, using a tracked, fully-insured service equivalent to the service used for outbound shipment, and in the original packaging or equivalent. The artwork must be returned in the exact condition in which it was delivered; any diminution in value resulting from handling other than that necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the artwork may be charged to the consumer (art. L.221-23 Code conso). Refunds are processed within seven (7) days of our receipt and condition-verification of the returned artwork.

12. Non-Returnable Situations

Returns initiated after expiry of the 7-day window (Sections 11).
Artworks returned in packaging materially inferior to the original (significant risk of transit damage on return).

13. Refunds — Method and Timing

Refunds are issued to the original payment method used at purchase (credit card, Shopify Payments, PayPal, bank wire). Processing time after our acceptance of the return is typically three (3) to ten (10) business days, subject to the processing delays of the payment provider. The buyer is informed by email when the refund is initiated.

14. Partial Refunds and Deductions

We reserve the right to apply a partial refund only (or to charge the buyer for diminution in value) in the following cases:

Return of an artwork with new handling marks, scratches, dents or frame damage not present at delivery.
Return after visible unauthorised cleaning, retouching or varnishing..

15. Lost or Stolen Packages After Delivery

Our liability ceases upon carrier-confirmed delivery with signature at the address supplied by the buyer. If a package is reported as delivered but the buyer has not received it, the buyer must file a claim directly with the carrier within seven (7) days of the confirmed-delivery date.

16. Contact for Shipping and Returns

All shipping, damage, and return enquiries: galerieclub1(arobase)gmail.com. Postal correspondence: GALERIECLUB — GalerieClub Fine Art, 8 Place de Tassin, 69160 Tassin la Demi-Lune, France. We respond to all enquiries within two (2) business days (Monday–Friday, excluding French public holidays).

Legal identity summary — GALERIECLUB, entreprise individuelle (auto-entrepreneur), représentant : Jessel. SIREN 831 077 557, R.C.S. Lyon. Siège social : 8 Place de Tassin, 69160 Tassin la Demi-Lune, France. TVA intracommunautaire : FR 70 831 077 557. Exonération de TVA sur exportations hors UE au titre de l’article 262 I du CGI. Contact : galerieclub1(arobase)gmail.com.