RETURN POLICY & GUIDELINES | A WORD ON RETURNS ABUSE

I've been selling Fine Art prints online for nearly 2 decades, over 1500 of them and counting, and have yet to have a single customer contact me after uncrating their brand new motif to tell me "Thom, I'm disappointed - and want to return it for a full refund." My collectors have always been thrilled with the high-end artworks they receive. That is something that makes me feel infinitely proud.

That being said, a substantial out-of-pocket financial investment on my end is required BEFORE an order goes into production. The list includes the high-end archival print media material, the fine art printing process, and the hand-craftsmanship to create the artwork to the buyers order specifications. Additionally, delivery fees, depending on the size of the piece can exceed $300.00 even if shipped to the USA lower 48 states. I also pay for all delivery costs out of pocket. The stakes are rather high for me to get the process in motion, so I cannot put myself in the position to tolerate indecisive buyers.

Therefore, the situation must be extraordinary and exceptional for me to accept a return. Limitations do apply here, especially when trying to prevent internet fraud which unfortunately does happen. My returns policy details are listed below near the bottom of this page.

ALL FINE ART PIECES ORDERED ON THIS WEBSITE ARE CUSTOM MADE

Custom made to order artwork acquisitions are generally not eligible for returns. Before placing an order, you must read and comprehend my returns policy. When you place an order and it has moved into production at the print lab, you are committed at this point - and its too late to cancel simply cancel. I will be sending update emails in stages as the order process happens.

By placing an order and making payment, you acknowledge that you have read our returns policy, and the guidelines that must be followed for returning custom made Fine Art photography pieces.

→ I go to extreme measures to assure the thumbnail images of the artworks you see online (this website) are 100% clear, well detailed & the colors are accurate. You can even click on the images to view them larger.

→ Each print media description is explained in exacting detail, so you know exactly what to expect when the artwork arrives. No artist, including myself, can take responsibility if your device or desktop monitor is not properly color calibrated or of low resolution. Be sure to view my website on a desktop with a calibrated monitor (not an iPhone or iPad) when deciding on a significant purchase investment.

→ I have invested THOUSANDS of dollars into this custom built, world-class fine art e-commerce website for a viewing experience that is unmatched by ANY other website host. As awesome as the online digital artworks appear on my website, they look remarkably distinguished and superior when the artworks are crafted into Fine Art motifs.

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CONDITIONS FOR RETURNS

In an extremely rare case where a buyer is not fully satisfied and they request a return, after careful considerations I'll accept the return. I don't want or need art buyers & collectors that are that are sincerely unhappy with their purchase. The original purchaser of the artwork must meet ALL of the conditions we've set forth below.

→ You must return the artwork (ship it back to me) within 14-days of its arrival / delivery date at your destination.

→ Returned artwork must be repackaged in the same exact shipping container and manner as it arrived. The containers & crates are specially designed for safe transport. The artwork MUST arrive at my destination in brand new condition, so I can continue to exhibit it for sale at art shows, exhibits, or an art gallery in the future.

→ The buyer is responsible for all return delivery fees since I paid for the outbound delivery fees to the buyer destination up front. Also to insure the artwork for it's FULL purchase price face value, and the return must be accompanied by a TRACKING NUMBER from the shipping agent.

→ If a buyer purchased the artwork to gift to someone, the recipient of the gifted artwork is NOT eligible to return the artwork for face value. If you prefer to GIFT a loved one with my fine art imagery, I highly recommend that you take full advantage of my Gift Certificates to avoid this from happening! This is a very avoidable situation, and thus the purpose of making Gift Certificates available.

→ Lastly, the buyer is responsible for a 25% restocking fee of the full price paid. EX: If the artwork sold for $1500.00, the purchaser would be reimbursed in the amount of $1125.00

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FREE RENTING MARKETING PLOYS | RETURN ABUSE

I also need to point out a nasty online shopping trend when unscrupulous consumers take advantage of weak online store policies (using Amazon as an example) by ordering items in multiples. It is commonly referred to as wardrobing clothing items, or free renting other goods. They'll try them out, and send all but one back. The mega-giant's like Amazon and E-Bay retailers use easy returns policies as a marketing ploy to get more and more people to buy from them. The retailers make billions, and can easily absorb the costs of the free renting tactics, especially when the products are so cheaply made in China, India, Indonesia & Bangladesh. Retailers LOVE cheaply made consumer products from those countries because they have so much wiggle room for markups, and it pays for their easy returns marketing policies!This fraudulent practice goes far beyond clothing and electronics. It includes other retail businesses including independent small business online art galleries. This is known as return abuse, and categorized as a form of friendly fraud. If the target is an honest - hard working - small business owner, there’s nothing friendly at all about the impact it has on trying to survive and keep the lights on. It is the small online galleries, like myself, that are impacted by consumers with such an out of touch sense of entitlement.I do NOT tolerate return abuse. As I stated above, my investment starts prior to the start of production. Anyone who is ordering high-end museum grade fine art works must take this process seriously, and stay within the fair guidelines I've made very clear here in my returns policy.