This post covers general mail and parcel services
for mailing paintings, drawings and prints
in the UK and USA
for mailing paintings, drawings and prints
in the UK and USA
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There's a general consensus that
"Do you need a general mail /courier service or a specialised service used to dealing with fine art?" Below is an overview of the generic (i.e. non-specialist) post / parcel / courier services available in the UK and USA |
For SPECIALIST FINE ART SERVICES for shippers, couriers and movers see the following pages for FOR SPECIALIST REQUIREMENTS see these pages
General post and parcel services often do NOT offer insurance for fine art. For information about Insurance for non-specialised services for moving art - see Insurance for Art and Artists Banner photo by Eddie some rights reserved |
Which is the best postal / shipping service for artwork?
which is the best shipping service - for you | for your client | for the size and weight of your package?
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As artists on the Internet, we're probably more aware than most of the perils and practicalities of posting artwork to exhibitions and customers, at home and overseas.
But who do we trust when we post our art? On this page there are charts of the results of previous polls I've done looking at which is the best service for posting / or shipping art. The two polls on this site are specific to the UK and USA. The service which consistently does well across all the surveys is FedEx I've heard more than a few criticisms of UPS - including from artists who have shipped work to an exhibition appropriately packaged only for it to arrive with the glass smashed HOWEVER Fedex, UPS and DHL do not insure fine art, have had problems highlighted in the past and there are problems getting satisfactory insurance cover. In general, if your artwork is valuable you should
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The most popular questions that people want answers to are:
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GENERAL PARCEL SERVICES
GENERAL Post / Parcel Services - UK Based websites
POST OFFICE COUNTERS
Post Office Counters is a good and relatively cheap service if you just want to send small works in envelopes or small packets
Post Office Counters is a good and relatively cheap service if you just want to send small works in envelopes or small packets
- UK standards for sending letters and small parcels - Find the price for posting 1st and second class parcels in a table. Send a small parcel up to 2Kg from just £2.80 - it can measure up to: Max length 45cm | Max width 35cm | Max depth 16cm
- New Small Parcel Size | Post Office
Get information about sending small parcels and a new small parcel size at the Post Office.
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ROYAL MAIL
Royal Mail has got a lot better in recent years in making its information more accessible and better presented. There are online guides which can be downloaded and online calculators for getting quotations for pricing.
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Royal Mail Online Guide has teeny tiny font size. This is the same information LARGER AND MORE READABLE!
Track and Trace Service offered via Royal Mail (and other providers)
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Royal Mail prices change on 1 September 2020
Below are links to all relevant information Royal Mail: Personal customer and marketplace seller prices
Royal Mail: Business customer prices
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Royal Mail: International Zones
Royal Mail: International Business Pricing calculators
Royal Mail: Wallcharts
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Second class sends the message to your customers that they, and your products, are not a priority, not worth that little bit extra for first-class treatment. Sometimes Special Delivery isn't much more than first class, and using this for high-maintenance customers can work a charm.
Marian Boddy-Evans (Artist)
Royal Mail: Electronic Postage & Customs Information
Increasingly, more countries are requiring electronic customs data to accompany imported items. Providing electronic customs data will ensure that existing, emerging and future legislation, security arrangements and customs requirements in overseas destinations are met. This data needs to be completed accurately and in full to meet new requirements and ensure friction-less processing through overseas customs.
Electronic customs products and solutions | Royal Mail
There is a 2% discount for all packages that comply with the new electronic customs data rules. Visit royalmail.com/electronic-customs-data-incentive to find out more. |
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Parcel and Courier Services - within the UK
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These are GENERIC parcel and courier services
TNT - Express parcel delivery services to the UK, Europe and International destinations offering same day, next day and express parcel services Pack and Send - a complete range of postal, freight, courier, packing and removal services operating through a national retail network. Started trading UK in 2009. They claim to provide the world's largest range of freight and packing services Parcel2Go - claims to be the cheapest parcel delivery in the UK My Hermes - large parcel delivery company in the UK - courier collection, parcelshop dropoff and international deliveries (Delivers for a number of big stores) |
Comparison services and reports
This is a fast moving market and it's always worth trying to keep up to date with which services are thriving and which are dying - via independent services
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Parcel Intermediaries - within UK and International
These are different types of parcel services. They aim to make your life more simple.
Inevitably you are paying a price - but you are also saving on the time it takes to check out all the different options.
Their aim is to round up varying quotes from different services providers to enable you to choose which best suits you.
BEWARE - SOME "SERVICES" APPEAR TO BE OPERATING SCAMS - you are recommended to check out the service you want to use on review websites
Inevitably you are paying a price - but you are also saving on the time it takes to check out all the different options.
Their aim is to round up varying quotes from different services providers to enable you to choose which best suits you.
BEWARE - SOME "SERVICES" APPEAR TO BE OPERATING SCAMS - you are recommended to check out the service you want to use on review websites
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INTERPARCEL® - The Low Cost Parcel Delivery Experts
Rated:
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REFERENCE:
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COLLECT MY PARCEL collectmyparcel.com
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myParcelDelivery.com
parcelcompare.com
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NOT RECOMMENDED / SCAM ALERT: PARCEL HERO
parcelhero.com
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A word of caution if you are using ParcelHero. I recently sent a consignment to Spain booked through ParcelHero. I declared all the weights and sizes totally accurately. Nine days after being delivered PH are trying to apply retrospective charges of £71 accusing me of under declaring weights and measurements. I did take photos prior to dispatch but PH are ignoring them. The carrier was DHL. Read the reviews on Trust Pilot as I am not the only one being targeted by what seems to be a Scam. |
UK and International delivery - heavier weight parcels
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ROYAL MAIL - INTERNATIONAL DELIVERIES
They provide:
Note re Video: Nobody will thank you for polystyrene forms and sealing a box needs wide brown packing tape along ALL the edges. A little bit of ordinary sellotape is insufficient!
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PARCELFORCE
In 1990 Royal Mail Parcels was rebranded to Parcelforce and there's been lots of investment since then in the delivery of parcels within the UK and to countries overseas. Parcelforce Worldwide is part of the Royal Mail Group Ltd and is one of the top five express carrier businesses in the UK International Parcel Delivery offers
Business Parcels has an International Delivery section with several different types of delivery service related to bulkl and speed of delivery 
Artwork arriving at the RA Summer Exhibition
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FEDEX GB
UPS in the UK
COURIERS
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ADVERTS
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GENERAL Parcel Services - USA Based websites
I've ordered the general parcel services in the USA according to the responses from a poll I conducted c. 5 years ago.
REFERENCE:
- Shipping Rates: Comparison Shopping Saves Money | Practical eCommerce - Miscalculating your shipping rates can cost you some big bucks. No matter your shipping volume, it is a good idea to comparison shop between package carriers and the various carrier-shipping options.
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FedEx
FedEx is based in the USA (but is also found elsewhere in the world) Unfortunately for FedEx in 2011, one of its employees generated the worst type of negative PR - see the video below! Expect a lot of effort to be employed by FedEx in 2012 for the fact that c.3 million people watched this video in 2 days in December 2011 In general, the view is that FedEx is always expensive but can be worth it |
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UPS - UNITED PARCEL SERVICE OF AMERICA
The Ins and Outs of sending artwork with UPS. I monitor reports about shipping art in the art business group on Linked In - which typically involves people who are professional artists. NOT EVERYTHING IS POSITIVE Rather too many artists have reported:
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USPS - UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
Artists have reported positive experiences of using USPS to ship their art within the USA - particularly when using an industry standard certified box such as an Airfloat box. One of the aspects which people repeatedly highlight is that they represent great value for money compared to some other shipping services in the USA. Comments reflect views expressed by artists sending work for exhibitions and to customer within the USA - and come from various forums |
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DHL
Information about shipping using DHL |
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