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Carla Foulds

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Hi Can anybody advise me please? I am new to selling my work and wanted to know the best way to go about packaging and sending both originals (watercolour and acrylic) and prints out to purchasers. Many Thanks in advance! Carla
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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With great care...... If sending watercolours or acrylics it's best not to send them glazed: not only is there a very strong possibility of the glass getting broken, but the weight adds a lot to the postage. You could use acrylic glazing ..... many people don't like it though, and I've sympathy with their reservations. Best, if you can, to send the work unframed, and certainly unglazed, so that the purchaser can choose their own frame. There's an artist by the name of Peter Williams, who sells many watercolours and prints online - see if you can find his website (or he's on Facebook: Mighty Fine Art should find him, if the name alone doesn't): he might advise you further if you ask. I've always used the Post Office/Parcelforce to send pictures by post, but then I don't send glazed paintings, or pictures of any great size. It might be worth engaging the services of a dedicated courier if you do - again, Peter W might be able to advise you on the best choice. I know he's had trouble in the past, which is why I'm suggesting you investigate him: he'll have been through several couriers, I think. Other than that - plenty of bubble-wrap, and don't leave room in your package for too much movement: cushioning is the key!
michael

Michael Edwards

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If sending unframed but mounted work I place a sheet of mountboard either side to protect against damage plus a piece of hardboard to prevent against bending. A sheet of bubble wrap around the lot and then brown paper. As Alan says DPD are excellent but I do from time to time use Parcelforce - I sent a mounted painting (18ins by 16ins) only this week - it cost about £10 so it didn't break the bank. Must look into Alan's Defendapak art boxes as an alternative.

Alan Owen

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watercolours are easy ..Amazon or e bay, fifty hard backed envelopes to fit 11"x 15'" under a tenner. with a PLEASE DO NOT BEND logo . I run a bit of cello tape round the lap- over ,and edges .if you think it could get wet ,pop painting in a cellophane bag first. I have posted at the local post office to ,Germany, Holland, , the USA, and UK ,all I get is where to this time Alan ? as yet no problems ,,as I have said before,,,,,,,,,,,, pension day ,or returns to Amazon day err..the queuing

Edited
by alanowen

Moi 17

Linda Wilson

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For prints I put my work on www.fineartamerica.com and all the transportation and printing and framing is done for me. I was really pleased recently when a Dutch lady, that I met in Sri Lanka , bought a print to be delivered to her home in Singapore! All with no effort or expense on my part. Money arrived via paypal and my customer received a print 4 times the size of the original in the format that she wanted on the other side of the world.

Sylvia Evans

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If it is a print I send in a postal tube, carefully rolled and the tubes come in varying sizes . Otherwise all the above is great info .

Alan Owen

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do you mean, do the post office ask you how much you want to insure your parcel for ....its up to you what you think its worth .

Edited
by alanowen

Carla Foulds

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Does anybody insurance their posted work routinely? If so who with please. If directly through the PO or other courier, have you found this expensive? Sorry for all the questions but I want to learn as much about send out my work before I make any major mistakes Many Thanks Carla
michael

Michael Edwards

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Alan sums it up in a nutshell. It is worth emphasising that unless any terms were agreed to the contrary between buyer and seller, the title (or ownership) of the goods (art work in this case) transfers from seller to buyer once the seller successfully physically delivers the goods and the buyer deems them to be acceptable (ie not damaged etc) and as advertised. In other words the carrier is effectively the agent of the seller. This can change if the buyer organises transport in which case the carrier becomes the agent of the buyer but this, in my experience at least, is rarely the case in sales of art.

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by MichaelEdwards