Safest shipping method for valuable paintings

November 13, 2010 7:18 AM

Need reliable shipper for art. I need to ship two framed paintings from Connecticut to Seattle. These are family antiques that I could not bear to lose. I already had a wooden crate made. I need to get the crate shipped. Criteria: - Highly reliable and insured - Speed and delivery date are flexible. I can arrange to be available to receive shipment on short notice. - size: the crate is about 2' x 3' x 1'. - Cost... looking for lower cost options, but reliability is key. - The paintings have not been appraised, nor do they have any documentation. I'm sure they are worth money, but the real value is sentimental. I'd rather not go to the expense of having them photographed and appraised. I've already requested a quote from Art Logistics. I haven't heard back yet, but I suspect the cost will be very high. And I'm not sure they ship to and from private residences. fyi... an earlier thread about shipping art.
posted by valannc to Shopping (5 answers total)

So, you're in Seattle and don't have someone to prep these to ship, right?

Art Logistics is an option, but it's simple to prep and ship a small crate like that. Any small frame shop (or gallery) can do this easily since the crate is already made, and FedEx can ship quickly and reliably, with insurance. If you really want to make it easy, have a CT frame shop ship to a Seattle frame shop so that they will be packed and received with care. Then you can pick them up at your convenience.
posted by infinitefloatingbrains at 7:29 AM on November 13, 2010

I've shipped several pieces of rather delicate fine furniture cross-country via FedEx, and haven't had a problem. I built plywood crates, and positioned the furniture pieces inside with blocking made of insulation foam, so the only way anything would be damaged would be if they ran over it with a truck or stuck a towmotor's forks through the package.

Insurance without an appraisal probably isn't going to mean much.
posted by jon1270 at 8:04 AM on November 13, 2010

Museums use FedEx Custom Critical White Glove for this. No idea if it costs mega bucks.
posted by advicepig at 8:33 AM on November 13, 2010 [2 favorites]

I ship my own work Fed Ex ground with no problems. You've got a crate - if needed have a frame shop pack it. I would NOT use a regular pack-n-ship shop though - recently uncrated a ceramic wall piece that had been packed by such a place when I was hanging a show and it was in pieces because of stupid, incompetent packaging.
posted by leslies at 12:50 PM on November 13, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks to all for your responses. I'm going to look into Fed-ex White Glove.
posted by valannc at 11:58 AM on November 23, 2010