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| Adventures in Asian Art | | |||||||
See images from our latest Asian Art Exhibition in San Diego
Come and meet us every month at the The Ray at Night Art Walk
in North Park
San Diego.
What our customer say about us...
Hello Sandy & Gary!
I wanted to let you know I received your package yesterday and I am so impressed! The artwork is even more beautiful than I'd imagined. Thank you so much for finding these wonderful artists and bringing their work to a western audience.
-Holly Yarbrough.
All major credit cards accepted 
We also accept:
Money Orders
AND
No matter what size your order is, you pay only
$9.80 S&H
for insured air mail delivery, wherever you are in the world.
Buy as much as you want and pay just one low price for delivery
...It actually costs us more than $50 just for postage to ship 4 large scrolls from China to the USA, so you know it's a good deal.
We ship worldwide
to any country*
for this
low flat fee!
You can ask questions about our service, shipping issues, custom Chinese calligraphy, or anything else you might want to know.
Is this Original Art or Prints?
All of the art that we sell is real hand-painted. This art is created by talented artists from various places in China. About 90% of the art we sell comes from artists that Sandy (my business partner) or I have a personal relationship with. We have met the artists, and watched them work. Sometimes we have paintings commissioned exclusively for Oriental Outpost, and several artists in China depend on us for the majority of their household income.
I know that is seems strange that you can buy original art for less than the price of a print from us, but it's true! China is an inexpensive place to live, Sandy and I usually make less than $1000 per month, but that is enough to live comfortably here.
The artist's life is a simple one as well. Artists in China do not drive BMWs and live in mansions (I don't even own or drive a car in China myself). Therefore, the price of art is very reasonable in China.
When you buy art from me, you are usually getting a better deal than if you came to China yourself, and bought the same art at one of the art galleries here. We don't have a lot of overhead, so the prices that we offer are fine for the artists and us.
This is the definition of original art from
Original Art - Any work considered to be an authentic example of the works of an artist, rather than a reproduction or imitation. The term excludes works produced "in the studio of" an artist, because that usually means that it was made by others, even if under the artist's influence or at his direction.
How is this art mounted? What is the process?
After you unroll your painting, this is what it will look like. Note the silk brocade border which you can use as matting when you frame your Asian art.
More information about how our Chinese artwork is mounted.
We always buy un-mounted art. This means the watercolor art is on thin "xuan" paper (most people call this "rice paper") but has no backing and no silk border/matting. We then take the art back to our studio in Beijing where Sandy and I have found a very good painting mounter. The painting is then mounted by hand to a thick backing (which is really just a few more sheets of laminated rice paper). Also, a two to three inch wide silk brocade border/matting is added around the painting. Then some key line tape is applied around the outside edge and is also used to define the line between the edge of the painting and the silk border. There is a lot more to this process, but what counts is the pleasing appearance of the finished product which is ready for framing when it arrives at your door.
Scrolls are made in a similar way with the addition of the top frame and rigging as well as the wooden scroll roller at the bottom.
The exceptions are paintings from our collections of Philosophy Art, Modern Art, Charcoal Art, and Gouache Folk Art which are done on thick paper, and are sold without being mounted with a silk border.
I usually don't buy art that has already been mounted because I have no control over the quality of the mounting. Quality of Chinese-style mounting can vary a lot. I have finally found a mounter whose work is consistently good, and who understands my demands for quality. I exclusively use this mounter who is located in Beijing because I want to give you the absolute best quality and presentation of your artwork.
By the way, there is a pile of paintings near my desk in Beijing that were simply not good enough to be listed in our store. Sandy or I personally sort the paintings and exclude ones with unacceptable flaws in either the painting or the mounting. We are probably more picky than you in this area, but this virtually guarantees that you are going to get a high quality piece of art.
How much is shipping?
The cost varies depending on the item. Scrolls are heavier, and therefore cost a little more. Some of the smaller pieces can be sent at a special "letter rate" and cost a lot less.
Our shipping rates are based on the average actual costs to package and ship each type of art (rates listed in U.S. Dollars)...
| Paintings under 14" (such as 13" philosophy art & modern art) | $9.80 |
| Paintings between 14"-18" overall | $12.80 |
| Paintings between 18"- 22" overall | $13.80 |
| Scrolls less than 36" long & paintings between 22"-26" overall | $15.80 |
| Scrolls more than 36" long & paintings over 26" overall | $16.80 |
These rates apply to almost anywhere in the world.
We ship Asian art to the following countries on an almost daily basis:
USA, Canada, Australia, Scotland, England, North Ireland, Spain, Japan, Singapore, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Denmark, New Zealand, Thailand, Sweden, Finland, and Norway
(Listed in order of volume of Asian art shipments)
Why is shipping so much?
One thing you must keep in mind is that your art is came directly from China via air mail or EMS, then is forwarded to you from our gallery in the USA (in the some cases, especially custom calligraphy, the artwork will be shipped directly to you from our studio in Beijing)
Obviously international shipments cost a lot more than domestic parcels. International air mail postage is about four times more than the cost of priority mail in the United States.
But we are charged several additional fees by 
(The Chinese Post Office). We pay special fees to the post office for approved packaging paper, and certified packing tape which must be purchased directly from the post office.
And there is more: Every time we ship artwork, we have to make a visit to the customs service to be inspected and pay some export taxes and customs fees on each piece of art that we are sending. We also pay a fee for insurance, and we spend a fair amount on the boxes which are custom made for us to ensure that your painting arrives undamaged. We are not attempting to make money on the shipping and handling fee that you pay. In fact, we almost always lose money on shipping.
If you are debating about buying a piece of art, and the shipping cost is holding you back, just think about the total cost. If you pay $49.88 for a scroll, and $9.80 for shipping, you have $59.68 into a wonderful piece of art that would probably cost at least $120 if you bought it at a boutique or antique shop in the USA (or about 70 British Pounds in the UK).
Because of U.S. Homeland Security delays and hassles, we had to move most of our business to a location in the USA.
Our overhead and operating costs increased by about 8 times what we paid when we were only in Beijing.
We have been fighting back the need to increase our prices due to this move because we don't want to punish others for the ways U.S. policy has effected our little company.
After we mount this artwork to wall scrolls and portraits, it is transported in bulk to San Diego via air mail, DHL Express, or personally in my luggage as I fly to and from China.
If you are in the USA, and see $6.05 in postage on your box of 2 wall scrolls, and wonder why $9.80 is supposed to be a good deal...
...don't forget the $1.54 for the box, $14.82 to get those two scrolls to the USA, and the $3.34 in American labor to pack your order.
The reality is, we absorb a lot of the actual shipping costs, and we are always adjusting to all of the problems caused by the Bush administration's "campaign of fear".
And a note on that: The Bush administration has bad intelligence again, as the only attacks in the mail in American history were domestic - All were cases of "Americans attacking Americans" - from the funky white powder to the Unabomber.
Domestic mail is not checked any longer, but foreign mail is, per Homeland Security policy.
It's like finding that spinach is tainted with E-coli, so in response, you inspect only the apples.
I don't like getting political, but I am a natural-born citizen of the USA and served my country for ten years in the U.S. Marines.
I am very sad to see what has become of my country within itself and in the eyes of the world.
How long does it take?
For items in our San Diego, USA gallery:
Delivery is less than a week to anywhere in the USA, and 14 days or less to most other countries via First Class International (faster services are available to non-USA customers at additional cost).
From China:
Generally, it will take about two weeks from the day you place your order for your art to arrive. Actually 92% of our art shipments arrive within two weeks. After that, about 7% of our art arrives in under three weeks. About 1% arrives within a month.
These are actually quite good rates for delivery, and in the rare case that there is a delay beyond 2 weeks, it is usually due to customs and/or security inspections which are more common in the post 9/11 world that we live in (such delays generally only apply to deliveries in the USA).
Note that custom calligraphy wall scrolls and portraits take at least 3 weeks for delivery. This is because they must first be made completely by hand custom for you. Then take the normal 2 weeks for air mail from Beijing, China.
Wonder if we ship to your country? Click here to see the list
My art was damaged in shipping, now what?
I really hate it when this happens - I feel very bad about it, but I'm glad it doesn't happen very often.
This is usually limited to slight damage such as a small wrinkle or in the worst case, a crease. This is usually the result of an over-zealous inspection from a U.S. Customs agent. In the case of New Zealand, damage is usually the result of Customs officers who like to slice and dice with their knives. (We've had almost no cases of damage in Western Europe and the UK)
If this happens to you, DON'T WORRY, I will take care of you.
Usually, small wrinkles can be taken out with a warm clothing iron on a flat surface. If you are going to have your art framed, a good professional framer knows how to make such wrinkles disappear. I will give you a discount on any future purchases as a token to make up for the hassle.
If the damage is beyond repair, I will offer you a replacement painting of the same style and by the same artist (if possible) which will be sent to you at my expense and I will give you a discount on a future purchase. If you prefer, or if a replacement is not available, I will give you a full refund. If the artwork is particularly valuable, I may ask for is a digital picture or photo of the damage to aid my efforts to make a claim with the local post office where we originally shipped the artwork from.
I think my Art is Lost, now what?
Luckily this is rare. We've had 12 lost parcels in the last two years (out of more than 2000 shipments - so better than 99% arrived safely).
Don't worry, I will take care of you.
Once we reach the three-week-mark, I will start to make inquiries at
(The Chinese Postal Service) or the USPS (depending on where your order was shipped from).
I can sometimes get a date that the package was handed off to your local postal service. If there is no date, that might mean that the package has been mishandled by the postal service. If this happens, I will offer you a replacement painting of the same style and by the same artist which will be sent to you at my expense and I will give you a discount on a future purchase. If you prefer, or if a replacement is not available, I will give you a full refund.
In our five years of doing business from China, we've lost only one package shipped from Beijing to Western Europe, The United Kingdom, Australia, or Canada.
I don't know why, but ever since 9/11, the U.S. Postal Service is the worst offender: Of the 12 lost packages in the last two years, eight were bound for the USA, two bound for South Africa, and two bound for Indonesia.
What type of payments do you accept?
1. We use an SSL certificate issued by Equifax that can manage up to 256-bit encryption (very secure).
We accept: 
Use any major credit card shown here including debit cards with the "Visa" or "MasterCard" logo.
Here are other payment methods that we gladly accept:
2. 
3. Money Orders or Cashiers Checks 
This can be sent to our payment address in California (provided when you checkout) instead of sending it to China (We do this to make it much faster for you if you are in North America). Our Asian artwork is usually shipped within 48 hours of the receipt of your payment. Please note that your money order payment must be drawn on U.S. Dollars.
USA customers: Money Orders from the U.S. Post Office are best.
International: We prefer postal money orders. Canada Post, Japan Post, and Australia Post money orders work great.
If you wish to use any of the following methods, simply checkout using the "Money Order Option". After completing the checkout process, you will need to manually complete your payment. Email us if you need any help...
4. Western Union - If you live in a country where you don't have access to anything else, and you really want some artwork from us, you can use standard Western Union. This seems to be the choice to those living in the Middle East, and also parts of Eastern Europe. At about $12 per transaction, I think the cost is high, but if it is the only way, I gladly accept it. Please contact me after you have send the money to give me the Western Union payment details.
5. Personal Checks - I want to say no, but if you must pay by personal check, you can send it to the payment address that I have set up in California. Expect the standard delay as I wait for your check to clear the bank, unless you are an established customer.
6. Small Children - We no longer accept small children in lieu of payment for Asian art due to international law. (not to be taken seriously)
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