Can you send art?

Or antiques, collectibles, auction items and similar objects?

The short answer is yes, you can! But you must know that it is classified as an invalid goods. This means that regardless of whether you ship with Shiplink or another carrier, your goods will fall under a category of goods you can send but you cannot receive compensation in case of damage or loss. But also that the carrier can stop the returns and even refuse to pick up due to that the content is classified as invalid goods. Then transport and additional costs will accrue to the freight payer.

If you still want to send art, paintings, sculptures and other objects such as antiques, collectibles and auction items, you do it at your own risk. Neither Shiplink nor the carrier will take any responsibility if the goods is damaged or lost.

☝️You should consult your own insurance company regarding transport insurance of art and similar goods. It is also important to consider alternative ways to perform the transport. There are transporters who specialize in transporting art, where you get help to build the packaging. There is also the option to handle the transport completely by yourself. Even then, the goods should be packed well for preventive purposes if something unexpected should happen.

⚠️ In many cases, it is possible to prevent damage by packaging the goods correctly. However, it is impossible to prevent the goods from getting lost.

A painting for example, can have a very high value, and also have very high demands on the packaging because:
It can be extremely fragile. Soft packaging is required and is gentle on the surface and will work as a protective layer.
If it is a frame with glass, it can easily crack from a strong impact, for example when it is loaded or unloaded from a car.
The outside requires really hard packaging to withstand external influences from other goods during transport.
There are additional factors to consider such as humidity, cold and heat.
In addition if you were to exhibit the art, questions such as: Is the gallery able to store the packaging somewhere if the artwork needs to be returned.

💬 Do not hesitate to contact Shiplink's customer service via our chat on shiplink.se, email: order@shiplink.se or phone: 010-20 706 66, We have a complaints department with a lot of experience and knowledge. We are happy to help you look at how you package your content, and to guide you in the right direction so that the valuable art you send can be safely delivered.

Questions and answers

What happens to goods after the driver has picked them up?
Your goods end up in a transport chain, a flow with an enormous amount of other goods. The transport chain is different depending on where the goods are going, but the first step is usually that it is picked up by car. A car that already has, or will pick up and drop off goods during the day. Before the day is over, the car leaves the goods at a terminal. At the terminal, the goods are sorted with machines on long conveyor belts. Then goods are loaded on piles in cages. The cages are used to load large quantities of goods in larger trucks that are going to another terminal. There, the same process takes place, but vice versa. However, it is still machines that sort the goods further and it is stacked high in cages. The last step is usually to load it on the car and for delivery.

How can something break during transport?
When the goods become part of the transport chain, they are exposed to various stresses. It can be anything from strong impact from machine sorting, to falling off the conveyor belt on to other goods with sharp edges that strike and damage. It is difficult to say exactly what has caused an injury, but it is important to remember that the carrier's task is to move the goods from the sender to the recipient and your task is to package the goods so that they manage the whole the transport.

How can a goods get lost during transport handling?
Unfortunately, it happens that goods are lost or disappear. Various reasons may be that shipping labels are torn off during handling, goods get stuck in the sorting machines or perhaps that goods fall off the conveyor belt and are not detected by the staff at the terminal. It is important to remember that there are a lot of goods that are being sorted and unforeseen events can happen.

Updated on: 01/09/2023