A Guide to Shipping Antique Furniture

As everyone else will agree, there is something distinctive about shipping antiques, mainly because these are not just any items, but items that tend to have significant sentimental value. Therefore, they require additional care and attention. This is why it is best to contact professional antique furniture shippers for this kind of jobs. However, you can also help to increase the efficiency of the shipping process by just taking care of a few things. In fact, the following pieces of advice apply not only to antique furniture shipping, but to any kind of shipping job really.

First of all, you need to have an appraiser calculate the estimated value of your shipment. These calculations will then be the starting point in your negotiations of the insurance claims. In addition, they will be of great use should any damage claims be made. It should be noted that the assessment of such claims includes the review of photos of the cargo taken prior to the shipping. Therefore, it is equally important that you take pictures of your antique furniture when setting it up for shipping. You should go for a variety of angles in order to be fully covered in the event of any damage that might occur during transportation.

There are numerous things that can lead to pieces of antique furniture being damaged in transit, so you should take a few precautions. For starters, you should make sure you remove everything you might have stored inside. Once you have done that, you should inform the transporters about those particular items, as well as about any pieces of areas that should be handled with extra care. Also, make sure you secure any interior or loose parts. Try not to use duct tape though for it can cause additional damage to the furniture by ruining the finish. Traditionally, such items are shrink wrapped or secured using rubber bungees or string. Moving blankets and protective wrap are highly recommended for this kind of shipments, especially in the case of extended delivery times. Finally, crates and boxes are specifically recommended when shipping high-value items or ornate ones. Take note that the choice of the wood they are made of is essential as well for they must withstand moisture as well as temperature variations. However, your antique dealer as well as the shipping company you work with should be able to assist you in this matter, so do not hesitate to contact them and make enquiries about your options.

In the end, remember that proper packing is essential when it comes to shipping, especially since large carriers cannot address cargos personally or handle them as carefully as small carriers, so extra precautions are recommended at all times. Therefore, should you be in doubt as to the kind of packaging you should opt for, leave it to the carrier to handle this aspect for they will know exactly how to deal with your cargo so that it reaches its destination in perfect condition.