PLAN PACKING for SHIPPING Art & Craft

When shipping your one-of-a-kind work, the packing must protect your art or craft!

There are five essential criteria:

1. Packing needs to protect your work against normal hazards. If the packing is found to be inadequate, insurance may not pay for a claim...even if you paid for insurance. A minimum standard is double boxing.
   
   
2. All packing materials should be reusable for return shipping. Never use clear plastic tape to secure bubble wrap. Removing the tape ruins the bubble wrap and makes it unsuitable for return shipping.  Cutting through the tape risks damage to your work.
   
   
3.  Movement in the box raises risk. Movement risks abrasion and breaking. Art or craft needs to be firmly held in place with no sound or movement.
    
4. Packing materials & instructions should provide a foolproof "recipe" for repacking. Assume that the staff repacking your work is merely overwhelmed and exhausted, at best... or inexperienced, at worst.
   
   
5. Packing sends a message about your work. The packing for your art or craft indicates how you want your work handled. A custom-made professional quality shipping box clearly signals quality and an expectation for care and attention.  In contrast, work wrapped in crumpled newspaper, paper scrap, diapers, rags, etc. looks too much like trash (which may be thrown away) or looks like rough handling is acceptable.
   

HERE IS A STEP BY STEP TUTORIAL on PACKING one-of-a-kind artwork for SHIPPING:

 There is a matching four-page PDF handout with pictures from the Professional Guidelines. (This handout is 26MB so give it time to download. Print it in advance so you are ready to make your own shipping box.)

 

Shipping connects your studio to the world.
Stay tuned for more shipping information from the SNAG Professional Development Seminar and ASK Harriete.

Are you shipping jewelry, precious materials, loose stones, or larger sculpture?  PowerPoint presentations from the SNAG Conference and handouts are coming soon.

Harriete

Related topics about shipping:

Shipping Planning vs. Sh*t Happening

Shipping Boxes for Art or Craft Should Include Instructions

PACKING YOUR WORK FOR EXHIBITIONS (tip sheet)

Conditions Report from the Professional Guidelines

Claims for Damaged Work from the Professional Guidelines

DAMN! Damaged boxes! Claims for Damaged Work.

Preservation, Conservation - Design for Repair

This post was updated on April 2, 2022, to provide current links.