How To Save Money Shipping Fine Art — really!
February 5th, 2009Everyone by now is well aware of the gloomy economic conditions and climate worldwide. Customers in all types of businesses are looking to save money and fine art services providers such as ourselves are anxious to help. However when the goods being handled are often both fragile and irreplaceable, and have to be to a specific location on or by a given date, the opportunities for cost cutting are limited. But, they do exist.
Here are some suggestions that may help keep your shipments on budget:
SHIP IN MULTIPLES Shipping several rather than one artwork at a time to the same location, city, or even region is typically less expensive than shipping one. Most fine art shippers and shuttles have minimum rates. If you ship two artworks at separate times you will pay the minimum twice. If you ship two or more artworks together the added ones often travel at a significantly reduced rate. In the case of a few truly small works, all the extras may travel under the minimum, i.e. essentially free.
GROUP SHIPMENTS and consider INTERIM STORAGE As a corollary to the above advice re multiples, also keep in mind that storage can be less expensive than shipping. So if you have two galleries say in Los Angeles that require your art for shows in January and April, it may well be less expensive to ship both shows to Los Angeles at the same time, and store the one of the inventories for several months. Many art storage facilities such as ours will discount storage or offer some weeks of free interim storage for works which they have shipped.
PLAN AHEAD Speed is costly, it is as simple as that. By planning ahead and having works ready to ship weeks in advance you can avoid expedited charges and take advantage of slower and less expensive transport options. Allowing for lead time and thus a flexible schedule is a major cost advantage. If we can pick up your shipment sometime in the next ten days at our convenience, and when we are in the area, that will cost less than if we have to pick it up next Tuesday before noon i.e. via custom service.
PACK YOUR OWN ARTWORKS Many artists, institutions, and galleries have staff capable of packing to a professional standard. Having artworks prepacked will save both time and money. Most art shippers such as ourselves will happily work with you to advise re the required packing standard and assist as we can. An expert can also advise re maximum sizes for international shipments and assist with calculations as to how many crates or softpacks of what size offer the best volume profile for shipping . Too often novices will pack multiple works of wildly varying sizes into one large and heavy crate, which is then costly to ship.
STATE YOUR BUDGET or let us know that cost is an issue. It only wastes our time and yours if we prepare an estimate based on top of the line ingredients only to find out that this is beyond your means. If you have a competitive quote, share it. We can often tell you quickly whether we can do better or not. There is nothing more frustrating than spending time on an elaborate estimate only to have the customer receive it and say, “Well, I could rent a truck and drive it myself for $500, so you have answered my question.” 99% of the time we are not going to be able to beat the cost of you tossing it into a truck and driving it yourself! Letting us know you are on a budget helps us focus on suitable possible solutions right off the bat.
CONSULT AN EXPERT Basically, ask us for advice rather than tell us what you think you need. We often get requests which ask very specifically for a certain service i.e. to crate and airfreight a large painting from Los Angeles to New York. Our office will respond with an estimate that reflects that approach. In fact, it may be less expensive to softpack and ship the painting by an art shuttle or art consolidation. LA to NYC and back are highly traveled routes and shuttles offer competitive pricing. Or, sometimes, the reverse is true: for a small to medium size painting the cost to crate and ship via airfreight may be less than the shuttle. It is best to tell us what you need to ship and when it needs to be where, and then ask us to provide the most economical quote possible. In all cases, it goes without saying, the type of artwork and its condition will be taken into consideration. So when we say “budget” approach, it always means the most economical possible which is also deemed safe for the artwork in question.
GIVE ACCURATE INFORMATION including the dimensions, media, condition, and value of artworks to be shipped. Some customers worry that if they reveal the (high) value of an artwork, they will be charged higher fees. In a sense, this is true, as the level of crating, shipping, and security recommended for a million dollar artwork is different than for a $5000 artwork. But it doesn’t help on either side if we quote for a budget service, then have to rescind this approach upon learning the true value of the artwork. Having accurate dimensions also means that our quote will be on target with no surprises down the line. A difference of a few inches more all around on artworks can result in increased costs for packing and shipping, and across larger inventories this can translate into significantly increased costs. No customer likes to get the “are you sitting down” call from their art handler, and no art handler likes to make it.
CONSIDERATIONS BEYOND BUDGET Unfortunately during economic downturns there are always “start up” or other “one guy and a truck” enterprises who offer low prices attractive to economy minded customers. In other cases providers may ship with freight services and tout this as an “art consolidation”, leaving the impression that it travels via a service similar to an art shuttle. You may save money and have a good experience with these services, or you may have a disaster.
Many of the “one guy and a truck” services aren’t properly insured and may not have worker’s compensation or liability insurance. Their truck may not be properly registered with the DOT or other state authority. Our best advice is to get completive quotes from reliable services, and be wary of the “oddball” low quote. Make sure estimates and shipping confirmations are in writing. If the company can’t or won’t offer you insurance on your shipment, this is a tip off that they may not have a fine arts all risk policy in place.
NEGOTIATE, within reason So, yes there is such a thing as quality art shipping which is also economical, to some degree. Overall, however, it is simply the case that correctly handling and shipping fine art is an expensive service. Companies doing it right have high fixed expenses for insurance, storage and packing facilities, highly trained personnel, and specialty truck expenses. These expenses persist in tough economic times, and often even increase. Realistically, there are only so many corners that can be cut before quality is compromised.
That said, most art shippers appreciate customer feedback on pricing and are willing to negotiate on price to some degree. Especially if you have an art handler you trust and prefer, give them the option to match or meet a lower quote and to explore the reasons for any disparity. It may be that the higher quote contained a level of service not needed, or, if needed, that the lower quote is not a true “comp.” The more transparent the elements of the transaction, the better. Art shippers do have some leeway in pricing and markups and most will gladly lower a quote by a modest amount to satisfy a repeat customer.
Betsy Dorfman
FINE ART SHIPPING
March 27th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
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