Shipping Internationally

[yatchy]

Help!!

I am a new artist who just started to sell my works Fortunately, someone in Switzerland bought my painting, but I am stuck at shipping process. The work is 18 x 24 inch oil on canvas. I need to send this work stretched on stretcher bars. I am thinking about the safest yet inexpensive way to ship this item. I have never done this, so I am on my wits end!! I thought maybe I can wrap the item in a bubble wrap several times and put it in a cardboard box that's tight enough so the painting won't move around. I heard that building a crate is the safest, but it seems awfully time consuming and heavy, adding to the cost of shipping internationally.

I am sure there are plenty of experienced artists out there who has done this process. Any advice you can give to this first timer is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much in advance, and happy thanksgiving!!

[timelady]

Hi! You shouldn't need a crate for that size - I've shipped framed paintings that size by wrapping well. (or having Mailboxes Etc wrap it well, to be exact) My local MBE wraps it in a layer of bubblewrap. Then a layer of cardboard. Then more bubblewrap. In a box and the extra space filled with peanuts. I tend to ship UPS Expedited which is slower but is far better than our parcel company here in the UK. You can get a price on their website if you know the weight and dimensions of the parcel. :)

Tina.

[Paintbrush74]

I shipped a painting to Spain, size 16x20, on stretched canvas. I used a large box which was cut (by me) to fit the painting, with about 2 inches to spare on all sides. I wrapped it in bubble. I used that bubble wrap that has bubbles that are about an inch in diameter. There was extra space in some areas, so I stuffed plastic Wal-mart bags in that area. It all sounds tacky but I did a good job, and it arrived safely in Oviedo. Unfortunately, it took about 3 and a half months to get there! Things from the USA to Spain tend to move slowly when you use parcel post, which is what I did. I may have put some foam (soft foam) around the corners. Can't remember if I did or not. Anyway, there was absolutely no wear and tear on the painting at all. I made sure to use stiff cardboard and of course I secured it well with wide tape. I've also shipped 2 paintings to California using that same method.

Lenora

[Artizan]

I have a similar problem except my paintings are 90x90cms...any idea where i can purchase box's for this size?

Thx Jay

[kjoel]

thanks all for the info, I figure to wrap securely with cardboard between, then bubble wrap. and styrofoam sheeting on the sides of the box. with popcorn or shredded paper to secure. also checked on international delivery and found a fairly good rate for express delivery via federal express, 3 day guarenteed for $135 from my location (with insurance for value $1000) so figure that is the way I will go. probably the biggest issue will be finding the right size box, lol.

Kevin

[Greg Long]

I have a similar problem except my paintings are 90x90cms...any idea where i can purchase box's for this size?

Thx Jay
I get large boxes (6ft X 4 ft X 3.5ft) from the supermarket and cut them down to the size. I tend to put about 2 inches of bubblewrap around the painting first so don't forget to allow for that when building your new box.

[lindayt6]

I ship my father's paintings a lot. Very expensive. Sometimes, I would use UPS to ship very small pieces or unframed paintings because they provide insurance. FedEx doesn't insure for art. I do recommend you buy insurance with UPS. I had a experience a year ago. I shipped about six unframed canvas paintings with UPS from OR to CT in US. I packed the paintings very very well in one box, with a piece of plastic board on each side in the box. I insured them for $15,000. However, the gallery in CT called me the box arrived there damaged. The gallery owner said she couldn't even image what happened to this box. Four paintings were damaged, and the insurance paid me $9,200 at the end. Most galleries we do business with, they don't have frame service, so we will ship the paintings framed. I use a professional shipper locally, called Crater & Freighter. Last week, I shipped 3 paintings to a gallery in AZ, the largest piece is 30"x60", with insurance, I paid $497. Last year, I shipped one painting, framed canvas painting, image size 36"x48", to a business in Hong Kong, China, and the price was $600. The collector paid for the shipping though.

[skywatcher]

I've never sent anything really large abroad (15"x12" was the biggest), but it makes me wonder why some enterprising person hasnt started a cardboard box business (or subsection) especially for artists. The number of people requiring large cartons for canvasses must be considerable. Making your own boxes from the supermarket is ok, and I've done quite a few; but I've also found that a lot of them are often not strong enough to do the job and take a bashing. I must admit though I've never seen cardboard boxes as big as 6x4x3!....(maybe I'm talking to the wrong people...)
Aidpack is the only UK company I've ever found doing a half-decent job of cartons; they're telescopic, allowing for various lengths, but only up to about 30 inches, I think.

[NataliePorter]

The thought of something sharp piercing through the cardboard and damaging my artwork has always inhibited me from shipping that way. I have always just rolled my paintings and shipped them in a tube, recorded delivery. It is cheap as chips! The new owner then just has to take the painting to a framing shop. It works out cheaper for them to have it professionally stretched than all of the extra shipping costs and the paintings are incredibly safe!

[matteopaints]

I live in Italy, and I have to ship internationally almost all of the time. I use Mail Boxes Etc. for all of my shipping needs. They box the painting, professionally, that means they do it well, no worries about damage in shipping. You may worry about expense, I spend about $200 in shipping per painting, most buyers are OK with this because they want the painting to arrive safely. I am sure that this is true also with your Swiss buyer. ;)