FinerWorks offers FREE order fulfillment in the form of white label (drop shipping) for artists and photographers who want prints shipped under their name or brand.
This brief guide is meant to highlight those features we offer at FinerWorks for artists and photographers who use us as their order fulfillment service. At FinerWorks, we believe providing reliable order fulfillment must be simple. In addition, we want artists and photographers to be confident that their customers will receive the prints exactly as intended. There is no application process, and it does not take any special knowledge or technical expertise. If you know how to access photos or image files off your computer and use the Internet, your basic requirements have been met. If you have used FinerWorks before for online ordering, this guide will help you make sure you have not overlooked some of the tools we offer.
What is Drop Shipping?
One of the first things we did when we built our initial ordering system over a decade ago was provide an automatic drop shipping option. Drop shipping simply means you do not need to carry any inventory or worry about packaging and shipping. You commission the drop shipper (which would be FinerWorks) to send the order to your customers, but branded under your name, so it looks like you or your company shipped it.
Many big online companies rely on this method either solely or to let them ship products that they normally would not be able to inventory. Amazon.com uses this method for some of the items sold, and at the individual level, eBay and Etsy sellers use this method all the time.
How it Works
At checkout in the area where you select your “Shipping Method,” there will be a check box you can click to indicate you want it drop-shipped. If you provide a valid address in your account’s business profile, we will automatically check this for you. The order is then shipped and made to look like you are the sender. No information about us will be included. Prices will also be removed from the packing slip.
Some Examples
Drop Shipping & Order Fulfillment
Yes. When checking out, you would enter your friend or family’s address information as the “Ship To” destination. You can also request drop shipping on the final review page. With the drop ship option selected, a generic packing slip is included, which does not reflect the price. In addition, we will print your billing address on the return address label and not include any mention of FinerWorks.
You will need to place a separate order for each shipping destination since only one shipping destination can be entered per order.
Use our Order Status and Tracking page or refer to your shipment confirmation. If you were logged in at the time the order was placed, you can also check your Order History.
When an order is shipped, we will send you an email indicating your order has been successfully processed and is on its way. There will also be a link to view your order status and get the tracking number for your order.
Paper prints will many times be grouped and placed in a single clear plastic sleeve. Prints are not individually sleeved each print unless it is ordered as an add-on.
These print sleeves are intended solely to add protection during transport. If you wish to obtain additional print sleeves for your inventory, you can order print sleeves here.
They are ideal for protecting your work from fingerprints, smudging, dust, and scratches as a result of casual handling or storage while also increasing the perceived value of the print.
Depending on the product type, they may be boxed, rolled in a shipping tube, or in some cases, placed on a pallet (huge orders). We use multiple carriers and multiple shipping methods, broken down as either Economy, Standard, or Express shipping. The primary carriers we use are UPS, FedEx, and USPS.
Orders shipped overseas that are sent via USPS will ultimately be turned over to the destination country’s shipping carrier.
International orders tracking sometimes relies on the destination country and shipping method. In many cases, for small orders, tracking might end once it reaches its last stop before leaving the U.S.
Finerworks offers some retail-ready packaging options for primarily paper prints. These are available within P.O.S.T., our online ordering tool.
If you are based outside of the U.S. and want your order drop-shipped, we recommend configuring your business profile with a U.S.-based address. This prevents confusion and potential problems that can occur with the shipping service or even customs.
You can access your business profile in your account business profile or the Order Fulfillment App.
Prints being lost or damaged during shipping is rare; however, it does happen on occasion (less than 1% of orders are ever reported), and we will do everything possible to provide a replacement as soon as possible. For more information, please visit our returns and replacement page.
Giclee Printing at FinerWorks
One of the largest ranges of paper selections, while using the highest level of archival print technology allowing superior detail and color, you can create custom giclee prints of your artwork and photos.