Shipping policy
Shipping & Delivery Policy
At The Observatory Gallery, every photographic print is produced to order. We work with professional fine-art printing facilities to ensure that each artwork is produced to the required specifications and carefully prepared for delivery.
Because your print is made specifically for your order, production and delivery can take a little longer than standard retail purchases. This allows us to maintain the quality and care expected of a gallery-quality photographic print.
1. Order Processing & Production
Made-to-order production
All prints purchased through our online store are produced to order. Once your order has been placed and payment has been confirmed, it is sent for production and preparation.
Please allow up to 14 days for production and delivery for standard orders.
Many orders arrive sooner than this, but the 14-day timeframe allows for production, quality checking, packaging and transportation, including orders that need to travel internationally.
For certain artworks, larger print sizes, framed works, or orders containing multiple items, additional production time may occasionally be required.
If your order is expected to experience a significant delay, we will contact you using the details provided with your order.
Weekends and public holidays
Production and delivery times may be affected by weekends, public holidays and periods of particularly high demand. These days may therefore extend the estimated delivery timeframe.
2. Shipping Rates
Shipping charges are calculated according to the destination of your order and are displayed at checkout before you complete your purchase.
Our current standard shipping rates are:
| Destination | Standard Shipping |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | £6.45 |
| Germany | £6.45 |
| European Union | £10.95 |
| Denmark, Norway & Sweden | £25.75 |
| Canada | £45.00 |
| United States | £37.50 |
| Australia & New Zealand | £65.79 |
| Rest of World | £65.79 |
Shipping rates are applied per order unless otherwise stated at checkout.
For framed artworks, shipping may be calculated according to the number and size of frames in the order. The applicable shipping charge will be displayed at checkout.
We reserve the right to update shipping rates where carrier, fulfilment or international shipping costs change. The shipping price presented at checkout at the time of purchase will apply to your order.
3. Where Your Order Ships From
Our fulfilment partners use facilities in different locations, including the UK, Germany and United States.
Where possible, orders are automatically routed to the fulfilment facility best positioned to serve the destination. This helps optimise production, shipping times and transportation costs.
As a result, the physical location from which your artwork is dispatched may vary depending on the destination, artwork and production requirements.
4. Delivery Times
Our standard timeframe is up to 14 days from the time your order is placed to delivery.
This timeframe includes the stages involved in producing and preparing your artwork as well as transporting it to you.
Please note that delivery estimates are not guaranteed dates. International shipments may take longer where customs processing, local carrier delays or other circumstances outside our control affect transportation.
If you have a specific deadline for your artwork—for example, a gift, exhibition, event or special occasion—we recommend contacting us before placing your order so that we can advise whether the requested timeframe is achievable.
5. Shipment Confirmation & Tracking
Once your artwork has completed production and has been dispatched, you may receive a shipment confirmation containing delivery information and, where available, tracking details.
Tracking information may take some time to become active after an order has been dispatched.
If tracking is available for your shipment, you can use the tracking information provided to follow the progress of your delivery.
6. International Shipping
We currently ship photographic prints to a range of destinations worldwide.
International orders can be subject to additional customs procedures, import requirements and local taxes. Delivery times for international orders may therefore vary depending on the destination country.
The shipping charge paid at checkout covers the shipping service provided for your order. It does not necessarily include customs duties, import taxes, VAT or other charges imposed by the destination country.
Where such charges are applicable and are not included in the shipping service selected at checkout, they may be payable by the recipient.
7. Customs, Duties & Import Taxes
Customers ordering from outside the United Kingdom may be required to pay customs duties, import taxes, VAT or other charges when their order enters the destination country.
These charges are determined by the relevant authorities in the destination country and are outside the control of The Observatory Gallery.
Unless explicitly stated otherwise at checkout, any applicable customs duties, import taxes or similar charges are the responsibility of the customer.
We recommend checking the import requirements applicable to your country before placing an international order if you are unsure whether additional charges may apply.
8. Delivery Delays
Although we work with professional fulfilment and delivery partners, delays can occasionally occur.
Possible causes include:
- unusually high order volumes;
- production or quality-control delays;
- weekends and public holidays;
- adverse weather or transportation disruption;
- customs processing;
- local delivery delays;
- incorrect or incomplete delivery information; or
- circumstances outside the control of our fulfilment and delivery partners.
Our 14-day timeframe is therefore an estimated maximum timeframe for standard orders rather than a guaranteed delivery date.
If your order has not arrived within the expected timeframe, please contact us and provide your order number. We will investigate the status of your order with our fulfilment or delivery partner.
9. Delivery Address
Please ensure that your delivery address is complete and accurate when placing your order.
Once an order has entered production or been dispatched, it may not be possible to change the delivery address.
The Observatory Gallery cannot be responsible for delays, additional delivery charges or failed delivery resulting from an incorrect or incomplete address supplied by the customer.
If you realise that you have entered an incorrect address, please contact us as soon as possible with your order number. We will do our best to assist, although we cannot guarantee that changes will be possible once production or dispatch has begun.
10. Damaged Deliveries
Our artworks are carefully packaged for transportation. However, damage can occasionally occur during transit.
If your artwork arrives damaged, please contact us as soon as possible after delivery.
To help us investigate and resolve the issue efficiently, please provide:
-
your order number;
-
photographs of the damaged artwork;
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photographs of the packaging, including any visible external damage; and
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any other information that may help us assess what happened.
Please retain the original packaging and the damaged artwork until we have advised you otherwise. The packaging may be required when investigating a delivery damage claim with the carrier or fulfilment provider.
Do not discard the packaging before contacting us.
11. Lost or Missing Deliveries
If your tracking information indicates that an order has been delivered but you have not received it, please contact us so that we can investigate the delivery with the relevant carrier.
If your order appears to have been lost during transit, we will work with our fulfilment and delivery partners to investigate the shipment and determine the appropriate next steps.
Please contact us with your order number and any available tracking information.
12. Orders Containing Multiple Prints
Where an order contains multiple artworks, the items may be produced and dispatched together or separately depending on the artwork, production requirements and fulfilment location.
If items from the same order are dispatched separately, you may receive separate shipment notifications and tracking information.
The delivery timeframe may therefore vary between individual items within the same order.
13. Framed Artwork
Framed artworks require additional preparation and specialist packaging compared with print-only orders.
Shipping for framed works may be calculated per frame unit, with the applicable cost determined by the destination and shipping configuration available at checkout.
Because framed works require additional production and packaging, they may also require longer processing than standard print-only orders.
The applicable delivery information and shipping charge will be shown at checkout before you complete your purchase.
14. Questions About Your Order
If you have any questions about your order, production time, delivery status, international shipping or a damaged or missing shipment, please contact The Observatory Gallery with your order number.
We are committed to helping you receive your artwork safely and will work with our fulfilment and delivery partners to resolve any delivery issues as efficiently as possible.
We appreciate your patience and support for independent photographers and the craftsmanship involved in producing each artwork.
Thank you for choosing The Observatory Gallery.