How to insure original artwork in transit — when coverage is required, what qualifies, how to document a shipment, and how claims work. You bear the transit risk on every sale, so protecting the work is part of fulfilling the order. This guide is written for U.S. shipments at launch; always confirm the current terms of the exact policy or protection you use.
Insurance is required for any sale of $1,000 or more, covering the artwork for at least its full sale value, with proof submitted to Gamvt before you ship. Below $1,000 it’s strongly recommended but optional. You remain financially responsible for transit loss or damage unless Gamvt expressly determines otherwise.
| Final sale price | Requirement | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Under $1,000 | Strongly recommended | Choose appropriate coverage where you can. If you ship uninsured and the work is lost or damaged, you bear the loss. |
| $1,000 – $4,999.99 | Required | Obtain qualifying insurance and submit proof to Gamvt before handing the work to the carrier. |
| $5,000+ | Required + Gamvt review | Contact Gamvt before shipping. We review insurance, packaging, carrier/handler, signature, and delivery plan. |
The threshold is based on the final artwork price the buyer actually pays. Separately charged shipping, taxes, and buyer fees don’t count toward it. If a $1,200 listing is negotiated down to $900, insurance is recommended but not automatically required.
For a shipment where insurance is required, the coverage must:
Declared value is not insurance. Entering a declared value on a carrier label raises the carrier’s maximum liability but is not the same as coverage — FedEx, for example, says declared value is not shipping insurance. Confirm the protection you buy actually covers the artwork and the transit risk.
Don’t stop at the number on a certificate — ask how the insurer calculates a claim. A policy can show a $2,000 limit while its valuation rules, deductible, or exclusions leave you with far less. Before you buy, ask plainly: “If this artwork sells for $X and is totally lost in this shipment, what would this policy actually pay?” Some artist policies settle at selling-price-less-a-percentage with a sizable deductible, which may not meet the full-sale-value requirement for a given sale without added protection.
You pay for insurance — treat it like packing materials and shipping, and build the cost into your price or shipping charge before you list. Before listing a $1,000+ work, check that qualifying coverage is available for the value, medium, size, and shipping method, and estimate the cost. After the sale, before shipment: buy or activate the coverage, confirm the exact shipment is covered, submit proof to Gamvt, and don’t hand the work to the carrier until required coverage is confirmed.
For every $1,000+ shipment, submit documentation before shipping that shows, where applicable:
You submit this right on the order — once you enter a qualifying sale, the order page prompts for your insurer, coverage amount, policy number, and a copy of the certificate before you can mark it shipped. You may use any provider that meets the requirements.
These are starting points, not endorsements — suitability depends on you, the shipment, value, carrier, and terms, so confirm everything directly with the provider.
Use signature confirmation whenever Gamvt’s requirements or your insurer/carrier require it — follow the stricter of the two. Gamvt may require professional packing or specialist fine-art shipping based on value, size, medium, fragility, glazing, or destination; there’s no single dollar amount that triggers it. For $5,000+ sales, contact Gamvt before shipping for the pre-shipment review.
Regardless of price or whether insurance is mandatory, keep clear photos of:
Keep original files, receipts, tracking, insurance documents, and carrier communications until the order and any claim period are fully resolved.
Contact Gamvt as soon as you’re aware. Gamvt coordinates with you and the buyer, helps preserve the evidence a claim needs, and provides order and sale records. The buyer may be asked for photos of the package, label, packaging, and damage, and to keep all packaging. You provide pre-shipment condition and packing photos, receipts, tracking, and insurance documents, and you file and manage the insurance claim. A buyer’s legitimate remedy doesn’t wait on your claim being paid, and you remain responsible for any unrecovered amount. Buying insurance doesn’t move your underlying shipment responsibility to Gamvt; in exceptional cases Gamvt may consider contributing toward an uncovered loss at its discretion, but that isn’t guaranteed coverage.
Not sure whether a policy qualifies, or whether your work needs professional packing? Email admin@gamvt.com before you ship.
See also the Shipping & Delivery Policy and the Artist / Seller Agreement.