Shipping Cost Determination Policy
Shipping costs for all RedDOTvirtual™ artworks are calculated using a transparent, standardized method designed to ensure full insurance coverage and professional packing compliance. At checkout, a buyer's shipping total is made up of three components: the live carrier rate, a transit insurance surcharge based on the artwork's price, and a packaging & crating charge derived from our Packing Standards. Insurance is always calculated on the full retail value of the artwork, and the combined total ensures that artists are protected, collectors are treated fairly, and all shipments meet the safety and documentation requirements outlined in our Packing Standards Guide.
Cost Components at Checkout
1. Carrier Shipping Cost
All artwork shipments must be sent via FedEx, RedDOTvirtual™'s designated carrier. Checkout requests a live FedEx rate using the artwork's recorded weight, dimensions, and the collector's destination. Where an artist has entered a manual shipping cost for a piece, that amount is used instead. Rates are quoted as-is, with no platform markup.
2. Insurance Surcharge
Insurance is mandatory for all artwork shipments. No artwork may be shipped without transit insurance covering the full retail value of the piece. At checkout, declared-value coverage is billed at $0.90 per $100 of artwork value, matching FedEx's declared value schedule.
The standalone Shipping & Insurance Calculator is a planning tool for artists and galleries and uses broader planning rates (1.5% domestic / 2.0% international) to estimate worst-case coverage before a sale.
3. Packaging & Crating
Buyers pay the real cost of protecting the work in transit. Packaging appears as its own line item at checkout and is determined one of two ways:
- Artist-set cost: if the artist has entered a packaging / crating cost for the piece, that figure is used.
- Packing compliance engine: otherwise the platform calculates it from the artwork itself — crate versus double-box based on size, weight, value and medium, plus materials by surface area, surcharges for fragile works, works on paper, high-value and heavy pieces, and packing labor.
The engine mirrors the requirements in our Packing Standards Guide: double-boxing, rigid corner protectors and backing boards, waterproof barrier layers, and the required documentation and condition photography.
Example Calculation
For a domestic sale of a framed artwork priced at $2,000 with a live FedEx rate of $45 and an engine-calculated packaging cost of $38:
- Carrier Cost (live FedEx): $45.00
- Insurance Surcharge ($0.90 × 20): $18.00
- Packaging & Crating: $38.00
- Total Shipping & Handling: $101.00
Shipping, insurance and packaging are included in the artist payout and, where applicable, in the taxable base. RedDOTvirtual™ does not add a margin to any of these components.