If you’ve ever tried to ship a painting across the country, you’ll know how nerve wracking it can be to hand it over to the courier. The risks of shipping paintings without a specialist are real, and they can be costly in ways that go beyond money. Here at Aardvark, you’re paintings are in great hands.
In this blog, we’ll be looking at what can go wrong, and why trusting an expert is worth it.
6 Risks Of Shipping Paintings Without A Specialist
We’ve put together 6 of the risks of shipping paintings without a specialists and what can be done to avoid damage. Let’s get into it.
1. Damage In Transit
Paintings are more fragile than they look. Even if the frame feels sturdy, the canvas, glass, and surface layers are incredibly sensitive to pressure, vibration, and temperature changes. Without specialist handling and packaging, your artwork is at risk from bumps and knocks. Vibrations from the road during transport can also loosen joints or crack paint. As well as this, sudden temperature or humidity changes that can warp wood or stretch canvas.
Specialist art shippers, like us at Aardvark, know these risks and have specialist services in place to keep your painting safe.
2. Insurance Gaps That Leave You Out Of Pocket
Some people may not realise that standard shipping insurance often doesn’t cover fine art at its true value. A few couriers even exclude original artwork from their coverage.
That means if your painting is damaged or lost, you might only be compensated for the material cost of a few materials rather than its actual market value.
We only work with insurance policies tailored for artwork, ensuring you’re covered for the full agreed value. That’s peace of mind you can’t put a price on.
3. Inadequate Packing Materials
When you ship a painting without using specialist services, the packaging is often the weak point. Bubble wrap might be fine for a print in a simple frame, but it’s not enough for a delicate oil painting or intricate framing. Specialists will consider how a painting will be placed during transportation to minimise the strain on the canvas.
4. Customs & Paperwork Headaches
If you’re sending a painting overseas, customs can be stressful. Different countries have different rules about importing artwork, especially if it’s valuable or has cultural significance. Without using a specialist, you can risk delays due to incorrect documentation or even extra fees or duties.
Here at Aardvark, we work closely with EBISS and Brothers STS to ensure your artwork arrives internationally with ease.
5. The Emotional Toll Of Loss Or Damage
Art is often personal. The thought of your painting arriving scratched, warped, or punctured can be heartbreaking.
When you cut corners on shipping, you’re gambling not just with money, but with memories, reputation, and creative integrity. It’s a risk that can’t be undone.
6. False Economy
It’s tempting to try o save money with a standard courier service. But the cost of repairing or replacing a damaged painting will almost always outweigh the savings you made on shipping.
Specialist shippers may not be the cheapest option, but they’re far more cost-effective in the long run because they reduce the likelihood of loss or damage.
What’s The Safer Option?
The safest way to ship a painting is with a specialist art shipping service that offers custom packing and crating tailored to your artwork. Specialised climate control during storage and transit. Be sure they have a fully comprehensive insurance that reflects the artwork’s true value. The company should have experienced handling by trained art movers as well as expert knowledge of customs and documentation for international shipments.
At Aardvark Art Services, we’ve been moving artwork for years, and we’ve seen first-hand how much of a difference specialist handling makes. Our team treats every piece as if it were our own because we know the stakes are high.
How To Avoid The Risks Of Shipping Paintings Without A Specialist
The risks of shipping paintings without a specialist aren’t just hypothetical, they happen every day. From physical damage to insurance nightmares, from customs delays to emotional heartbreak, the potential issues are too big to ignore.
Your paintings matter to you and they deserve to be transported with the same care it was created with. A specialist art shipper isn’t an optional luxury, it’s the best safeguard you have.
So before you book that standard courier, get in touch with us today to see how we can help you.