Shipping art....

[Mean Green]

That hurts just looking at it... sorry that happened. I had something similar but less drastic happen to me at the end of last year too. Hopefully that can get pressed out but it looks pretty bad.

[JadeGiant]

ouch!

Sorry to hear.

I am gaining a lot of experience with shipping lately ... I would NEVER ship art like that.

Was that from an artist, dealer/rep, fellow collector?

[FredChamberlain]

I ship flat, using two usps priority boxes, taped together, the art adhered to it, and another sturdy piece of cardboard taped to that, before sealing it in a slightly larger priority box. I have received many positive and unsolicited comments about this shipping method and have had no issues.

Sorry for the ouchie you just experienced!

[SpectatorGuy]

Originally Posted by JadeGiant

ouch!

Sorry to hear.

I am gaining a lot of experience with shipping lately ... I would NEVER ship art like that.

Was that from an artist, dealer/rep, fellow collector?

It was from the UK via the artist directly. It is hard to say if the royal post did it, the USPS, or someone at the facility trying to jam it into a holding area.

I think on a scan it won't be too noticeable (I hope), the other is a print that the artist said he would replace at SDCC. Had I known I would have just asked him to hold onto it till then.

What is funny is that an artist on the east coast shipping something pretty much the same way and it came through no problems. I e-mailed that artist and told him that he had a lot of faith in the USPS.

[Mean Green]

Wow, such a cavalier attitude with international shipping. That's even crazier. Perhaps they just didn't know but I hope this will at least change their packaging method. Glad he's replacing the print but the OA is what's really valuable..

[carlito1978]

Originally Posted by FredChamberlain

I ship flat, using two usps priority boxes, taped together, the art adhered to it, and another sturdy piece of cardboard taped to that, before sealing it in a slightly larger priority box. I have received many positive and unsolicited comments about this shipping method and have had no issues.

Sorry for the ouchie you just experienced!

I must say that im not a fan of the use of the priority mail boxes used in lieu of proper flat boxes or masonite. The priority mail boxes have creases in them that at some point you will find will crease your art. Imo if you are charging for shipping there should be proper shipping materials used.

[pavehawk78]

That really sucks but whoever packaged it did a terrible job. When I’ve sold art I always package it where it cannot bend either with melamine or 1/2 inch foam board. I have no idea why artists and sellers cheap out and use cardboard. It doesn’t cost that much more to package it right.

[JadeGiant]

My rules of thumb for shipping:
If it can get wet, it will get wet. Always place art first in a sealed plastic sleeve
If it can be bent, it will be bent. Always attach art to firm backing (thick cardboard, foamboard, Masonite)
If it can get lost, it will get lost. Always ship with tracking (and signature required if a high priced piece).

These should do the trick about every time (nightmare scenarios can’t be prevented, but should be very seldom) and is how packing should be approached IMO. The most recent example was an example of a package that could easily be bent and it was. I put them blame on the person who packaged that art, not the delivery company.

[JadeGiant]

Originally Posted by SpectatorGuy

It was from the UK via the artist directly. It is hard to say if the royal post did it, the USPS, or someone at the facility trying to jam it into a holding area.

I think on a scan it won't be too noticeable (I hope), the other is a print that the artist said he would replace at SDCC. Had I known I would have just asked him to hold onto it till then.

What is funny is that an artist on the east coast shipping something pretty much the same way and it came through no problems. I e-mailed that artist and told him that he had a lot of faith in the USPS.

Yep, this is 100% on the artist. They rolled the dice and they lost (actually you lost). Artists tend to look at art as something far less valuable than we as collectors do which often leads to inadequate packing.

What does how it looks like on a scan matter? How it looks to you when you open the portfolio is what matters IMO. Did the artist offer any compensation for the damage? IF the fold doesn’t bother you I suppose it is a moot point.

[boibleu22]

I've had a few pieces lost or misplaced by USPS.

They are always eventually found and shipped to the buyer, but they always end up arriving a month late.

Both instances were because they were slim packages (masonite).

I have since started putting those masonite boards into larger 20x14x4 sized boxes. This way the box is way bigger and would be harder to misplace...

They'll probably lose the packages still, but as the seller, i have to make sure I do my best to ensure the art arrives unharmed.