When you buy from a warehouse, the item already exists and the only wait is the delivery van. When you buy made-to-order art, the item does not exist yet. It gets printed, built and checked after you pay, and that adds a step to the timeline. Here is exactly how long each stage takes at Kiyo Arts and what is happening while you wait.
The short answer
| Stage | Time |
|---|---|
| Handling and production | 2–7 business days |
| Delivery within the United States | 3–7 business days |
| Total for a US order | 5–14 business days |
| Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, US territories | Up to 7–12 additional business days |
| International delivery | 10–30 business days after dispatch |
Business days are Monday to Friday and exclude public holidays. These figures come from our shipping policy, which is always the current version.
Stage one: production (2–7 business days)
Once your payment clears, the order goes into a production queue. Three things happen before it leaves:
- Printing. Your artwork is printed at the size and on the material you chose. Nothing is pre-printed, so a 16 × 20 inch poster and a 40 × 60 inch canvas of the same design are separate print jobs.
- Assembly. A canvas is stretched over its pine frame and fitted with wall bumpers. A framed poster is mounted behind its acrylic cover in a wood frame. A tapestry is hemmed. A tee is printed on a blank in your size.
- Quality check. The finished piece is inspected before it is packed.
Where your order falls in the 2–7 day range depends mostly on the product. Canvas art is usually at the longer end because of the stretching step. Smaller items such as pins, keychains and desk mats tend to move through faster.
Stage two: delivery (3–7 business days in the US)
When the order leaves production you get a shipping confirmation email with a tracking number. Two things are worth knowing at this point:
- Tracking takes a day or two to wake up. The carrier creates the label first and scans the package later. Allow 24–48 hours before the tracking page shows movement.
- The delivery clock starts at dispatch. The 3–7 days are counted from when the package ships, not from when you ordered.
Why your order might arrive in two packages
Different products are made by different production partners. Canvas comes from one, desk mats from another, pins and keychains from a third. If you order a canvas and a keychain together, they are made in different places and shipped separately, each with its own tracking number. One will usually arrive before the other. Nothing is missing; the second package is on its way.
International orders
We ship to most countries, and the available destinations appear at checkout. Allow 10–30 business days after dispatch. The wide range is down to customs: some packages clear in a day and some sit for a week, and neither we nor the carrier can speed that up. Customs duties and taxes are set by the destination country and paid by the recipient.
Can I get it faster?
Production time can't be shortened, because each piece has to be made. What you can do is order early, choose formats that move faster if you are up against a date, and make sure your address is right the first time. If you need a piece by a specific day, count back 14 business days for a US address and order before that. For the holidays, we have done the sums in holiday order deadlines.
Can I change or cancel after ordering?
Only for a short window. Production starts soon after you order, and once it has begun, the order can't be changed or cancelled. If you spot a mistake in the size or address, contact us straight away with your order number.
What if it is late?
If your tracking has not updated for 10 business days, email Cameren@kiyoarts.com with your order number. We will chase it with the carrier, and if the carrier confirms the package is lost, we will send a replacement or refund the order. If it arrives damaged, see what happens if my order arrives damaged and the return and refund policy.
Why made to order is worth the wait
The extra days buy you three things. The piece is produced at the exact size you picked, with dozens of sizes on offer that no warehouse could stock. Nothing is overproduced, so there is no pile of unsold prints behind your purchase. And the piece that arrives was made for you, not pulled from a shelf where it had been sitting. We wrote more about that trade-off in made-to-order vs warehouse stock.
A worked example
Say you order a canvas on a Monday. Production takes six business days, so it ships the following Tuesday. Tracking goes live on Wednesday or Thursday. Delivery takes four business days, and it lands the Monday after that: ten business days, two calendar weeks, comfortably inside the 5–14 day window.
Ready to start the clock? Browse the canvas collection, or see the FAQ for more on ordering and returns.