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How Shipping is Calculated at Cohart

Cohart offers flat rate shipping on all sales made via Cohart, or sellers can add their own shipping price and manage directly.

Cohart Flat Rate Shipping

Cohart uses a flat-rate, percentage-based shipping model for orders fulfilled using Ship by Cohart to ensure the artwork arrives safely to its new home. Shipping fees are calculated automatically at checkout based on the artwork’s dimensions, weight, destination, and fulfillment method.

Important: Flat-rate shipping applies only when Ship by Cohart is selected. 

How Shipping Fees Are Calculated

The Shipping Fee is calculated as a percentage of the order subtotal (after discounts) and tax, with minimum fees in place to ensure safe and professional delivery.

Domestic Shipping (Ship by Cohart)

  • Standard fee: 5% of order subtotal (after discounts) and tax
    Minimum: $15

  • Oversized fee (when applicable): 10% of order subtotal (after discounts) and tax
    Minimum: $55

International Shipping (Ship by Cohart)

  • Standard fee: 8% of order subtotal (after discounts) and tax
    Minimum: $85

  • Oversized fee (when applicable): 15% of order subtotal (after discounts) and tax
    Minimum: $150

Note: Checkout totals exclude local customs duties, taxes, and import fees. These may be collected by the carrier upon delivery.


Example:

  • If the order subtotal and tax total $80, domestic shipping would be $15 (since 5% = $4, which is below the minimum).
  • If the order subtotal and tax total $500, domestic shipping would be $25 (5% of $500).
  • If the order subtotal and tax total $500 and the artwork is oversized, domestic shipping would be $50 (10% of $500).

📦 Oversized Packages

Cohart’s shipping system automatically calculates rates based on the final size and weight of a package — not just the artwork’s listed size.

Even if a piece looks slim or small, large packaging or added protection may cause it to be classified as oversized by carriers.

What Counts as Oversized?

Shipping carriers apply surcharges when any of the following thresholds are met:

  • Length: Greater than 50 inches (≈ 127 cm)

  • Length + Girth: Greater than 130 inches (≈ 330 cm)
    (Girth = 2 × Width + 2 × Height)

  • Weight: Over 10 lbs (≈ 4.5 kg)

Examples:

  • Length-based: A tall sculpture shipped in a 100-inch-long box → Oversized

  • Length + girth-based: A wide painting with large protective padding (70 in × 50 in × 2 in) → Oversized

  • Weight-based: A dense, framed artwork weighing 60 lbs → Oversized

What Determines the Shipping Price?

Your shipping fee is automatically calculated based on:

  • The seller’s entered packaging dimensions and weight

  • Whether the package qualifies as standard or oversized

  • Domestic vs. international delivery

Because carriers price shipments based on final packed size, adding protective materials or larger boxes may affect the final shipping category.


Crates, oversize or custom orders

The Cohart shipping calculation applies a general percentage based on the weight/size of the artwork at checkout; it is meant to cover standard packing and transit for works that can ship conventionally. However, custom packaging for large or high-value works can vary widely depending on materials, handling, and vendor so those cases are often much more bespoke than a percentage can accurately predict.

For bespoke or oversized packages, we suggest using one of these approaches:

  1. Send a custom invoice with your exact shipping cost once you have the crating or shipping quote to finalize the true cost rather than relying on the automatic estimate. For this approach, your client will select the "Ship by Seller" option instead of "Ship by Cohart" when checking out.

  2. If your buyer would like to purchase the artwork before knowing shipping costs: You can follow up with a separate shipping invoice after finalizing crate details (this is common practice for oversized works). Buyers can select either "Invoice Only" or "Ship by Seller" at checkout and wait for your follow-up invoice with only the shipping fees.

You can flag this process in the artwork description (ex., “Final shipping will be quoted based on crating requirements”) so expectations are clear upfront.

Many sellers use the automated rate for smaller works, and switch to custom invoicing for large-scale or crated pieces where costs are highly variable.

 

To learn more about shipping at Cohart, visit:

How Shipping Works on Cohart
How to Ship a Sold Artwork (Packaging)