We get calls and emails regularly from customers looking for rates to ship artworks of certain sizes from point A (typically their gallery or studio location) to several sample point B’s. Their expectation is that the cost will vary relative to volume and distance shipped, yes? Well, maybe.

The art shipping business is, fundamentally, the “what if” business. Cost depends upon a great many variables, which is why we will ask you (sorry) a raft of questions before responding with an estimate. We are also in the disclaimer business, but will save that for a later blog.

The first and most important variable is: what are we shipping? For artworks of low or modest value which can be rolled and secured in sturdy tubes, or boxed or crated and sent via package service such as UPS or Federal Express, yes, it is possible to create what is essentially a “tariff” based on distance shipped.  The artworks needless to say have to be durable enough to survive freight handling unharmed.  This is not recommended for fragile, hinged or delicate works where damage could ensue if the packages are turned topsy turvy. They will be turned topsy turvy, and no number of “this way up” arrows and markings is going to change that.

For more valuable artworks, larger scale artworks, and for delicate works the answer is, well, sometimes. Most of the United States is served by a network of art shuttles; these are insurable carriers whose trucks and crew are trained and qualified to handle fine art. Artworks are hand carried, tied into the vehicle, and orientation markings are observed. In many cases the trucks are climate controlled as well. They typically run on a predetermined route and schedule with a couple of days spent in each city or region picking up and dropping off. Pricing is largely determined by volume and distance so you could, theoretically, develop a model for a “typical” box or crate to travel to multiple cities, for example. But here the words “schedule” and “city” are key.

If the destination is rural, or the artwork has to meet a deadline which does not conform to the shuttle schedule, then the cost goes off the tariff and into the “custom” bin. And the relationship of distance to cost? Can be totally undone. For example, on our Los Angeles to San Francisco shuttle we can ship a large 50 x 4 x 60″ softpacked painting from city center to city center for under $ 200. That’s a trip of about 380 miles, 6 -7 hours in a truck depending upon stops. But to deliver that same artwork to Palm Springs, roughly 110 miles, the rate is going to be $300 at least, and higher if a date and time specific service is requested. And to deliver that same painting from Los Angeles up the coast to what we call “far Malibu”, in traffic, could run the same $300 or higher, based on hourly rates. Why? The shuttle is a consolidated service and pools multiple orders to a common destination. The Palm Springs and Malibu deliveries are custom services or, if consolidated, carry only one or two orders at a time, so the cost to each customer is greater. And the same math holds true for regions around other major cities as well.

Furthermore, if our San Francisco shuttle goes “off route”, i.e. makes a stop far off one of the major highways, then the cost increases as well, sometimes considerably. It can cost hundreds of dollars extra to pick up from our artist customers in what we affectionately call the “troll and redwood” reaches of Northern California; unfortunately bucolic often equals big ticket.

So for predictability of cost and most economical rates, ship major city to major city, have a flexible schedule, and do your own packing where feasible. For the rest, contact a fine art shipping company for a custom quote.

Betsy Dorfman

So, what is an ART SHUTTLE and why and when do I want to use one?

COMMODITIES :

Art shuttles are trucks specializing in handling artworks and sometimes antiques. They typically do not ship other commodities, general freight, or household goods. They are staffed by trained art handlers capable of packing and unpacking artworks and handling them appropriately at stops and within the truck. They are essential for transport of very high value and fragile works and are typically full service including the ability to pack, unpack, install, and insure artworks of all descriptions.

EQUIPMENT:

The art shuttle can be a tractor trailer sized truck operating nationwide or a smaller truck making more local or regional stops. Most art handling trucks are museum quality which means they have dual drivers, are climate controlled, and have air ride suspensions. Some art shuttles are not climatized or have only a single driver and in most cases the carrier will note this in their paperwork. Most art shuttle trucks also have logistics systems to assist with tying in and stabilizing packed works in the truck.

PACKING STANDARD:

Art shuttles are suitable for transport of softpacked or crated works. Most will have minimum packing standards and can upgrade packing to their standard or provide packing as needed. “Blanket wrapped” is really a furniture term and does not apply to art shuttles except in unusual circumstances. Art shuttles can be trusted to observe orientation (this way up, or ride flat) markings and will keep artworks properly oriented in transit.

ROUTES and SCHEDULING:

Most art shuttles operate on a route that is pre-scheduled between cities so that institutions and frequent shippers can plan ahead. The time in transit varies based on each shipment’s origin and delivery point. But as a rule of thumb most art shuttles take a week to two weeks to complete a route. This is therefore not a service that is going to work when items need to be moved in just a couple of days. Within their appointed schedules, also, timing may change by a day or so and customers need to have some flexibility in their receiving or releasing schedules. Most shuttles reserve the right to charge an additional fee for “first off” or “last on” or other custom timing requests.

HANDLING:

Many times customers assume that an “art shuttle” will not cross dock or handle a work more than twice: once when it is loaded and the second time when it is delivered. Well, maybe, but don’t count on it. An art shuttle is a consolidated service with items belonging to many customers commingled in the truck. As the truck makes its stops artworks are offloaded and others onloaded and space must be made accordingly. So it is likely that your shipment will be moved around, perhaps several times. Some carriers will cross dock as well which means transfer items from one truck to another at a regional hub. Art shuttles do an excellent job at this and problems are few. However if you have a shipment that can’t be handled several times or where the packing is insufficient for this, an exclusive use truck might be a safer choice.

INSURANCE:

Art shuttles can provide insurance in transit in most cases. Some have restrictions for items packed by the shipper. Insurance ,or declared valuation coverage as it is properly known, must be in place before the artwork is moved or handled. The value of the item or items must be stipulated and the coverage at the stated value will be noted on the related bill of lading. There is no “automatic” insurance except for what is essentially salvage value in some states.

SECURITY:

Most art shuttle trucks are equipped with GPS tracking devices and the trucks themselves have custom locking and other security measures installed as a part of their equipment. Many run “dual driver” trucks which means that the truck is staffed with two people, and in some cases the crew sleeps on board during cross country or longer routes. When in doubt, and if your insurer has specific requirements for coverage, the carrier involved can supply further details of their security arrangements. For ultra high value items an exclusive use truck with a courier on board, or with a security detail in accompanying vehicles, may be elected by the customer or insurer.

COST:

An art shuttle is a costly service due to the custom nature of the equipment and personnel involved. Operating costs are high and shuttles cannot cut corners without jeopardizing their reputation and the safety of the goods entrusted to their care. There is no such thing as a “discount” art shuttle. You wouldn’t want one if there were! Most shuttles charge a minimum and thereafter provide custom quotes based on the dimensions and number of the works to be transported, the locations to be served, and the precise services requested. Costs range from several hundred into the many thousands of dollars.

In figuring costs, mileage is not the most critical factor. Generally costs are most competitive between large markets. For example, it can be relatively affordable to ship a single painting from Los Angeles to New York. That same painting shipped far fewer miles from Los Angeles to a rural location in far northern California however would be considerably more expensive.

OVERVIEW:

So you want a fine art shuttle when you have a valuable or fragile artwork to ship, or one that must be climate controlled or kept in a specific orientation, or where packing, unpacking, installation or insurance is required enroute. A van line, moving company, or general trucker is not going to have trained personnel qualified to properly handle artworks and perform those related services. Art shuttles exist specifically to service this market for custom handling and transport of delicate goods.

WHEN IS AN ART SHUTTLE NOT AN ART SHUTTLE?

For purposes of comparing estimates between companies, always ask the type of service and specifically whether the quote is via art shuttle or some other type of trucking service. Most art shippers, including ourselves, will send shipments subcontracted to van lines or freight carriers as part of our normal constellation of services. There is nothing wrong with this so long as the customer understands the nature of the service and the packages and artworks themselves are suited to the chosen type of trucking and handling.

The term “art shuttle” does have a specific meaning, and it does not mean freight truck, air freight, common carrier, or van line trucking. Look for the terms “climate controlled”, “museum quality” and “air ride trucking” to be sure you are getting a true shuttle where this is needed. If an art services company won’t reveal the actual carrier or define the service in those terms then it is time to try another company who will.

Betsy Dorfman / Fine Art Shipping

Generically this means, what? Well, most basically it signifies that something is not crated or slat crated or enclosed in a rigid container but is instead, softwrapped. Somehow. With something.

Over the years we have seen “softpacked” interpreted to mean:

• wrapped in a flannel shirt, with or without tape to secure (watch those buttons!)
• plastic bagged in flimsy bags sporting the dry cleaner’s name and address (my favorite)
• used, very used, occasionally chewed, plastic sheeting draped over the frame
• cardboard corners, but otherwise entirely naked
• loose in a box with an afterthought of bubble wrap settled primly over the top (schoolteacher)
• beachballed in bubble wrap, and taped tightly all around as if more couldn’t hurt, but it can (any package you have to cut to open is risky, especially when guessing at the outline of the object within)
• gift tissue paper re-used, glitter and all

Here’s an object wrapped in plastic with a foreign object taped to the outside, potentially damaging the piece – unless it’s part of the piece, on the exterior of the package, with tape all over it.

This one is wrapped in some random plastic material which is too thin to provide adequate protection.

A used box with misleading printing, taped shut after it began losing its rigidity – fine for moving some stuff across town, but not for shipping art or other valuables.

Here is a piece wrapped in thin plastic, sealed with clear tape yellowed with age (clear-on-clear is a headache for the unpacker), and way too much of it – requiring a lot of knife work to remove.

This piece is popping out of its plastic wrap, exposing it to damage and the elements.

The plastic draped over this piece is used, torn, dirty, unsealed, too thin, and has out-of-date labels.

The “diaper paper” shown here is more gentle on some objects than it may appear in the photo, but sitting uncushioned in a flimsy, open cardboard tray leaves the piece open to damage. And a delicate artwork can be hiding under those messy paper folds haphazardly taped.

Not that all “civilian” packing is inadequate: often it is quite good and serviceable for the intended mode of transport.

Our favorite example of ingenious civilian packing is the customer who tells the story of relocating a world class collection of wedgewood china back in the fifties from the rural south up to Los Angeles in her car, without breaking a single of many hundreds of items. The secret archival material? Sanitary napkins! And she invited us to imagine the look on the faces of the pharmacists as she and her grey haired husband looted the shelves of every box they could find…

This collection was many years later packed and crated by FINE ART SHIPPING and sent off to auction at Sotheby’s London. It contained items so rare that the only similar or matching ones are in possession of the royal family.

There is no one single industry standard for “softpacking”, although there are basic guidelines and understanding of what this means. The condition, medium, value and fragility of the item itself along with consideration of the intended mode of transport are key ingredients; there is no one solution for an entire class of artworks.

But by and large a “softpacked” painting to a professional means that the contents, if a flatwork, is wrapped with a moisture barrier, then packed into a custom cardboard box that is created from sheets of cardboard cut to size to surround the artwork on all sides and edges. This is then taped closed and labeled as to the “face” side and correct orientation. This is also referred to as a “slipcase”.

Slipcases may have other ingredients such as:

• foam lining along the bottom of the pack to protect a heavy frame from its own weight
• wrapping of the artwork itself in glassine or dartek archival materials
• double cardboard over the “face” of the package for added protection
• collar wrapping or “shadow” boxing to allow for air circulation and/or to keep packing material from touching the face of textured, damp or unstable artwork
• glasskin taping over real glass to avoid damage to the artwork if the glass breaks in transit (glasskin is essentially oversized masking tape with an easily removable adhesive)

The elegance of a basic cardboard slipcase…

When traveling in the custody of professional art handlers, even a large slipcase like this can be a safe and economical alternative to crating.

Softpacks can take many shapes, and manufactured, double-wall cartons are often the best option for the job.

…even when a little modification is required.

Large or grouped softpacks are often palletized for greater protection in transit.

The custom pallet is a stronger, leaner and more efficient alternative to standard shipping pallets.

As with crating, the most important part of a softpack is the part that isn’t seen until it arrives safely at the destination.

Cardboard isn’t the only material used for rigid softpacks. When an object has special needs but crating isn’t an option, there is still a variety of archival and alternative packing materials to choose from.

It is important to let your art handler know exactly how your artworks will be wrapped when received. “Softpacked” can mean anything, and often does. If your carrier assumes this means slipcased, and you are operating in flannel shirt mode, this can create risk for the object if the service picking up is not prepared to further wrap the artwork or to return it to a warehouse where this can be done.

There are some prefabricated boxes which can be suitable for packing artworks and some which are eminently NOT suitable: we will have fun with those in a future post. Happy packing!

Betsy Dorfman