Shipping Art or Antiques Cost

Typical costs:

• Insurance may be the biggest factor in shipping and ranges from 55 cents - $4 for every $100 of value beyond the first $100. Insurance for a $500 piece could run from $2.20- $16. Insuring a $5,000 work could cost from $26-$196.
• A $500 work under 8x10 inches and less than one pound may be sent in a Priority Mail package through the US Postal Service for $4.60, plus insurance at $4.60 plus 90 cents per $100 of value after the first $300. Mesart.com^[1] recommends using Signature Confirmation for around $2.00.
• A 2x3-foot oil painting valued at $5,000 can cost from $90-$238 to transport and insure from Los Angeles to New York City. The lower price comes from a local UPS Store, the top price through a professional art shipper with higher insurance rates.
• A French side table valued at $10,000 and weighing 50 pounds that is prepared for transit and insured by specialty shipping companies can cost $450-$884 to send from Los Angeles to New York City. The widespread price shows the difference of one art shipper charging $1.25 per $100 for insurance versus another priced at $4 per $100.
• Along with the cost of insurance, large or heavy works may require special handling. FedEx Custom Critical offers coast-to-coast transport from $6,500-$10,500 (not including insurance charges) in a variety of vehicles from cargo vans to tractor-trailers. Galleries, collectors, artists and museums have spent $12,000-$20,000 or more to transport priceless pieces.

• Art and antiques should be specially crated before shipping. Wood crating prices depend on the size and type of piece. Siggraph.org gives a step-by-step guide to building a shipping crate^[2] . A ready-made artwork shipping case^[3] designed to help protect a painting during shipment costs about $147-$257 depending on size.
• Tip: The New York Foundation for the Arts offers an online guide to shipping artwork^[4] from packing materials to common shipping requirements.

• The US Postal Service^[5] ships up to 108 total inches (height/width/length) and/or 70 pounds.
• UPS^[6] ships up to 130 inches and a 150-pound weight limit.
• Federal Express^[7] regular service limits items to 10-feet in length, 165-inch girth and/or 150 pounds.
• DHL^[8] has no size limitations.
• For heavy pieces, uship.com is a shipping marketplace^[9] where owners list their items which are then bid on by shippers. Each shipper carries different maximum insurance limits. Specialty art and antique shippers include Fine Art Shipping in Los Angeles and Navis Pack and Ship^[10] centers.
• Tip: Ask whether the company can supply verifiable references, whether they have secured facilities for storage and transit and whether they specialize in packing and transporting art.

1.  www.mesart.com/art/FAQ:Shipping
2.  www.siggraph.org/s2006/main.php?f=cfp&p=teapot&s=shipping
3.  www.portfolios-and-art-cases.com/shipping-cases.html
4.  www.nyfa.org/archive_detail_q.asp?qid=93&fid=6&year=1999&s=Fall
5.  /www.usps.com/
6.  www.theupsstore.com/products-services/Pages/index.aspx
7.  www.fedex.com/
8.  www.dhl.com/en.html
9.  www.uship.com
10.  www.gonavis.com/

Check Out All Costs for Home and Garden		How Much Does a Propane Tank Cost?		How Much Does a Plumber Cost?		How Much Does Pressure Washing Cost?

Today's Featured Cost Articles

In case signing up was a resolution, we cover the cost of diet plans. Need help uncovering your driveway? You may need a snow removal service. The CDC recommends it is more important than ever to get a flu shot this year. Be ready if the worst weather hits -- a portable generator means fewer power outages. Garden all winter long with an indoor greenhouse.

About CostHelper

CostHelper is based in Silicon Valley and provides consumers with unbiased price information about thousands of goods and services. Our writers are experienced journalists who adhere to our strict editorial ethics policy.

CostHelper Community

Radiologist Fee Paid: 350.00 Any radiologist reading your mammogram will be at least $350. They have 11-13 years of training after high school before they begin work. If they are not board certified, watch out. Most are and it beats getting cancer... [more] -Lowes Fan Mammogram Cost DIY Ceiling Paid: 50.00 We bought a house with a cheap paint job. The ceilings were sprayed the same color as the walls. During COVID I painted the ceilings and a bathroom. A 120 square foot room took me about 4 hours (2 coats)... [more] -Lowes Fan Painting an Interior Cost DIY vs Installed Small Deck Paid: 3000.00 We paid $1300 for materials and $1700 for labor on a 100 square foot composite deck plus a redwood gate. It took 30 hours, done last year. My husband built a 100 sf heart redwood deck for about $1000 in materials in 2019... [more] -Lowe's Fan Redwood Deck Cost Colposcopy with biopsy Paid: 756.00 This service was wayy to expensive in my opinion. For a 20-25 minute total visit I had to pay out of pocked 756 - 187 to OBGYN, 229 to pathologist, then 340$ for facility fee or the hospital. I don't even know what that charge was for... [more] -D S Colposcopy Cost Bilateral Diagnostic Mammogram and Third Mammogram Paid: 1389.66 My 2021 bill, still in shock! Weill Cornell, in-network provider, billed my insurance $908 for a bilateral diagnostic mammogram, and $712 for a third mammogram one breast... [more] -GinaF Mammogram Cost shoulder mri Paid: 8000.00 Seriously, 8K for an MRI before all the secret insurance kicks in. I was stuck with a 1200 bill and my insurance is pretty good. This is insane for a 20 minute procedure with no nurse assistance... [more] -stevej45 MRI Cost