Shipping valuable & fragile artwork including: ceramics, framed paintings or other pictures?

When it comes to transporting works of art commercially or simply as gifts to family or friends, choosing the right carrier can be a daunting task for the seller or sender, as often the cheapest method is inherently the most risky.

Valuable works of art often benefit from dedicated vehicle delivery.

Hub & spoke parcel networks such as those operated by all the main UK parcel carriers including: Parcel Force, TNT, FedEx, DHL, DPD, UPS, Yodel & Hermes offer low cost delivery – but to achieve it, short cuts are taken with the handling of their customers packages. Excessive manual handling of your item on and off numerous vehicles, combined with conveyor based sortation dramatically increases the risk of breaking goods in-transit; which is why ceramic & glass items are excluded from their standard or even their enhanced insurance schemes.

Whilst investing in good quality packaging can dramatically reduce damages (see DEFENDAPACK http://bit.ly/1NqGDbK for a range of framed picture boxes & other protective packaging) it will be unlikely to eliminate them altogether. Therefore, when it comes to valuable works of art like paintings, porcelain or some antique furniture – a dedicated vehicle offers by far the safest method of transporting your goods to the intended recipient. This method removes much of the manual handling of your consignment & completely negates the need for any form of automated processing; your package being only loaded at the pick-up point and off-loaded at its destination. Obviously some priceless works like ‘Mona Lisa’ might need protecting by a battalion of elite troops during transit but I guess she doesn’t get about much these days, so her and her ilk are unlikely to be an issue to most shippers I suspect.

Our UK Groupage Service operates in much the same way but instead of having a vehicle of its own, your shipment will be accompanied by at least one other item. It can however help reduce your delivery costs significantly, so has a valuable role in helping you achieve a cost effective delivery to your clients.

Choosing the right shipping for artwork & valuable furniture

For information on our shipping for artwork, porcelain & valuable furniture or other light haulage & dedicated vehicle delivery services call us on Coventry 02476 466000 or email info@defendacouriers.co.uk