Original art used to cross into the United States duty-free. Even through the tariff rounds of 2025, works of art were spared. That ended on August 22, 2026, when the US placed an additional 50% duty on a list of Canadian-made goods that includes original art. The duty applies whether or not your work qualifies under the Canada-US free trade agreement (CUSMA), and there is no exemption for artwork. (KoalaGains)

How it works

Three points are worth understanding before anything else.

Most of what artists sell is on the list, digital prints included. US Customs treats inkjet, giclée and photographic prints differently from offset lithographs, and only the first group carries the 50%. (US Customs code list)

The list changes, and the exact category depends on how a piece is made. Before you set a price, confirm your customs codes with a broker or your carrier.

Canvas prints and greeting cards

Two cases deserve a closer look, because the answers are not obvious.

A digitally printed image on stretched canvas is, in the eyes of US Customs, a printed picture, just like a giclée on paper. It carries the full 50%. (US Customs ruling N323197)

Greeting cards are another matter. Customs places cards that carry a printed greeting, message or announcement in a category of their own, and that category is not on the 50% list, including the updated list that took effect September 15, 2026. A printed caption identifying the artwork has been counted as a message. (US Customs ruling 966421) A card with only an image and a blank inside, however, is treated as a printed picture and does carry the duty. (US Customs ruling H305186)

For card makers, the answer is simple: add a real printed greeting, or a caption with the artwork's title and a line about it. Ship by courier and claim CUSMA to avoid a separate 10% US duty that applies to most Canadian goods sent by post. (Shopify Help)

Whatever you sell through, the goal is the same: your artwork keeps one price for every buyer, the duty appears as its own line, and nothing surprises your collector at the door.

This matters more than it may seem. In DHL's 2026 e-commerce report, 63% of shoppers said unexpected customs or tax charges had made them abandon a purchase. (Shopify)

An example makes it clearer. Say you sell an original painting to a collector in Seattle for US$600. Here is what your buyer should see at checkout:

Your price stays at $600, and your buyer can see that the extra charge belongs to the US government, not to you. When the GST arrived in 1990, we made our customers a promise: we would not hide the tax in the prices we charged. The same principle serves artists well today.

How to set it up

1. Collect the duty when your buyer pays.Use a shop platform or shipping service that calculates duty at checkout and shows it as a separate line. Your artwork's price then stays the same everywhere you sell it.
2. Ship "duties paid by sender."Carriers call this DDP, for delivered duty paid. The duty is settled before the parcel crosses, so your buyer is never charged on delivery. Be careful here: if you collect duties at checkout but print an ordinary label, your buyer can be charged twice.
3. Give every piece a customs code and country of origin.The code is a six-digit number customs uses to identify the item, and the origin is Canada. The duty is calculated from these two, so it pays to get them right.
4. Cover the carrier's processing fee.Carriers may add a fee to duty-paid parcels. Build it into your US shipping rate so that it does not come out of your pocket.
5. Say it plainly.Add a line to your product pages and shipping policy: "US orders include duties at checkout. No surprise fees on delivery."

Selling by email, at fairs or through social media

If you do not sell through an online shop, you can still do all of this by hand. Quote the duty to your buyer as its own line on your invoice, then prepay it when you ship.

Through Canada Post, every US-bound parcel worth up to US$2,500 must have its duties prepaid. The free Zonos app calculates the amount, takes payment and gives you a Declaration ID for your label; without one, the parcel will not be accepted. Its calculate-only mode lets you check the duty before you quote a price. (Zonos)

For anything over US$2,500, or a piece you cannot risk losing, book a courier on a "duties paid by sender" basis so that your collector pays nothing on delivery.

Collecting the duty cleanly is only one answer. Several others are worth considering, depending on what you make and who buys it.

Original art enters the European Union and the United Kingdom with no customs duty at all. Buyers there pay import VAT, the European equivalent of our GST, and many countries now tax original artwork at a reduced rate. (Wikioo, Aug 2026)

Import VAT on original art in each country, set beside the added 50% US duty.

A collector in Paris pays about 5.5% on top of your price.

What to know before you ship

Our suggestion: pick one country where you already have a few followers or a past sale, set it up properly, and test it this season. Australia and other markets work the same way; check their import tax rules before your first shipment.

Speaking up for artists is not new for us, and we are doing it again. Laws written with the broadest of aims too often land hardest on small, less visible people, and independent artists are among the least able to absorb a cost like this one. As an independent Canadian retailer with seven stores across BC, we are adding our voice to the three asks CARFAC and the Visual Arts Alliance have put to the federal government: (Global News)

And if you are a collector, buy Canadian art. There is no more direct way to help.

Tariff rules are changing quickly. This guide reflects the rules as of October 15, 2026, and we will update it as they change. It is practical guidance, not legal or customs advice, so please check with a broker before any large shipment.