taking the guesswork out of shipping online sales

Many artists promote and sell their finished pieces online. The challenge to this method of selling is finding safe and cost-effective ways to ship the finished pieces. There are several strategies you can use to help your pieces arrive safely.

Be Selective About Size, Shape, And Media

Although it can be fun to work on a round canvas or a canvas that is very large, this creates more challenges and costs associated with shipping. Try to limit yourself to artwork that can fit in standard tubes and boxes. Not only will this make it easier to find shipping materials, but the finished pieces are less likely to cost an exuberant amount to ship. You may also need to be more selective about the media you use when you want to sell original artwork. Pastels, charcoal, and graphite are some materials that are vulnerable to smearing, even if you use a fixative.

Skip The Framing

Many artists would like to ship their finished pieces framed, but there are several reasons this is a bad idea. First, it adds significant costs for both you and the buyer, which can make the buyer less interested in buying your artwork. Another disadvantage is you are making the shipping process harder on yourself and riskier. Most carriers will add a surcharge for heavier or thicker items, and you only increase the risk of the item arriving damaged. A damaged frame, including broken glass, could ruin the original artwork. Most artists go the extra step of matting their piece, which adds some protection to the piece against being bent during transit. Since it is impossible to know the decor of the buyer, framing a piece may be a useless extra step.

Consider Custom Boxes

Buying custom boxes for shipping can be a cost-effective method for shipping your artwork, while also branding yourself. If you create artwork in certain sizes, you will already know the size boxes you need and can buy them in bulk, saving yourself time and money. Having this knowledge beforehand also allows you to give buyers accurate shipping prices before they make their purchase, so there are no surprises later. Custom mailing tubes can be a good alternative to boxes for certain pieces. If you work in a flexible medium on a standard canvas, you can take the canvas off the stretcher bars and roll the finished piece for shipping.

Selling original artwork can be a proud moment for artists, but it also comes with challenges. Learning different tactics to ship artwork can reduce the costs associated with shipping and increase the chances the piece arrives safely. Talk to a shipping company, like Huckster Packaging & Supply, for more details.