Shipping art internationally is a process that requires much more careful planning and preparation than domestic transportation. Your art object will have to change many hands before it gets to the final location, and it may undergo many checks in transit. That’s why you can’t afford trial and error when arranging a cross-border shipment. The length of your artwork’s trip will depend on several key factors discussed below.
What Factors Should You Consider When Shipping Art Internationally?
Here are the main variables that affect the duration of cross-border transportation.
Packaging and Home Logistics
An art object prepared for international shipment has to be thoroughly packaged and prepared for this lengthy and risky journey. You need to partner with experienced, professional art handlers who will perform your object’s assessment and develop a custom-tailored packaging strategy depending on its type and condition. You should also consider custom crating of the artwork, as all delicate objects need this extra protection for a safe trip.
Insurance and Documentation
An art object traveling overseas should have the full package of documents in order, as they will be reviewed at customs. The most important of them is a detailed commercial invoice, but additional documents may also be needed depending on the jurisdiction.
Customs Procedures
You should declare the value of the artwork you’re shipping and pay the appropriate customs duties in line with the country’s rules. The customs duties will also depend on whether you’re importing the artwork temporarily (for display at the themed exhibition or art fair) or permanently (it will remain in the country of arrival until the moment of being sold).
Shipping Method
The duration of transit heavily depends on the shipping mode you’ve chosen. Those who ship artwork by air can expect the objects to arrive pretty quickly unless it is a consolidated shipment that takes time to compile the entire shipment batch. Shipping by sea is usually the cheapest and the longest, so you should be ready to wait longer to have your art object delivered.
As you can see, the process of shipping art internationally is a multi-stage procedure with many nuances and complexities. A lack of competence in any of them can cause delays and irritating downtime. That’s why it is important to hire a professional art shipping company like Fine Art Shippers. We can optimize the entire logistics and organize the time-effective process of your art object’s preparation for shipment so that it arrives at the destination point safely and promptly.