4 Things to Keep in Mind When Shipping Artworks to Another State

These days, when you buy any goods online, most of the time, you do not think much about packaging and shipping because the companies do everything instead of you. That is why people have become so accustomed to endless comfort and possibilities that they are starting to lower their guard when it comes to shipping items. While such attitude is nothing extraordinary and cannot harm you in 90% of the time, there is still a good chance that it will play a cruel joke on you when you decide to ship artworks.

Fine art is one of the most delicate and high-risk shipments, which always requires extra care and competence when being handled and transported. Unlike many other items, moving artworks is not something you can entrust to standard shipping companies or – perish the thought – amateurs. Art logistics just works differently, involving special knowledge, experience, and skills that are very specific in nature.

Usually, the whole situation with shipping artworks arises when people find themselves in hot water because they suddenly need to ship works of art — be them paintings, sculptures, or antiques — and do not know how to do that right. There are four major things that you should keep in mind to arrange the shipping of fine art to another state properly. Some of them are chiefly theoretical, whereas some concern the actual process of shipping. So, what are they, and how to get prepared for the art transportation process?

4 Things to Keep in Mind When Shipping Artworks to Another State

1. Shipping art is not as exciting as buying art

When you visit an art gallery and you are chocked with positive emotions, you cannot even imagine that something may go wrong. Just remember one rule: buying artworks is always an exciting experience while shipping them to your home or art storage is a daunting challenge that can make you feel slightly uncomfortable and even perplexed. However, do not get too frantic because of it!

This rule exists for a good reason. It reminds everyone that if you decide to buy a piece of art, you need to arrange the shipment long beforehand. Taking into account the fact that the entire process is multicomponent, each stage should be scheduled to a tee.

Quick tip: if you have problems with planning, do not hesitate to use special mobile apps or, even better, reach out to fine art shipping specialists who will help you sort the mess out and, eventually, find the soundest solution for your particular situation.

2. Don’t be like Scrooge, be realistic

As you might have guessed, this is about money and budget in particular. The fact is that this question has no definite answers since even art shipping services may have different price tags from company to company. However, there are some patterns by following which you can find the ingredients for your recipe (budget).

First and foremost, you should be as realistic as possible. Transportation of expensive art to another state is not only a heavy responsibility but also great losses if something nasty happens to the package. This means that hiring firms that intentionally downsize their prices is an insecure step. Contrastingly, it does not necessarily mean that you should opt for the topmost or elite companies whose services cost an arm and a leg.

What you need to understand here is that you should always know where and for what your money goes. In other words, you need to be market savvy.

3. Hire experienced fine art shippers

When people are at the point of hiring a fine art shipping company, they often rely on some vague interpretation of what this company should be. That is because people are not generally aware of how to choose a credible shipping partner. Overall, the search for shippers might take quite some time, and that is totally okay. No need to hurry!

In terms of crucial factors, an ideal fine art shipping company must be an experienced, competent, and reputable team of experts offering a wide range of services to its customers. These are the most fundamental criteria nowadays; however, there are many more. You can click here to learn more about how a professional fine art shipping company should look like and what services it should provide to ensure smooth and hassle-free transportation of art and antiques to another state.

4. Pay close heed to the services provided by a fine art shipping company

One more curious peculiarity that you need to remember is the list of services that a company offers. At first glance, what is so special about it? The thing is that the more services are provided, the better you can “customize” the art shipping process in the way you want it to be. So, what should be included on this list?

Packing and crating services are considered to be basic for shipping fine art, though they are normally not included in the standard shipping. Moreover, do not forget about art insurance and art storage, some of the most efficient additional services when transporting artworks over a long distance. With the help of art insurance, you can make sure you won’t lose all the money if something happens in transit, whereas art storage is usually a high-tech lab for the safe and secure preservation of pieces of art.

These and other additional services, such as art installation and white glove delivery, can be very beneficial. For this reason, it is better to know the whole list of services if you seek more advanced shipping experience or just crave more opportunities.

To sum up

Thus, if you want to have a positive art shipping experience, you need to keep in mind the following four things: thorough planning, realistic budget, experienced art shippers, and additional art services that you may require in the process of art relocation. Knowing these simple and yet effective components, you are going to transform the annoying shipping process into a qualitatively new experience!