Buying unique pieces from an independent gallery is a different experience from purchasing from companies which handle mass produced items, and delivery can take a little time for items we need to frame or order from the artist. We appreciate your patience. If speed is of the essence for a particular event, contact us and we will pull out all the stops to help.
Where an item is “in stock” in the gallery you can collect it from us immediately (but call us before making a journey to ensure we reserve the item and don’t sell it to anyone else!).
Postage prices are worked out individually depending on the item’s fragility, size and weight and vary from £5- £80 for UK deliveries.
Please put the item in your basket and you will be able to see the postage price for the individual item.
For overseas postage, please ask us for a quote.
We are based right next to the sea, in Dartmouth, and we really care about the environment.
In the art world, people still use a lot of plastic to keep artwork safe. Galleries send lots of unique, precious, fragile items which can’t get wet and we are still getting better at eco friendly packaging.
At White Sails we want to change how much plastic we use. We are starting by reusing. We receive plastic packaging from our own suppliers (such as our framers, artists and publishing companies). Much of this plastic is already a slightly “greener” option and includes recycled plastics, and we reuse whatever we can.
We do use some new plastic bubble wrap and air pockets, but only when we judge we have to use this to transport the item safely. We try to substitute sustainable packaging wherever we can and failing this we use plastic products which are a bit greener. We are actively working on better solutions and really care about this.
If you buy a painting or sculpture from us, it may typically arrive in a recycled outer box, from our framer, using reused recycled high impact foam or our own air bags to cushion from impact. It may have a couple of layers of fresh bubble wrap to protect it from scratches. Please do reuse whatever packaging you can and recycle the rest. The blue foam “edges and corners” on paintings is in fact widely recyclable with plastics. If you live near enough to the gallery, please return the packaging to us for reuse.
Where the item is a gift, do let us know and, depending on the item, we will package it as attractively as we can! We are also happy to write gift notes and go the extra mile for a special gift. Do talk to us about this.
If an item is in the gallery, you can collect it straight away or we can box and send it to you within a few days, unless its very large and a specialist courier is needed.
What does “available to order” or “available on back order” mean?
This means we expect to be able to source a copy of the artwork quickly, but don’t currently have it in stock. These works are usually collectable limited edition prints or fine art photography. After you order “on back order”, we will contact the artist’s team to double check availability. We then arrange delivery, first to the gallery or framer, and then onwards to you. This can take 2-3 weeks.
Art work which is made to order
Sometimes we act as intermediaries for commissions and for bespoke resizing or production of work. We will discuss time frames for delivery at the point of order and pass on the estimated delivery date from the person making the artwork.
How long does it take to frame a piece of artwork?
We can’t display every wonderful limited edition in our collection on the gallery walls all at once, and so display some work mounted up and ready to frame. These mounted prints may be purchased as they are, but you may also like us to frame them. We are able to arrange framing with a highly skilled framer and the framing process normally takes 2-3 weeks. Photographic work is usually printed and framed to order, unless we have a copy already in the gallery. These pieces can take 2-3 weeks to arrive.
If a work first has to be delivered to the framer from the artist or printer, and then framed up, this can add to delivery time. We will advise you about this when you make your order.
The price of shipping our pieces within the UK has been worked out depending on the item’s size, fragility and shape.
The delivery cost will be displayed after you add the product to your basket.
We can package almost all of our artwork up securely and deliver it to you, via a trusted courier. The couriers we use depend on the size of your item and your location. For smaller items, we often use Royal Mail. For many larger items we use a good quality courier company. Our standard deliveries can be arranged within a week.
After receiving your order, we phone/ email you to ask you to tell us a weekday when you can receive the delivery. We then book your delivery with the courier company.
The delivery can be made to your home, workplace or neighbour, and a signature is needed.
The courier asks for someone to be available all day, but sends an SMS/ email on the day of delivery to narrow the slot to a 2-hour window.
In the unlikely event of any damage to the packaging or any damage to the art noticed as you unpack, please take a photo and let us know as soon as possible. We will replace or refund in the event of damage.
Some of our artwork, because of its unique nature or fragility, needs a specialist arts courier.
We will let you know about delivery details at the point of ordering in this case. Please be aware there can be additional delay to organise a specialist courier (normally maximum 2 weeks).
We have always prided ourselves on being able to deliver internationally, but please be aware international trade is complex at present.
If you would like an international delivery, email (mail@whitesailsgallery.com) or telephone the gallery to arrange a courier quote.
Please be aware international delivery can be expensive- sometimes costing more than the value of the artwork. Please also ensure you are aware of your home country’s import taxes and factor these into your calculations.