posted on June 27, 2006 01:31:16 PM new
I have some large 18x24 inch framed pictures that I want to auction but I am a little nervous about shipping them because they have glass in the frames. They are worth auctioning with the frames but if the glass were to break in shippment it could ruin the pictures. I am kind of inclined to go ahead and photograph them with the glass in the frames but then specify that they will be shipped without the glass to prevent damage. What are your thoughts on this? Is there a way to pack them well enough to insure that the glass won't break in shippment? It wouldn't take much pressure to break the glass, even if it was bubble-wrapped.
posted on June 27, 2006 01:59:54 PM new
Thanks for bringing this up. I have two numbered, signed prints that I was thinking of putting up online as well. I hope someone can share their expertise
posted on June 27, 2006 02:16:29 PM new
The first thing you need to realize is that you can only ship one at a time, and will not be able to combine wins. The final package will be oversize, and if you live on one coast and ship to a rural residence on the opposite coast, shipping will be at least $25.00. To answer your question, yes they can be shipped safely. I've done it many times. You will need to wrap the picture in heavy paper, preferably kraft, and cut a piece of styrofoam the exact size of the glass surface that will extend at least 1/2" beyond the frame edge. Cut another piece the size of the picture, including frame, for the back side. Put them both in place and tape tightly. Don't skimp on the tape. Go completely around the bundle several times in both directions. Purchase a mirror carton from a moving company, preferably a 4-way adjustable carton, but a two piece telescoping carton will work just as well. Line the bottom edge of the bottom carton with cut to fit styrofoam. Place several pieces crushed newspaper on that piece. Lower the picture into the carton. Do the same with the sides using styrofoam and newspaper. Slip the top piece of the mirror carton over the bottom. Before taping the top, place newspaper and styrofoam on the top edge of the picture. Slip 2 thin sheets of stiff styrofoam down the front and back insides of the carton and tape the top end of the carton. Make sure the top piece of the carton is extremely snug over the bottom piece and tape the joint well. Secure with a couple rounds of fiberglass strapping tape. Even though the carton will already be marked, you should still mark in red "Mirror - Do Not Lay Flat" Even though there is no guarantee that some enterprising FedEx or UPS employee can't dream up a way to destroy it in transit, it has about a 99% chance of making it through. Just be sure to email the winner instructions for unpacking. About 75% of all "transit" damage on any item occurs after delivery when the recipient is trying to unpack it.
If Murphy's law is correct, everything East of the San Andreas Fault will slide into the Atlantic
posted on June 27, 2006 02:30:00 PM new"I have two numbered, signed prints that I was thinking of putting up online as well. I hope someone can share their expertise"
MY experience was TERRIBLE!
Had some beautiful S&N'ed BIRD PRINTS by a slightly known artiste -- couldn't give them away!
I can't remember where I read it (maybe the SCAM.COM thread on IGI-ART?), but I got the impression that prints do TERRIBLE on feeBay, even with famous artists?
ALSO, I found shipping the suckers (even UNFRAMED) to be a giant PITA, since I couldn't roll them...Oi!
posted on June 27, 2006 02:31:29 PM new
I have shipped my share of framed pictures with glass in the past, and they all arrived intact (whew!).
Are these antique with original bubble glass or a hard to find shape? If so, the buyer probably wants the glass.
If it's simply generic 1/8" new glass, I would prefer to take it out and ship without. Since glass is heavy, the cost of replacing the glass for the buyer is generally made up by savings in shipping. (I use an auto glass company for all my glass -- the cheapest I've found).
If you're shipping the glass with the frame, this is how I do it: Open the back, take out the glass from the frame, and put a piece of either white tissue or unprinted newsprint over the image. In case the glass does break, this will protect the picture. Put the glass back, making sure it's seated properly and close the back. Leave just a tad of wiggle room and don't make it so tight that there is any stress on the glass. Put masking tape on top of the glass in an X (like windows when a hurricane arrives). Wrap in either furniture foam, or small bubble wrap. A sleeve of corrugated cardboard around it (cut up an old box, the sturdier the better). If you have styrofoam (or one of those egg shell foam mattresses that your kids brought home from college) line the box with that. I don't like peanuts since they shift. More foam on top, or crumpled newsprint, tightly wadded. Tape shut. Turn over, open box and see if there is empty space in the bottom.
That was long ... now you knew why I don't list many framed pictures on eBay (besides all of which I just can't do much with art that people can't see and touch). Another caution: Make sure when you figure shipping that you allow for extra bulk -- these often to into oversize even when they don't weigh much which can be an unpleasant surprise for everyone concerned!
Or you can just let your pack and ship store do it all!
posted on June 27, 2006 02:34:44 PM new
Geez, Thanks so very much. Mine were done by a japanese artist (who is still alive) He seems to be pretty famous in the Asian community. I found some of his work listed there but no where else. HUMMMM I wonder where else I can go. Oh, His name is: Katsumi Sugita. There is even a little bio on him taped to the back of each piece
posted on June 27, 2006 03:20:25 PM new
"Katsumi Sugita, a sansei or third-generation Japanese-American, was born in the relocation center in Poston, Arizona, shortly before the end of World War II. After their release at the end of the war, his family settled on a farm in central Utah. The closeness to nature of farm life as well as his family's adherence of Buddhist traditions have been enduring influences on his paintings. Despite continued art studies throughout his life at a number of schools, including UCLA and the Kawai Sumi-e School, Sugita spent many productive yeats in the world of business. Then, under the influence of his readings in Zen Buddhism and the life of Musashi Miyamoto, the great seventeenth century swordsman and painter, Sugita changed the direction of his life toward greater simplicity. With samurai blood on both sides of his family, Sugita identified with Miyamoto's quest for inner peace. He was trained in a variety of media, but he settled on brush painting because of its directness and immediacy. "Because it is not correctable, it expresses a feeling directly to paper. The simpler the painting, the more flawless it must be. My paintings express a feeling of simplicity."
posted on June 27, 2006 03:21:59 PM new
I found many of his prints by googling his name. Love the simplicity of his subject!
As for shipping, I've shipped many framed pieces with no problem.I use FedEx for anything over 3 pounds and have yet to have to file a claim.
Sparkz packing info is close to the method I use. I use supplies from the local furniture store, so most of the materials I use are not only free but designed for shipping fragile items.
I would not tape the glass. That will only tick off your buyer. A taped X on glass only serves to hold the glass pieces together if they get broke, it does not protect them from breakage and can be a mess to remove if the package is stored in a hot warehouse or truck before delivery.
I also would not remove a print from the frame if it has a sealed back. You not only ruin the aesthetic value of the mounting, but you might also be subjecting the print to additional environmental elements (humidity, dirt, etc) that can ruin the print.
posted on June 27, 2006 03:40:05 PM new
Lordy! I've shipped a very large original oil in frame with glass (larger than your piece) in a mirror box we had left over from our own moving. It was a royal PITA. I avoid trying to sell such items.
But. . . I have four framed Olympics poster prints from bygone Olympics, very decorative, and they're about 14 x 20. I'm going to try selling them later in the year. But the wrapping is awfully time-consuming!
posted on June 27, 2006 03:40:27 PM new
Lordy! I've shipped a very large original oil in frame with glass (larger than your piece) in a mirror box we had left over from our own moving. It was a royal PITA. I avoid trying to sell such items.
But. . . I have four framed Olympics poster prints from bygone Olympics, very decorative, and they're about 14 x 20. I'm going to try selling them later in the year. But the wrapping is awfully time-consuming!
Art of almost any kind is a very tough sell on eBay.
posted on June 27, 2006 04:09:11 PM new
if you go to any large (high volume) furniture store they throw oodles of styrofoam away - and of course - bubble wrap. Not your standard big bubble wrap but I still like it. I use it under my baby pool every year for a liner on the deck. You can also get foam wrap.
At one local furniture store they ask "load you up 'Mam?" Which means they actually offer to load your vehicle up with all you can carry!
posted on June 27, 2006 04:22:04 PM new
Thanks for all the replies and the great shipping info. There is a pack and ship store a short distance away from me that is right next door to my favorite pizza joint. The next time I stop to get a slice I will go in nextdoor and talk to them about their prices but in the meantime I will also check into the mirror boxes from a moving company.
An artist friend of mine has given me exclusivity to market his work on the internet. I knew before making our agreement that it was going to be a tough sell but he has his art hanging, for sale in galleries here as well as in San Antonio and San Fransisco so I am hoping that it won't take too long before I can create some sort of a following for his art on Ebay. Most of his art will be in my Ebay store, that I haven't opened yet, with a few pieces that I will market as regular auctions to bring people in to look at the rest of what I will be selling. I have afterall, plenty of time on my hands and no real deadline to get it up and going. This is just another of the many projects that I have set myself to doing.
posted on June 27, 2006 04:39:33 PM new
When you go to the moving company to check prices on material, ask if they have any good used cartons. Most do, and the price will be much less, sometimes free. Also, check for paper furniture pads. They are triple ply and even better than craft.
If Murphy's law is correct, everything East of the San Andreas Fault will slide into the Atlantic
posted on June 27, 2006 05:03:39 PM new
pi- Good luck! (I mean it!) I've had a horrible time with original art on eBay. Lots of watchers, no bidders. But Mark's is sculpture, primarily steel, and expensive to ship. Hopefully that's all it is.
posted on June 27, 2006 05:57:35 PM new
LtRay: I agree with you about not disturbing a sealed back of course; my experience has really been with antique framed items, where the back was never sealed or even had a dust cover, and the most important issue was to make sure the image or object inside was not damaged if the glass was old and had to go along. That's why the masking tape. That may not be appropriate for these items, however.
Another thought: Check with a framer in your town and see what they would charge to pack. I'm sure they have more experience than anyone in a pack and ship store.
posted on June 27, 2006 06:41:18 PM new
Regular masking tape could be very hard to remove but you/I could use removeable masking tape and I think it's a pretty good idea to tape the glass in case it broke then maybe the tape may help to keep the glass pieces from ruining the art. There's a type of removeable masking tape that house painters use that would be dandy for use on picture glass for shipping.
